Dora the Explorer

Dora the Explorer
Genre Children's adventure
Created by Chris Gifford
Valerie Walsh Valdes
Eric Weiner
Directed by George S. Chialtas
Gary Conrad
Henry Lenardin-Madden
Sherie Pollack
Arnie Wong
Jyllian Gunther (Voice)
Voices of
Theme music composer
  • Joshua Sitron
  • Billy Straus
Opening theme Dora the Explorer Theme
Ending theme various closing themes
Country of origin United States
Original language(s)
  • English
  • Spanish
No. of seasons 8
No. of episodes 172 (aired) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Chris Gifford
Producer(s) Valerie Walsh Valdes
Editor(s)
  • Gayle McIntyre
  • Karyn Finley Powell
  • David Wigforss
Running time 22 minutes approx., 45 minutes (specials)
Production company(s)
Distributor CBS Television Distribution
Release
Original network Nickelodeon
Picture format
Original release August 14, 2000 (2000-08-14) – June 5, 2014 (2014-06-05)
Chronology
Followed by Dora and Friends: Into the City!
Related shows Go, Diego, Go!
External links
Website www.nickjr.com/dora-the-explorer/

Dora the Explorer is an American educational animated TV series created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh, and Eric Weiner. Dora the Explorer became a regular series in 2000. The show is carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network, including the associated Nick Jr. channel. It aired on CBS until September 2006. A Spanish-dubbed version first aired as part of a Nick en español block on NBC Universal-owned Telemundo through September 2006; since April 2008, this version of the program has been carried on Univision as part of the Planeta U block. The series is co-produced by Nickelodeon Productions and Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Dora the Explorer is one of the longest-running shows of Nick Jr. During the sixth season, the show became the Nick Jr. series with the most episodes, surpassing Blue's Clues with 143 episodes, having 144 after it had completed broadcasting on television. It won a Peabody Award in 2003 "for outstanding efforts in making learning a pleasurable experience for pre-schoolers." It ended on June 5, 2014 after 8 seasons and 172 episodes.[1]

Plot

From left to right: Swiper (in background), Dora, and Boots

The series centers around Dora, a 7 (Later 8) year old American girl of Indigenous Mexican heritage, 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 purple backpack and anthropomorphic 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, a bipedal, anthropomorphic masked thieving fox whose theft of the possessions of others must be prevented through fourth wall-breaking interaction with the viewer. To stop Swiper, Dora 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 before permitting them the past that needs to be solved with the viewer's help. Known for the constant breaking of the fourth-wall 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, singing the "We Did It!" song with Boots in triumph.

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 trapped mermaid). 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 anthropomorphic stars that accompany Dora on many of her quests.

Voices

Guest voices

Guest stars

Episode list

Development

Dora is a Latina. According to a Nickelodeon spokesman, "She was developed to be pan-Latina to represent the diversity of Latino cultures."[5]

Dora the Explorer as a tween, as seen after being revealed in 2009.

On March 8, 2009, Mattel and Nickelodeon announced that Dora will receive a tweenage makeover, switching from a young age to a teenage attending middle school. Initially, it was announced that the new look would not be revealed until late 2009,[6] but after a short controversy, the tween Dora was unveiled on March 16, 2009.[7][8][9] The change was criticized by one writer that did not support the feminization of Dora's image.[10]

In 2012, a CGI opening was created for new episodes of the series.[11]

Dora's Explorer Girls

In 2009, Mattel and Nickelodeon introduced a preteen version of Dora, with four friends named Naiya, Kate, Emma, and Alana, who call themselves the Explorer Girls.[12] The Explorer Girls were included in the Dora and Friends spin-off in 2014.

Foreign adaptations

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 Gaelic, Serbian, and Turkish versions)) through its simplicity and use of repetition.

As shown by the list above, the usual second language is English, but Spanish is used in the original American version in English (broadcast also for Malay speakers), in the Gaelic (Irish), Serbian, and the trilingual Turkish versions.

Stage adaptations

Two stage versions of Dora the Explorer toured North America, the first being "City of Lost Toys", and the second being "Dora's Pirate Adventure". Produced by Nickelodeon and LiveNation, these productions featured live actors portraying the roles of Dora and her friends, including Boots, Diego, Isa, and the Fiesta Trio. Many of the characters wore elaborate foam costumes designed to resemble the Dora characters. Each production featured a structure similar to an episode of the television series. City of Lost Toys featured Christina Bianco as Dora while Dora's Pirate Adventure featured Danay Ferrer of the band Innosense in the role of Dora and Frankie Grande as Boots. Both productions featured a version of the popular Gloria Estefan song "Get On Your Feet" as the final number of the show. Both productions were conceived by Chris Gifford, creator of the television show, and directed by Gip Hoppe.

