The series focuses on the adventures of aLatina girl namedDora and her monkey friend Boots, with a particular emphasis on theSpanish language.[2] The series is presented in the style of both an interactiveCD-ROM game and apoint-and-click adventure game, with gimmicks such as Dora asking the viewer to help her by showing the current items in her inventory and asking the viewer which one is best for the current scenario.
The series is currently scheduled to receive a live-action version for older viewers onParamount+.[3][4][5]
Plot
From left to right: Swiper (in background), Dora, and Boots
The series centers around Dora Márquez, a seven-year-old Latina girl, with a love of embarking on quests related to an activity that she wants to partake of or a place that she wants to go to, accompanied by her talking purplebackpack andanthropomorphic monkey companion named Boots (named for his beloved pair of red boots). Each episode is based around a series of cyclical events that occur along the way during Dora's travels, along with obstacles that she and Boots are forced to overcome or puzzles that they have to solve (with "assistance" from the viewing audience) relating to riddles, the Spanish language, or counting. Common rituals may involve Dora's encounters with Swiper, abipedal, anthropomorphic masked thieving fox whose theft of the possessions of others must be prevented throughinteraction with the viewer. To stop Swiper, Dora and Boots must say "Swiper, no swiping" three times. However, on occasions where Swiper steals the belongings of other people, the viewer is presented with the challenge of helping Boots and Dora locate the stolen items. Another obstacle involves encounters with another one of the program's antagonists; the "Grumpy Old Troll" dwelling beneath a bridge that Dora and Boots must cross, who challenges them with a riddle that needs to be solved with the viewer's help before permitting them to pass. Known for its constant audience interaction depicted in every episode, the audience is usually presented to two primary landmarks that must be passed before Dora can reach her destination, normally being challenged with games or puzzles along the way. The episode always ends with Dora successfully reaching the locale and singing the "We Did It!" song with Boots in triumph, followed by Dora and Boots discussing their favorite part of the trip.
Development
In 1995, Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh, and Eric Weiner began developing a television series titledThe Knockarounds, about a group of forest animals led by a brave explorer raccoon. Gifford later explained "Val had an idea for a treasure hunt show and I wanted to do an adventure show, so eventually we settled on a problem-solving show that would give kids tools to help them sort through all the things that come at them." The creators pitchedThe Knockarounds to Nickelodeon's president of film and TV entertainmentAlbie Hecht, who instead ordered a pilot forJanice Burgess' pitchMe and My Friends.
The three had often thought about making the lead raccoon a human, and ultimately decided make the change afterThe Knockarounds was rejected. Gifford, who had designed the raccoon after his daughter, changed the character to a girl of Irish descent named Nina, described by Weiner as "an ordinary girl who could solve any problem she encountered" and "a superhero by her persistence". The pitch was reworked under the nameNina's Pop-up Puzzle, and a pilot was produced.[6]
In May 1998, Nickelodeon executive Brown Johnson attended the Children Now trade conference in Los Angeles. The organization unveiled a study titled "A Different World: Children's Perceptions of Race and Class in the Media", which stated that children of varying race strongly believed there weren't enough Latino or Asian characters on television, and more than two-thirds of the surveyed children believed it was important to see their race on TV.[7] Upon Johnson's return, the creators were asked if they could include Hispanic elements in their series.[8] At first there was hesitancy, but eventually they realized that they had "a great opportunity" and the character's design remained.[9] Dora is a Latina; according to a Nickelodeon spokesman, "she was developed to be pan-Latina to represent the diversity of Latino cultures".[10]
Each episode of the series costs $500,000.[11] Development of the series came out of Nickelodeon's desire to "come up with the next big hit" similar to its other successful preschool shows at the time,Little Bear andBlue's Clues. The creators sought to combine the format of both shows, with the narrative focus ofLittle Bear combined with the interactivity ofBlue's Clues.[9] The creators further developed the concept by observing preschoolers with the creators coming to the conclusion that "they are little explorers."[9] Nickelodeon originally did not want Swiper, the only remaining character from theKnockarounds pitch, as researchers stated he was "bad modeling and unsettling to kids". The creators felt strongly about the inclusion of the antagonist as an integral part of the series; he remained in the final show.[9]
On numerous occasions, television specials have been aired for the series in which the usual events of regular episodes are altered, threatened, or replaced. Usually said specials will present Dora with a bigger, more whimsical adventure than usual or with a magical task that must be fulfilled, or perhaps even offer a series of different adventures for Boots and Dora to travel through. They might be presented with an unusual, difficult task (such as assisting Swiper in his attempts to be erased from Santa Claus's Naughty List) that normally is not featured in average episodes, or challenge Dora with a goal that must be achieved (such as the emancipation of a trappedmermaid). Sometimes, the specials have involved the debut of new characters, such as the birth of Dora's superpowered twin baby siblings and the introduction of the enchanted anthropomorphicstars that accompany Dora on many of her quests.
