Paco The Animated Parrot To Star On PBS This Fall

Paco The Animated Parrot To Star On PBS This Fall
An intrepid rabbit and a set of Latino twins with a bilingual parrot are the stars of two new fall PBS kids' series designed for the generally unserved early elementary school population. The emphasis in both is on positive ethnic values and cultural diversity.
PBS and Scholastic Entertainment (''Clifford the Big Red Dog'') have teamed to present ''Maya & Miguel,'' an animated weekday series scheduled to premiere Oct. 11.
''Maya & Miguel'' revolves around 10-year-old twins Maya and Miguel Santos, their close-knit family and Paco, a linguistically gifted parrot, who live in a culturally diverse neighborhood. Maya constantly meddles in the lives of her friends and family, much to the consternation of her brother. The emphasis on the twins' ethnic background, states PBS, ''makes learning their culture and language a fun, relevant and rewarding experience.''
The voice cast includes Lupe Ontiveros as the twins' grandmother, Elisabeth Peña as their mother, Erik Estrada as the friendly mailman and Lucy Liu as their outspoken friend.