Revisit the Molinas, the Ecuadorian family that lived next door in the ‘Arthur’ cartoon series

By Anna Ortega

For a generation of viewers, Arthur was more than a cartoon about an aardvark and his friends. It was a familiar little world — one that, in 2001, made room for a new family moving in next door.

Los vecinos next door.

In “Arthur and Los Vecinos,” Arthur meets the Molinas, a family originally from Ecuador: Mr. Ramón and Mrs. Molina, their 13-year-old son Alberto, their 3-year-old daughter Vicita, and Amigo, the family dog. Their arrival brings a new set of neighbors into Elwood City — and a chance for Arthur and his family to get to know them.

The Molinas have their own lives and routines. Mr. Molina runs Cafe con Leche, while Mrs. Molina teaches dance at the community center. When Arthur’s family visits, the two families begin building a friendship. It’s a warm, everyday kind of introduction: not a grand lesson, but neighbors opening the door and making room for one another.

They also have a pet dog named Amigo, who teaches Arthur’s dog, Pal, that Latine dogs say “guau,” not “woof.” While the Molinas first appear in the episode “Arthur and Los Vecinos,” they also appear in several later episodes, including “Dear Adil” and “Dancing Fools.”

[To see a clip from “Arthur and Los Vecinos,” click here.]

And Alberto’s story continues beyond that first meeting. He has a soccer ball he calls “El Boomerang,” signed by fictional Ecuadorian soccer player Juan-Carlos Salamanca. In a later episode, “Dear Adil,” Alberto pushes Arthur to think critically about cultural stereotypes after Arthur reads a comic featuring a golden Mayan temple in Ecuador.

Those details give the Molinas more than a cameo. They’re a family with their own interests, work, humor, and perspective — and Alberto gets to speak up when a portrayal gets something wrong. For many of us revisiting Arthur, that kind of representation is worth remembering.
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Credit: Hip Latina