There have been three Dora touring companies. The "City of Lost Toys" company and the "Pirate Adventure" company featured actors and crew that were members of Actor's Equity and IATSE, respectively, the unions for professional actors and stagehands in the United States. The third company performs a reduced version of "Pirate Adventure" and does not employ union personnel. This production is currently touring North America, and scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom and France.

Dora the Explorer merchandise

There are many action figures and playsets available in many markets, along with DVDs, cosmetics, hygiene products, ride-ons, books, board games, plush dolls, apparel, handbags, play tents, play kitchens, and more. Licensees include Fisher-Price in the United States and Holland Publishing in the United Kingdom.

Toys

In 2007, lead paint used by a contract toy manufacturer in China prompted Mattel to issue recalls for nearly a million toys, many of which featured Sesame Street and Nickelodeon characters, including Dora the Explorer. Nickelodeon responded that they would introduce "third-party monitoring" of all manufacturers of products under its brands.[13][14][15]

Books

Dora the Explorer series

  1. Dora's Backpack (ISBN 978-0689847202)
  2. Little Star (ISBN 978-0689847219)
  3. Happy Mother's Day Mami! (ISBN 978-0689852336)
  4. Meet Diego! (ISBN 978-0689859939)
  5. Dora's Thanksgiving (ISBN 978-0689858420)
  6. Dora Loves Boots (ISBN 978-0689863738)
  7. Dora's Book of Manners (ISBN 978-0689865336)
  8. Dora Goes to School (ISBN 978-0689864940)
  9. Dora's Fairy-Tale Adventure (ISBN 978-0689870125)
  10. Dora's Chilly Day (ISBN 978-0689867958)
  11. Show Me Your Smile! (ISBN 978-0689871696)
  12. Dora's Pirate Adventure (ISBN 978-0689875830)
  13. Big Sister Dora! (ISBN 978-0689878466)
  14. At the Carnival (ISBN 978-0689858413)
  15. Dora's Costume Party! (ISBN 978-1416900108)
  16. Dance to the Rescue (ISBN 978-1416902164)
  17. Dora's Starry Christmas (ISBN 978-1416902492)
  18. Super babies (ISBN 978-1416914853)
  19. The Birthday Dance Party (ISBN 978-1416913030)
  20. Dora's World Adventure (ISBN 978-1416924470)
  21. Dora Climbs Star Mountain (ISBN 978-1416940593)
  22. It's Sharing Day! (ISBN 978-1416915751)
  23. Dora Had a Little Lamb (ISBN 978-1416933687)
  24. Dora Saves Mermaid Kingdom! (ISBN 978-1416938415)
  25. Dora and the Stuck Truck (ISBN 978-1416947998)

Ready To Read series – Level 1

  1. Dora's Picnic (ISBN 978-0689852381)
  2. Follow Those Feet! (ISBN 978-0689852398)
  3. Dora in the Deep Sea (ISBN 978-0689858451)
  4. I Love My Papi! (ISBN 978-0689864957)
  5. Say "Cheese!" (ISBN 978-0689864964)
  6. The Halloween Cat (ISBN 978-0689867996)
  7. Eggs for Everyone! (ISBN 978-0689871764)
  8. Just Like Dora! (ISBN 978-0689876752)
  9. I Love My Mami! (ISBN 978-1416906506)
  10. Puppy Takes a Bath (ISBN 978-1416914839)
  11. Around the World! (ISBN 978-1416924784)
  12. Dora's Sleepover (ISBN 978-1416915089)
  13. Dora Helps Diego! (ISBN 978-1416915096)
  14. Dora's Perfect Pumpkin (ISBN 978-1416934387)
  15. Dora's Mystery of the Missing Shoes (ISBN 978-1416938248)

A Lift-the-Flap Story

Treasury books and collection books

Contains: Dora's picnic, Follow those feet, Dora in the deep sea, I love my Papi!, Say "Cheese"

Contains: Dora's Backpack, Little Star, Happy Birthday, Mami!, Meet Diego!, Dora Saves the Prince, Dora's Treasure Hunt, Good Night, Dora!

Contains: Dora's Book of Manners, Dora Goes to School, Dora's Fairy-Tale Adventure, Dora's Chilly Day, Show Me Your Smile!, Dora's Pirate Adventure, Big Sister Dora!

