Maria Leonora Theresa: The symbol of Guy and Pip’s real love

Barbie is, hands down, the most popular doll in the world. But back in the early ‘70s, there was only one doll that Pinoys went gaga for.

Maria Leonora Theresa.

This three-foot, ceramic-faced doll was popular love team Guy and Pip’s (Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III) “daughter.” It’s the only doll in Philippine showbiz history to have its own launching movie. Maria Leonora Theresa or MLT also had its own contract for TV and movie appearances. It was treated like a human child who had her own wardrobe, jewelry sets, combs, sunglasses, shoes, and even makeup kit. These things were given by sponsors of Guy and Pip, and by their fans.

PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) gathered two versions of how MLT came to be.

The first version was told to PEP by Nestor de Guzman, editor of the Noranian book, Si Nora Aunor sa mga Noranian: Mga Paggunita at Pagtatapat (Milflores Publishing, first printed in 2005, Php 360): “Ayon sa isang kuwento, ipinabili ni Mommy Elma, Tirso’s mother, ang manika sa isang kaibigan sa Amerika [U.S.A.]. Noong December 19, 1969, coronation ni Nora Aunor bilang Muse of Sampaguita Family Club, di nakadalo si Tirso pero ipinadala ang manika kay Nora bilang regalo. Ito ang itinuturing na birthday ni MLT. Bininyagan nina Inday Badiday at Ike Lozada ang manika na Maria Leonora Theresa, pinagsamang pangalan nina Nora at Tirso.”

The second version was told to PEP by Nora “Tita Noy” Calderon, Tirso’s publicist from 1970 to 1980: “Binili ni Daddy Groovy [Tirso Cruz Jr., Pip’s dad] si MLT sa Aloha Hotel, isang class na hotel sa Roxas Boulevard na dating Dewey Boulevard.

“Ang name talaga ni Guy, Maria Leonora Villamayor. May lola siya, ang name Theresa. Pero kay Tirso raw yung ‘Theresa’ dahil nga doll nila ‘yon. Yung lyrics ng song na ‘Maria Leonora Theresa,’ si Pip sumulat nun.”

And just like Nestor’s tale, MLT was meant as a gift to Nora. There may be two different stories on how MLT was “born,” but both Nestor and Tita Noy agree that MLT was the symbol of Guy and Pip’s real love for each other.

AS POPULAR AS “MOM AND DAD.” MLT was as popular as her “Mommy” Guy and “Daddy” Pip. Frenetic fans of the love team really believed MLT was alive and was the real daughter of the couple. The fanaticism of MLT’s followers was even related in an excerpt from a paragraph of Wilfredo O. Pascual’s prizewinning essay, “Devotion” (from the book Philippine Studies: The New Writings, double volume, printed by Ateneo de Manila University Press, edited by Soledad Reyes), published in his blogsite (http://personalwilli.blogspot.com.)

“People wrote to the doll and sent her homemade cards. And as if that breathed life to the doll, Maria Leonora Theresa wrote back and eased the people’s worries. They pierced her ear and made her wear earrings. They lavished her with jewelries and expensive clothes. And when the death toll of the deadly typhoons rose, the most photographed doll in Philippine history, went to church and wept. In the editorials she wrote for magazines, the doll inspired the Noranians to mobilize truckloads of fans to help the victims by donating food and clothes, to preach the doll’s message of love and charity.”

Yes, MLT wrote back to her fans. In fact, she even had her own komiks magazine where she answers letters of fans.

“Dahil sa mga fans, nag-publish ng komiks ang Goldstar Publications about Maria Leonora Theresa,” narrated Tita Noy. She said the fans wrote to MLT and MLT “wrote” back to them.

Everywhere the doll went, she got mobbed. Jessie B. Garcia’s A Movie Album Quizbook (first printed in 2004 by Erehwon Books and Magazine) told of how incredibly popular MLT was: “The provincial tours that Maria Leonora Theresa went on were always smash hits. At one time to protect her, she was strategically placed on top of an armored truck. The fans shrieked their throats dry, reached out to her like she were some kind of royalty, and shouted questions at her like, ‘Kumusta na ang mommy mo?’ and ‘Kailan ka ulit lalabas sa pelikula?’”

Through MLT also, fans could tell if Guy and Pip’s relationship was fine and dandy or undergoing problems. When everything was all right, the doll would wear bright, sunshine colors. When the relationship was not good or when Guy and Pip had a fight, MLT would be dressed in black, and sometimes with a sash printed with, “Nasaan ka, Inay?”

When the love team (and relationship) of Guy and Pip ended, Nora gave back MLT to Tirso.

MLT’s last known public appearance was when Tirso’s son Bodie was inside the Pinoy Big Brother’s house as part of the PBB Teen Edition 2 show. Bodie woke up one morning inside the house with MLT by his side and Daddy Pip’s “Maria Leonora Theresa” song playing in the background.

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