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Rafa's grandmother is an unseen character from the animated series Barbie: It Takes Two. She is a New York Puerto Rican. Rafa calls her "abuela", which is Spanish for "grandmother", and he often translates quotes from her as a running gag throughout the series.

Story[]

In "It Takes Two", Malibu and Brooklyn try to convince their parents to let them stay in New York and attend Handler Arts Academy together for the fall semester. They are running out of time before Malibu's parents bring her back to California. Rafa says, "Mi abuela used to tell me: Life is beautiful, but it will not be easy. One day, trouble will arrive at your door, and when it does, there is solamente one thing to do... Stall for as long as you can."

In "First Day Frenzy", Brooklyn feels unconfident after an acting audition. Malibu asks Rafa to say something nice to comfort Brooklyn. Rafa replies, "It's just like mi abuela always says: When the rain begins to fall and the roof above your head is leaking, hop on your motorcycle and ride out of town."

In "Barbies Rising", Malibu and Brooklyn are told to wait 7 years for an appointment with a world-renowned music mogul. Rafa tells them, "Well, it's like mi abuela always says: The world may not always work as fast as we'd like it to, but anything worth having is worth buying a new set of dentures for."

In "Gone to the Dogs", Malibu and Brooklyn need money. Rafa offers to pay them to walk Gato and he tells them, "It's just like mi abuela always says: A true friend is always there in times of trouble, or to help pull an old moose out of a ditch."

In "Cut It Out", The Dash has made an unflattering film about The Barbies and is going to premiere it at Handler's annual film festival. Rafa and The Barbies brainstorm on how to stop The Dash from showing people the film. Rafa says, "It's like mi abuela always says: There are times in life when you accept defeat and throw in the towel... but don't throw it too far, or you'll slip in the shower and need a new hip."

In "Studio Sleuths", Brooklyn's phone goes missing. The phone had lyrics and melodies that she and Malibu had been working on for weeks, and none of it was backed up anywhere. Rafa tells them, "It's like mi abuela always says: Life is a mystery just waiting to be solved. To find the answers, search your mind, search your heart, and don't forget to look under the couch in case you dropped your dentures... or a meatball sub."

In "Costumed Capers", Malibu and Brooklyn go to Times Square and wear mascot costumes to promote a business. The corner they are on smells bad because there is trash nearby. Rafa tells them, "It's like mi abuela always says: When life gives you dumpsters, you take out the trash... and then drink lemonade by the recycling bin."

In "To Dye For", Rafa books Malibu and Brooklyn a commercial audition with Gourmet Popcorn, a company which sells pickle popcorn. Rafa makes them green costumes to help them stand out from other auditionees. The green dye is based on a recipe his grandmother gave him. Rafa has to leave for an emergency before the costumes are done being dyed and dried, so Malibu and Brooklyn have to finish the process. He tells them to dry the fabric for "2" without saying a specific unit of time. The girls can't find Rafa's grandmother's recipe, so they assume the fabric has to dry for 2 minutes. Brooklyn thinks is very fast, but it's unexpected like she would expect from Rafa's grandmother. It turns out they were meant to dry the fabric for 2 hours, and there was a warning from Rafa's grandmother that the fabric would shrink. The costumes are too small for the girls to wear and their skin gets dyed green, so they have to audition with green skin.

In "Game On!, Rafa is stressed because he is busy with costume finals and helping The Barbies with their demo. Rafa suggests to Malibu and Brooklyn that they have a night of self-care so they can relax. He says his grandmother sent him a jar of her famous mud mask recipe. The three of them go to Brooklyn's house to do yoga.

In "Race to the Finish", the West Coat Roberts go to New York to bring Malibu and Brooklyn to California for the summer. Rafa and Gato secretly get in the camper to join them because Rafa isn't ready to say goodbye to the girls. He tells them, "It's like mi abuela always says: A summer apart is good for the heart, but a season away can turn the heart gray and make it so lonely it shrivels into dust."

Trivia[]

  • Rafa's grandmother was mentioned in the vlog " Salsa_Lesson_With_Rafa!_Celebrating_Hispanic_Heritage_Month_-_Barbie_Vlogs ". Rafa teaches Malibu how to salsa dance and says, "Mi abuela taught me. Salsa was made popular by many New York Puerto Ricans like her in the 50s' and 60s': Tito Puente, Yolanda Rivera and Hector Lavoe."
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