Dora the Explorer as atween, as seen after being revealed in 2009
On March 8, 2009,Mattel and Nickelodeon announced that Dora would receive atweenage makeover, switching from a young age to a teenage attendingmiddle school. Initially, it was announced that the new look would not be revealed until late 2009,[12] but after a short controversy, the tween Dora was unveiled on March 16, 2009.[13][14][15]
The series' seventh season, the first to air in high-definition, featured a new CGI opening sequence created byChicago-based Calabash Animation[16] and a revised visual style with more shading.
Diego Márquez: Felipe and Andre Dieppa (2003–2004), Gabriel Alvarez (2003–2006),Jake T. Austin (2005–2010), Brandon Zambrano (2011–2012), Jacob Medrano (2012–2019)[19][20]
Explorer Stars: Christiana Anbri, Henry Gifford, Katie Gifford, Aisha Shickler, Muhammed Cunningham, Jose Zeleya
Val the Octopus, Miscalleneous: Elaine Del Valle
Mrs. Márquez: Eileen Galindo
Big Red Chicken, Grumpy Old Troll, Pirate Pig, Miscellaneous: Chris Gifford
Dora the Explorer has been produced in various other languages worldwide. It facilitates the learning of important foreign language words or phrases (mostly English), interspersed with a local language (e.g. Norwegian, Russian, Hindi, or German), with occasional use of Spanish (used in the Irish, Serbian, and Turkish versions) through its simplicity and use of repetition.
Arabic: TheArabic language version is broadcast on the "Nickelodeon on MBC3" block ofMBC 3, and is presented in Arabic-English.
Bengali: The Bengali language version was first broadcast in 2015 onSA TV.[21] The series began to be aired again in Bengali onDuronto TV on July 31, 2021.[22]
Danish: TheDanish language version is calledDora – udforskeren and there are commands and expressions in English. It is broadcast on the national public children's channel,DR Ramasjang, and also on theNick Jr. Channel through variouspay TV providers.
Dutch: TheDutch language version broadcasts onNickelodeon andNick. Jr, It is presented in Dutch-English. The voice actors are Lottie Hellingman as Dora and Dieter Jansen as Boots.
French : TheFrench language version,Dora l'exploratrice, broadcasts onTF1 in France andTélé-Québec in Canada. It is presented in French-English, with Dora and Boots (called Babouche) speaking French and other protagonists speaking and answering in English.
Filipino: TheFilipino language version broadcasts onABS-CBN and has the same English title "Dora the Explorer". The characters speak Filipino and some English, Dora teaches English in this version.
German: TheGerman language version broadcasts on the German branch ofNick. Bilingualism is German-English.
Greek: TheGreek language version is called"Ντόρα η μικρή εξερευνήτρια" (orDora the Little Explorer). It is broadcast onNickelodeon andStar Channel. Bilingualism is Greek-English. Dora and Boots (calledBotas) speak Greek and other protagonists speak and answer in English.
Hebrew: TheHebrew language version broadcasts on HOP channel. Bilingualism is Hebrew-English. The series is calledמגלים עם דורה (orMegalim Im Dora—English:Discovering with Dora).
Hindi: In theHindi language version, Dora and the other characters speak Hindi. It is broadcast onNickelodeon andNick Jr. Dora teaches the viewers English words and numbers.
Hungarian: In theHungarian language version, Dora and the other characters speak Hungarian with some English words or phrases. It is broadcast onNickelodeon. The series is calledDóra a felfedező.
Irish: TheIrish language version broadcasts on the Irish stationTG4. The bilingualism is Irish-Spanish with Dora and Boots speaking in Irish and some other characters speaking Spanish as in the original American version.
Italian: TheItalian language version broadcasts onCartoonito and onNickelodeon. Bilingualism is Italian-English. The series is calledDora l'esploratrice ("Dora the Explorer"). Most characters speak Italian, but some characters, especially Dora's parents and backpack, speak English alongside Italian.
Japanese: TheJapanese language version broadcasts onNickelodeon. The bilingualism is Japanese-English, with Dora and Boots speaking Japanese and other protagonists speaking and answering in English. The version is calledドーラといっしょに大冒険 (Dōra to issho ni dai bōken/Adventures with Dora).
Kannada: TheKannada language version broadcasts on Chintu TV and is a very popular program on that network.Hindi is the second language in this version.
Korean: TheKorean language version broadcasts on Nick Jr. in Korea. The title isHi Dora and is introduced by a real person whose name is Dami – she introduces key English vocabulary for each episode. The episode is primarily in Korean with some English.
Macedonian: TheMacedonian language version broadcasts onMRT 1 in Macedonia. The title is"Дора истражува" (orDora the Explorer). The bilingualism is Macedonian-English.
Malay: TheMalay language version broadcasts onTV9. The bilingualism is Malay-English. Dora speaks primarily in Malay, and the secondary language is English. The original English-Spanish version, however, is also available onNickelodeon viathe Nick Jr. programming slot to subscribers of theASTRO satellite TV service.
Mandarin: In theMandarin Chinese language versionDora the characters speak mainly Mandarin with limited English. It is broadcast on Yo-yo TV in Taiwan (Channel 25).
Maori: TheMāori language version is called "Dora Mātātoa".
Norwegian: In theNorwegian language version, the bilingualism is Norwegian-English.
