Dora the Explorer is an American children's animated television series in the Dora the Explorer franchise, created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes, and Eric Weiner that premiered on Nickelodeon on August 14, 2000, and ended on August 9, 2019. The series was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

The series focuses on the adventures of a Latina girl named Dora and her monkey friend Boots, with a particular emphasis on the Spanish language. The series is presented in the style of both an interactive CD-ROM game and a point-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 on Paramount+.

Plot

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 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 interaction 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 (three in most double-length episodes, and four in "Dora in Troll Land") 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 titled The Knockarounds, about a group of forest animals led by a brave explorer rabbit. 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 pitched The Knockarounds to Nickelodeon's president of film and TV entertainment Albie Hecht, who instead ordered a pilot for Janice Burgess' pitch Me and My Friends.

The three had often thought about making the lead raccoon a human, and ultimately decided make the change after The 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 name Nina's Pop-up Puzzle, and a pilot was produced.

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. Upon Johnson's return, the creators were asked if they could include Hispanic elements in their series. At first there was hesitancy, but eventually they realized that they had "a great opportunity" and the character's design remained. Dora is a Latina; according to a Nickelodeon spokesman, "she was developed to be pan-Latina to represent the diversity of Latino cultures".

Each episode of the series costs $500,000. 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 and Blue's Clues. The creators sought to combine the format of both shows, with the narrative focus of Little Bear combined with the interactivity of Blue's Clues. The creators further developed the concept by observing preschoolers with the creators coming to the conclusion that "they are little explorers." Nickelodeon originally did not want Swiper, the only remaining character from the Knockarounds 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.

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.

The show was renewed for a second season in November 2000, followed by a third season in late 2001.

On March 8, 2009, Mattel and Nickelodeon announced that Dora would 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, but after a short controversy, the tween Dora was unveiled on March 16, 2009.

The series' seventh season, the first to air in high-definition, featured a new CGI opening sequence created by Chicago-based Calabash Animation and a revised visual style with more shading.

Episodes

Voice cast

Dora Márquez (aka Dora the Explorer): Kathleen Herles (2000–2007), Caitlin Sanchez (2008–2012), Fátima Ptacek (2012–2019) Boots: Harrison Chad (2000–2007), Regan Mizrahi (2008–2013), Koda Gursoy (2013–2019) Backpack: Sasha Toro (2000–2007), Alexandria Suarez (2008–2013), Sofia Lopez (2013–2019) Isa the Iguana: Ashley Fleming (2000–2007), Lenique Vincent (2008–2012), Skai Jackson (2012–2019) Tico the Squirrel: Muhammad Cunningham (2000–2001), Jose Zelaya (2002–2007), Jean Carlos Celi (2008–2012), Oscar Hutarra (2012–2019) Benny the Bull: Jake Burbage (2000–2007), Matt Gumley (2008–2012), Aidan Gemme (2012–2019) 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) 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 Various: K. J. Sanchez Boots' Father, Miscellaneous: Adam Sietz Señor Tucán, Miscellaneous: Leslie Valdes Map, Swiper, The Fiesta Trio: Marc Weiner

Guest voices John Leguizamo – Silly Mail Bird, Pirate Pig (Dora's Pirate Adventure) and Flying Monkeys Cheech Marin – King Juan el Bobo Ricardo Montalbán – El Encantador Esai Morales – Mr. Márquez Amy Principe – Little Star, various Irwin Reese – Singing Gate Antonia Rey – Abuela Paul Rodriguez – León the Circus Lion

Guest stars Chita Rivera (Dora's Fairytale Adventure, 2004; Dora Saves Fairytale Land, 2015) Richard Kind (Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom, 2009) Johnny Weir (Dora's Ice Skating Spectacular, 2013) Hilary Duff (Dora's Ice Skating Spectacular, 2013) Jewel Kilcher (Dora in Wonderland, 2014) Mel Brooks (Dora in Wonderland, 2014) Alan Cumming (Dora in Wonderland, 2014) Sara Ramirez (Dora in Wonderland, 2014) Juanes (Dora Saves Fairytale Land, 2015)

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

Arabic: The Arabic language version is broadcast on the "Nickelodeon on MBC3" block of MBC 3, and is presented in Arabic-English. Bengali: The Bengali language version was first broadcast in 2015 on SA TV. The series began to be aired again in Bengali on Duronto TV on July 31, 2021. Cantonese: The Cantonese language version () is broadcast in Hong Kong and presented in Cantonese-English. Danish: The Danish language version is called Dora – udforskeren and there are commands and expressions in English. It is broadcast on the national public children's channel, DR Ramasjang, and also on the Nick Jr. Channel through various pay TV providers. Dutch: The Dutch language version broadcasts on Nickelodeon and Nick. Jr, It is presented in Dutch-English. The voice actors are Lottie Hellingman as Dora and Dieter Jansen as Boots. French: The French language version, Dora l'exploratrice, broadcasts on TF1 in France and Télé-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: The Filipino language version broadcasts on ABS-CBN and has the same English title "Dora the Explorer". The characters speak Filipino and some English, Dora teaches English in this version. German: The German language version broadcasts on the German branch of Nick. Bilingualism is German-English. Greek: The Greek language version is called "Ντόρα η μικρή εξερευνήτρια" (or Dora the Little Explorer). It is broadcast on Nickelodeon and Star Channel. Bilingualism is Greek-English. Dora and Boots (called Botas) speak Greek and other protagonists speak and answer in English. Hebrew: The Hebrew language version broadcasts on HOP channel. Bilingualism is Hebrew-English. The series is called מגלים עם דורה (or Megalim Im Dora—English: Discovering with Dora). Hindi: In the Hindi language version, Dora and the other characters speak Hindi. It is broadcast on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. Dora teaches the viewers English words and numbers. Hungarian: In the Hungarian language version, Dora and the other characters speak Hungarian with some English words or phrases. It is broadcast on Nickelodeon. The series is called Dóra a felfedező. Indonesian: The Indonesian language version broadcasts on Global TV. The bilingualism is Indonesian-English. Irish: The Irish language version broadcasts on the Irish station TG4. The bilingualism is Irish-Spanish with Dora and Boots speaking in Irish and some other characters speaking Spanish as in the original American version.