YMMV / Carrusel

• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Cirilo himself. Fans either like him for being a well meaning yet naive kid or despise him for being one of the worst examples of a Token Minority and because he is crazily in love with Maria Joaquina, even though she is obviously not interested on him, and the fact that the remake made Maria Joaquina’s racism much less evident, it certainly does NOT help his case.
  • Some people like Maria Joaquina because she’s cute and for being more justified in her hatred of Cirilo in the remake while others loathe her for being a stereotypical Alpha Bitch whose racist beliefs became way more "tuned down" in the remake.
  • Believe or not, the 2012 remake incarnation of Valeria falls under this category for two reasons: her rudeness towards certain characters(Teacher Ximena, Laura and David), making her more bratty than playful and her being terribly Flanderized in later episodes, the spin off show and the first movie by becoming David’s overly jealous girlfriend^note which also happened in the original but the remake tend to exaggerate this aspect of their relationship who constantly attempts to control his life, and her being just as girly and prissy as Maria Joaquina hasn’t been well received by many older fans.^note the original Valeria always was very feminine herself but she still wore glasses and rather average clothes, she also had a fair share of tomboyish traits such as her bravery, mischievousness and her not being afraid of mice which are all either largely forgotten or tuned down in the remake. Others prefer this version of her character simply due to her becoming far more memorable and for getting more screen time.
• Fair for Its Day: None of the girls may have been shown playing sports, being into science, or any other traditionally male pursuits. Valeria is the only one who is not afraid of mice. But keep in mind this was Mexico in 1989-1990, a very conservative society. Just the fact that all the girls had talents and goals- and they were heavily encouraged to pursue them- makes it stand out. Also, all minority students are usually treated respectfully- and when someone is mean to them (or to anyone else), they are quickly and politely told it is wrong.
• First Installment Wins: Out all of the Brazilian remakes of foreign kid oriented soap operas produced by SBT, this one is the most well liked of the bunch.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: Really popular in Brazil. So much it even got a remake, which aired from May 2012 to July 2013 in SBT, the same channel that broadcasted the original version. And later it got an Animated Adaptation that aired in 2016 ^note Production was started and finished in 2013, but the cartoon was archived for a long time, an action packed spin off series and two movies.
• Strawman Has a Point: Jorge tells on Bibi when she is trying to cheat on a test. Viewers are supposed to empathize with Bibi, since Jorge is such a despicable character otherwise. But Jorge has a point- it is wrong to cheat, and it would have been unfair to other kids who studied and took the test honestly.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: Maria Joaquina. Sure sure, Cirilo's parents donating blood saved her mother's life... but all that means is that she needs to be polite and respectful to Cirilo- in no way is she expected to return his love.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Cirilo. His unrequited love for Maria Joaquina borders on obsession- though he never stalks her. She is out of his league in every way. And yet he still refused to accept that she didn't like him in that way, making him the Dogged Nice Guy to end all Dogged Nice Guys. Had Cirilo being a few years older, he would've been seen as really creepy.
• Values Dissonance:
  • Maria Joaquina’s racism towards Cirilo wouldn’t fly today, which is a reason why the remake heavily tuned down this aspect of Maria Joaquina’s character and made her dislike Cirilo more because he’s obsessed with her.
  • David sacrifices his pet turtle in order to make turtle soup for Fermin to recover from his illness. There is NO WAY this could have flown in the United States.
  • All the girls but one (Valeria) are murophobic.
  • The series has plenty of fatphobic jokes about Jaime and Laura that can come off as being offensive to modern viewers.
  • The Girls vs. Boys Plot between the kids is treated a lot more serious in the original to the point it bordered on Mars and Venus Gender Contrast, and even though this plot point IS kept in the remake, it’s treated more as being something silly that kids tend to do and is usually Played for Laughs. It’s also helped by the fact that pretty much all the girls have more defined personalities now and one of them(Alicia) is even a bit more of a tomboy.
• The Woobie: Cirilo, Mario, and maybe Marcelina to a certain extent.