In spite of the systematic negative reactions of the intellectuals and specialized critics, Xou da Xuxa soon became the most successful children's show in Brazilian television history, transforming its presenter into a phenomenon between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s.

[10] Dengue (Roberto Bertin), who was portrayed as a huge mosquito with multiple limbs, and Praga (Armando Moraes), a turtle, contributed by livening the scene, helping the host and befriending the children.

[14] The clothing range led to a fashion craze for wearing white leather boots, as "xuxinhas" became popular among children and adolescents.

The Argentina version of the program, El Show de Xuxa, was considered a success, reaching an estimated viewership of 33 million.

[5][16][17][18] Since its early days, Xou da Xuxa suffered intense questioning by intellectuals, politicians and journalists, who conflated criticism of the program and the presenter.

[22] Shaw and Dennison cite this film in suggesting, like Riordan and Meehan, that different cultural perceptions toward sexuality between North and South America may have influenced Xuxa's success.

[24] This in turn, the theory reasons, prevented Xuxa from building a connection with her audiences who were already less familiar with her established Brazilian star persona.

[5][10][24] A third rationale for the show's failure to take hold in North America is that Xuxa contradicted established perceptions in the US about Latin American women and beauty, because she is a light-skinned, blonde and blue-eyed Brazilian person.