Polish: ThePolish language version broadcasts onNickelodeon in Poland. The bilingualism is Polish-English. The series is calledDora poznaje świat ("Dora explores the world").
Portuguese: In thePortuguese language versions,Dora a Exploradora broadcasts onRTP2 andNickelodeon. OnNickelodeon Brazil andTV Cultura, the show is calledDora a Aventureira, and Dora and Boots (calledBoots in the Portuguese version andBotas in the Brazilian version) speak Portuguese. In contrast, the other protagonists speak and answer in English. Some Portuguese episodes are available on DVD.
Russian: TheRussian language version broadcasts onTNT andNickelodeon. The bilingualism is Russian-English. The series is calledDasha-sledopyt ("Dasha the Pathfinder"). Dasha is the children's name of Daria (Darya).
Serbian: TheSerbian language version broadcasts onB92. The bilingualism is Serbian-Spanish. The series is calledDora istražuje (Dora is exploring).
Spanish: There are different Spanish versions for Mexico, Latin America, and Spain.Dora la Exploradora broadcasts onNickelodeon in Latin America. For Hispanic and Latino Americans, it aired onTelemundo from August 21, 2000, to September 30, 2001, as part ofNickelodeon en Telemundo, then again from October 2, 2004, to September 3, 2006, as part ofTelemundo Kids. Over a year and a half later, it aired onUnivisión from April 5, 2008, to May 24, 2014, as part ofPlaneta U. Dora and Boots (calledBotas) speak Spanish and the other protagonists speak and answer in English. Some Spanish episodes are available to US viewers on VHS, and some DVDs have a Spanish track (including Dora's Egg Hunt). This version is entirely the reverse of the original English version; Tico and Señor Tucan (called Mr. Toucan) only speak English. Additionally, Univision has added on-screen captions of the Spanish words spoken in English. In Spain,Dora la exploradora is aired onTVE 1,Clan TVE and the Spanish and Portuguese Nickelodeon feed. It is another reverse of the original English version (the characters speak mainly Spanish but there are commands and expressions in English).
Swedish: In theSwedish language versionDora- utforskaren the characters speak mainly Swedish but there are commands and expressions in English. It is broadcast onNickelodeon andTV4.
Tamil: In theTamil language versionDoravin Payanangal (டோராவின் பயணங்கள்), the characters all speak Tamil, with some English interspersed. It is broadcast on a local kids programming channelChutti TV.
Thai: In theThai language versionดอร่าดิเอกซ์พลอเรอร์ orดอร่าสาวน้อยนักผจญภัย, the characters speak Thai; however, Tico speaks English. It is broadcast on Gang Cartoon Channel,Nick Jr.,Thai PBS.
Turkish: In theTurkish language versionDora the characters speak mainly Turkish, Spanish, and English but there are commands and expressions in Turkish. It is broadcast onNickelodeon andCNBC-e.
As shown in the list above, Spanish is the second language taught in the original English language version of the show (also broadcast for Malay speakers), in the Irish, Serbian, and trilingual Turkish versions, but for other versions of the show, the language being taught is English.
Created and executive produced byChris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes,Go, Diego Go!, is a spin-off of the original series and follows Dora's cousin Diego, an eight-year-old boy whose adventures frequently involve rescuing animals and protecting their environment. The series aired for five seasons consisting of 80 episodes and ran from September 2005 until September 2011.[23]
In 2013,Nickelodeon announced a development of a sequel toDora the Explorer titledDora and Friends: Into the City! and would star Dora as a 10-year-old who goes on city adventures with the Explorer Girls (a group introduced in 2009 consisting of Naiya, Kate, Emma, and Alana)[24] and is accompanied by a male friend named Pablo. The series ran for two seasons and 40 episodes on Nickelodeon from August 8, 2014, to February 5, 2017.[25][26][27][28][29][30]
In February 2022, an animated reboot series was announced.[4] A promotional short film,Dora and the Fantastical Creatures, debuted in theaters beforePAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.[31] The first trailer for the CG-animated seriesDora was released in February 2024, and the series became available to stream on April 12, 2024.[32]
On February 24, 2021,Paramount+ announced the development of a live-action series based on the franchise.[5] The following February, while announcing the development of an animated reboot series,[4] Paramount+ further clarified that the live-action series would be aimed attweens and take inspiration from the live-action film,Dora and the Lost City of Gold.[3]
^The series officially ended on June 5, 2014.[17] Six additional episodes subsequently aired in the United States from July 7 to August 9, 2019, to coincide with the release ofDora and the Lost City of Gold.[1]
^Eric Weiner (writer), Tina Kugler, Erik Wiese (storyboard) (November 13, 2000). "Grandma's House".Dora the Explorer. Season 1. Episode 13. Event occurs at 2:00.Nickelodeon.¡Hola, señora Márquez!
^"Dora and Diego's Amazing Animal Circus".Dora the Explorer. Season 7. Episode 8. October 16, 2012.Nickelodeon.
^"Dora's Thanksgiving Day Parade".Dora the Explorer. Season 7. Episode 15. November 19, 2012.Nickelodeon.
