As of January 2005 this was the most watched TV program in both Brazil and Portugal - a rare simultaneous occurrence.
The story is strongly reminiscent of the "Pedrinho case" in which Vilma Martins Costa, a businesswoman, took away the infant Pedro Baule Pinto from his parents hours just a couple hours after his birth. The boy was 16 when Vilma's deeds were uncovered by the police and he could return to his biological parents.