Abelardo the Dragon was the early equivalent of Big Bird in Plaza Sésamo, the Mexican version of Sesame Street that began in 1972.
Abelardo was a tall orange-and-yellow scaled Dragon which had a soft, gentle voice and a very particular way of talking, making pauses after every sentence. His favorite treats were pumpkin seeds or "semillas de calabaza" which in Mexico are a very popular snack, also known as "Pepitas".
In the later seasons Abelardo's character was replaced by Serapio Montoya, a large parrot-like character with a strong resemblance to Big Bird, of whom he is a cousin. However, children and others continued to refer to Serapio as "Abelardo" and therefore his name was later changed to Abelardo Montoya.
The reason the dragon character was replaced when the series was re-launched in 1982, remains unexplained