Through the years, we’re able to meet several fictional little girls in teleseryes who inspired us to be good, renewed our faith in God, and helped us realize a lot of things in life through their inspiring stories. Among them are the remarkably adorable young female characters that we listed in this feature.

Momay, Momay (2010)

After being cast as a supporting character in the previous projects that she did, Xyriel Manabat finally scored her first-ever teleserye in a leading role via the fantasy drama series Momay. She impressed us with her portrayal of the titular character, whose real name is Miley Buenavidez, who passed away at an early age after saving her little brother Justin (Jappy Mercado/Ejay Falcon) when their house was engulfed by fire.

Upon her plea, she was given the chance to come back to Earth 15 years after her death – yet as a ghost and still in the form and mind of a child – in order to tie up all the unresolved issues in their family and protect them from her wicked and deceitful Auntie Hillary (Glydel Mercado), who was the main culprit behind her death. On her return, she met a cowardly little boy named Andro (Maliksi Morales), who eventually became her best friend and partner in fulfilling her missions.

Throughout her journey as a living child and an adorable ghost, Momay taught us what unconditional love really means and set a good example for kids (and even adults) on how big sisters (or brothers) and children should be to their families.

Anna Manalastas, 100 Days To Heaven (2011)

What will you do if you do if you found out that you’re not heading to heaven after you die? For Madam Anna Manalastas (Coney Reyes), she bargained with the Tagabantay, or the gatekeeper of heaven, to give her a second chance to live again in order to make amends with people whom she wronged and straighten up all her wrongdoings when she was still alive. But the catch, she had to fulfill her mission in her childhood form (Xyriel Manabat) and only for 100 days.

In her quest of redemption, she was helped by a young boy named Kevin (Louise Abuel) and his family, who allowed her to live with them for the time being. Since she couldn’t enter her own company, she made Kevin’s sister Sophia (Jodi Sta. Maria) do it for her by pretending to be a marketing consultant in order to execute her plans and mission. In the end, she was not only able to find all the people she trespassed on and correct her mistakes in her past life, but also her estranged biological daughter who turned out to be Sophia.

Being able to go back to life and in her child form allowed Anna to feel the love, learn the life values, and experience the things she didn’t get to do in her tragic past. Through her journey in 100 Days To Heaven, viewers were reminded about the value of love, forgiveness, and sacrifice, as well as of being kind to others and enjoying life to the fullest.

Annaliza, Annaliza (2013)

Following the story of the titular character impeccably portrayed by then-rising child star Andrea Brillantes in her first-ever lead role, Annaliza demonstrated to us what unconditional love is like. After being taken away from her birth parents Isabel (Denise Laurel) and Lazaro (Patrick Garcia) by Stella (Kaye Abad), Lazaro’s vengeful ex-girlfriend, and her lover Makoy (Carlo Aquino) when she was still a baby, Annaliza was raised by a hardworking and responsible young fisherman named Guido (Zanjoe Marudo). And in a sudden twist of fate, Guido married Stella, who, along with daughter Arlene (Kyline Alcantara), made Annaliza’s life miserable by surprising her and even usurped her of her identity and inheritance.

She might be deprived of a mother’s love, but Guido was able to fill that void and raise her to become a virtuous, kindhearted, and happy young girl, who brandished his cooking skills. Despite her cruel and traumatic experiences at the hands of Stella and Arlene, especially when Guido worked overseas, Annaliza still showed kindness and respect to them. All her sufferings ended eventually, with Guido and Isabel getting married and forming a real family with her.

At a young age, Annaliza inspired us to remain strong and optimistic amidst adversities and to never lose our faith in God because circumstances will surely turn out fine in the end. Besides, while it can be tempting to retaliate to those who crossed us, it’s still better to choose kindness.

Ningning, Ningning (2015)

Our mornings in 2015 were surely brighter and warmer, thanks to the adorable curly-haired kiddo named Ningning (Jana Agoncillo). At a young age, she already encountered a lot of challenges in life – from the untimely demise of her mom up to the eye disorder that she had to endure. Despite her condition, she still took it upon herself to be her dad’s partner as they went on with life together, such as helping him sell their product daing cue with her best friend Mac-Mac (Josh de Guzman).

Ningning and her family indeed taught us a lot of significant morals to which viewers could really relate. They were proof that it was still possible to have a happy and contented life despite not having much, as long as you have your beloved family by your side and you know how to appreciate the cheap thrills in life.

Besides, they also reminded us that all things can be achieved through hope, perseverance, and the love and inspiration brought by family and friends. Regardless of our age, we should also never lose the child in us by having an innocent perception of life “full of beautiful relationships, second chances, forgiveness, and love.”

Heart, My Dear Heart (2017)

In 2017, we found ourselves touched by the life of Heart (Nayomi “Heart” de Jesus), a vivacious young girl who grew up under the care of her adoptive parents Jude (Zanjoe Marudo) and Clara (Bela Padilla). However, just when things were going well, she suddenly fell into a comatose due to her rare congenital heart condition. While she was unconscious, her soul was able to navigate and become visible to her doctor, Margaret Divinagracia (Coney Reyes) and form an unexpected bond with her. In the end, it was uncovered that Margaret was the mother of Heart’s biological mom Gia (Ria Atayde), with whom Jude had a romantic affair, and she was her love child.

My Dear Heart demonstrated to us the meaning of unconditional love as seen in her relationships with her family and her best friend Bingo (Enzo Pelojero). The characters, especially Heart, also inspired us to strengthen our faith in God and to not easily give up as we go through life’s hard-hitting challenges.

Starla, Starla (2019)

While it’s probably easy for some of us to surrender as we encounter obstacles and setbacks along the way, playful wishing star Starla (Jana Agoncillo) and her human friend Buboy (Enzo Pelojero) reminded us not to because help will surely come the way we don’t expect to. As the townsfolks of Barrio Maulap encountered various troubles, the adorable dynamic duo let their hearts of gold shine by helping several of them in a truly magical and stellar way.

With Buboy as her keeper, Starla used her powers in instantly resolving the problems of the people they encounter along the way in just one cast of her magic spell, “Ano man ang hiling, aking tutuparin. Ang iyong nasa loob, ipagkakaloob. Ngayon din. Now na!”

It can be recalled that Starla’s friendship with Buboy started after he accidentally caught her, mistaking her for a firefly, when the wannabe wishing stars descended to Barrio Maulap one night for their excursion. The wayward wishing star’s sojourn here on Earth taught her a lot of lessons and brought her experiences that further motivated her fulfill her duties.