
O Consurso das Denises (lit. The Denises Contest) is the title of a story originally published in Mônica #160 (Globo series) in January 2000.
The story was written by Emerson Abreu. This story marks the major redesign of Denise in the comics, getting a fixed look (after years of being a character with a inconsistent look and personality) created by Emerson Abreu that later would also develop the current personality of the character. This story marks the beginning of Sunny's personality development (also by Emerson Abreu) as the butt of jokes about being the "useless secondary character" in the comics.
This story is considered one of the most classic of the 2000s.
Plot[]
The story begins with Monica chasing Jimmy Five (disguised as a giant sausage) at his home after he tricked Monica and Maggy in another of his infallible plans. In that same moment Denise enters the door offering cookies, but ends up being accidentally bumped by Jimmy Five and also accidentally getting a coelhada. Denise ends up being irritated by the situation and screams angrily asking them to stop, thus revealing that they were just acting in the comic.

My name is Creusa Maria! Not "Denise"!
Denise reveals to Monica that she is tired of her role as a unlikeable character who only receive the worst all the time and that she is just a actress called Creusa Maria. Creusa resigns from her role as Denise preferring to go work acting in the Chuck Billy stories. Monica, Jimmy Five and Maggy needing to continue with the story then argue about hiring another actress to play Denise, thus revealing the reason why Denise always appeared with a different look in each story. Meanwhile Sunny gets in the middle of the conversation, Monica complains about the actresses' attitudes of wanting to quit often because they don't like to play a secondary role and uses Sunny as an example they should follow: "who never complains about his role as a useless character". Sunny is offended by Monica's comment and leaves angry.

The candidates for the contest
Monica, Jimmy Five and Maggy then have the idea of running a contest at the MSP to choose the next actress who will play Denise. The following day the contest starts and a lot of girls appear to apply for the role. Monica, Jimmy Five and Maggy then return to their respective roles in the story they were acting in before, a blonde girl (the first candidate) appears playing Denise, however the blonde girl starts acting outside the script avoiding being bumped by Jimmy Five. The girl reveals that she wants to play the character in her own way and sees herself becoming a big and famous character in all the media (in the same way as Monica). Jimmy Five then tries to make her remember that she is only a secondary character, however the blonde girl defends herself by saying that Smudge and Maggy were also secondary characters before receiving their own comic books (in 1982 and 1989 respectively).

Glu as a candidate
Monica rejects the girl and sends the next candidate in, a big fat girl. The fat girl walks in the door and punches Jimmy Five face (for misinterpreting the script) knocking him out. The fat girl is rejected, then Jimmy Five sends the next candidate in, who turns out to be Glu, who is also rejected.
Jimmy Five then sends the next candidate in, and a red-haired girl appears holding a balloon and mistakes Jimmy Five (in his sausage costume) with one of the Teletúbios (reference to Teletubbies).
After several attempts Maggy gets tired and convinces Monica and Jimmy Five to give up realizing that the contest was being in vain saying that anyone could be Denise, even Sunny (saying it in front of Sunny), making Monica also realize that no one could replace Creusa Maria in the role of Denise since she was their friend.

At least it's way better than Sunny's role, that does not smell neither stink!
In that same moment Creusa returns, deciding to stay in her role as Denise, claiming she can't stay away from her friends (and also because she discovered she was allergic to chicken feathers) and deciding not to care about her role since it is no worse than the Sunny's role as a "useless character" (saying this in front of Sunny who is offended again by the comment). With the problem solved Monica, Jimmy Five, Maggy and Denise (Creusa Maria) reinterpret the story until Jeremiah appears and reveals that Sunny is organizing a protest with all the wronged secondary characters causing Monica and Jimmy Five to become frustrated again for realizing that they are going to have to deal with another problem in the studio.
Characters[]
- Monica
- Jimmy Five
- Maggy
- Denise/Creusa Maria (first appearance)
- Smudge
- Chuck Billy (mentioned)
- Sunny
- Blu (cameo)
- Ms. Stone (cameo)
- Contest Candidates
- Jeremiah
Trivia[]
- This story is widely known among fans for being responsible for the main changes in Sunny and Denise would have in the comic books after this one, ceasing to be random support characters and becoming fundamental characters in the following stories. This was due to Emerson Abreu, who was responsible for developing both characters and giving them their own personalities.
- Denise would later become Emerson Abreu's favorite character and would star in almost every story he wrote.
- The jokes about the characters commenting on Sunny's role as "useless secondary character" came to be frequently used as a common running gag in the comic books after this one, making it even become the main characteristic of the character: be considered the useless secondary character that nobody cares.
- This story is not considered canon because it shows the characters as actors playing their own roles in the Mauricio de Sousa Produções (MSP) studios, and also because Denise is referred to as an actress named Creusa Maria who is just playing the character. However, much of this story has been used in future stories.
- Sunny being the butt of jokes for being a secondary character.
- Denise wearing a purple dress and having brown hair with pigtails and a mustache-like fringe.
- The fat girl (later renamed as Das Dores) reappears in a Maggy comic book published in 2011, as a friend of Denise.
- Denise is referred as Creusa Maria by Maggy in the story O Coelhinho Amarelo published in a Monica comic book in 2013. Maggy also mentions the title of this story.

MSP artists drawing the characters looking them acting.
- This story shows the characters as actors acting in front of the MSP artists, instead of the usual comics where the characters simply appear inside the drawing boards in miniature sizes.
- This story is one of the rare moments when Blu (in his anthropomorphic form) and Glu appear interacting with the Lemon Street kids.
- This story was available on the Monica's Gang website, until the site was redesigned in 2013. This story was published on the site in 2006, and like many of the stories uploaded on the site in that period, it was not translated into English.
- Due to a mistake by the artist, Denise appears barefoot and without toes at the end of the story. This is the only occasion when Denise (Creusa Maria) appears without toes.