Sticker books

DVDs and videos

Video games

Video games based on the 2000 television show Dora the Explorer were released. In Canada, Cheerios offered a free Dora the Explorer the Game CD-ROMs in specially marked packages. However, packages sold in Quebec would only have the French version. Dora the Explorer: Barnyard Buddies is a video game released for the PlayStation in 2003 in the US. It was not released in Europe until 2005 being one of the very last games released on that platform in that territory. Dora the Explorer: Super Star Adventures is an adventure video game for the Game Boy Advance released in 2004. It was developed by Imaginengine and published by Global Star.[16]

Dora the Explorer: Journey to the Purple Planet is an action-adventure video game, developed by Monkey Bar Games, published by Global Star Software and powered by Vicious Engine. The game was released for GameCube in North America on October 13, 2005,[17] and later in PAL regions on December 16, 2005. The PlayStation 2 version was released on PAL regions on December 2, 2005, and later in North America on February 9, 2006.[18] The game is about Dora and Boots who finds some lost aliens from the purple planet. However, to take them home, she and Boots are required to collect keys to open the space gate, leading to the saturn planet. The game is unique in that it uses pictures and symbols to communicate rather than words. The object of the game is to capture one of the six explorer stars. Each explorer star has a special power such as the ability to be noisy or the ability to create music. In order to capture the star, the player must complete a hide-and-seek activity. These activities include maze navigation, matching games, side-scrolling race games, a "Frogger"-type game, a complete-the-pattern activity and a song playing game.[19]

Dora Puppy is a puppy simulator where players must help Dora take care of her puppy, Perrito, and help train him for doggie competitions. All the actions are performed by either tracing certain shapes with the stylus or calling out commands into the DS's microphone.[20] It was developed by Take-Two Interactive for the Nintendo DS and published by 2K Play in North America[21] and Australia in 2009, and in Europe in 2010.

Dora the Explorer: Dora's Cooking Club is a cooking video game for the Nintendo DS. It was published by 2K Play in 2010.[22] In the game, players have to chop veggies, stir soups, top pizzas, and more using math skills. They may be sorting cookies into numbered groups or counting out different amounts of ingredients.[23]

Sequel

In 2013, Nickelodeon announced that it will have a sequel to Dora the Explorer titled as Dora and Friends: Into the City!. It will star the Latina heroine Dora as a 10-year-old who goes on city adventures with the Explorer Girls, accompanied by a male pal named Pablo. The series has been picked up for 20 episodes and aired on Nickelodeon on August 18, 2014.[24][25][26][27][28][29]

See also

References

  1. 63rd Annual Peabody Awards, May 2004.
  2. "Grandma's House". Dora the Explorer. Season 1. Episode 12. August 29, 2000. Event occurs at 2:00. Nickelodeon. ¡Hola, señora Márquez!
  3. "Dora and Diego's Amazing Animal Circus". Dora the Explorer. Season 7. Episode 8. October 16, 2012. Nickelodeon.
  4. "Dora's Thanksgiving Day Parade". Dora the Explorer. Season 7. Episode 15. November 19, 2012. Nickelodeon.
  5. Friedman, Emily (May 21, 2010). "Is Dora The Explorer an Illegal Immigrant?". ABC News. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  6. "Dora the Explorer Updates Her Look". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  7. "After Dora uproar, Nick and Mattel soothe moms". Retrieved 2010-09-06.
  8. "New Tween "Dora The Explorer" Revealed". Popcrunch.com. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  9. Vicki Passmore (February 1, 2011). "Boy, How You've Changed: Nine Big Mascot Makeovers". Walletpop.com. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  10. "Dora the Explorer's Makeover". thesocietypages.org.
  11. Calabash Animation Creates New 'Dora' Opening. Animationinsider.net
  12. "Dora's Explorer Girls". Nickjr.com. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  13. Addley, Esther (2007-08-03). "Mattel recalls nearly 100,000 toys after lead paint alert". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  14. Gregory, Angela (2007-08-03). "Dora the Explorer leads toy giant's recall". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  15. Story, Louise (2007-08-02). "Lead Paint Prompts Mattel to Recall 967,000 Toys (registration required to read article)". NY Times.
  16. "Dora the Explorer: Super Star Adventures". IGN. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
  17. "Dora the Explorer: Journey to the Purple Planet". IGN.
  18. "Dora the Explorer: Journey to the Purple Planet". IGN.
  19. Global Star (2004) Dora the Explorer: Super Star Adventures Manual
  20. 2K Play (2009) Dora the Explorer: Dora Puppy Manual
  21. "Dora the Explorer: Dora Puppy". IGN.
  22. "Dora's Cooking Club". IGN.
  23. 2K Play (2010) Dora's Cooking Club Manual
  24. "Nickelodeon Unveils New Generation Of Content For New Generation Of Kids At Annual Upfront Presentation" (Press release). Reuters. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  25. Villaneda, Rebecca (28 February 2013). "'Dora and Friends': New Spin-off Will Star the Little Latina Heroine". Hispanic Business. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  26. "Nickelodeon "Dora And Friends: In The City" TV Show". Nickutopia. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  27. Peel, Sarah (11 March 2013). "Nickelodeon Announces Dora and Friends: Into the City". BSC Kids. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  28. "Dora & Friends Music Video – Video Clip – Nick Jr.". nickjr.com.
  29. Los Angeles Times (18 August 2014). "Dora the Explorer is growing up and getting a spinoff series". latimes.com.
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