Dora the Explorer

Dora the Explorer

Dora the Explorer debuted with wild success on the Nickelodeon children's television network on August 14, 2000. Within its eleven years on-air, the show has garnered several daytime Emmy nominations and has won two Emmy awards, including Outstanding Children's Animated Program. Dora, an animated seven-year-old Latina girl, is the main character in the bilingual cartoon. She has light brown skin, dark brown eyes, and a voice bounding with endless enthusiasm. She wears orange shorts, a pink t-shirt, and pink-and-white tennis shoes, and carries a talking backpack and a map that help guide her adventures. By engaging preschoolers in interactive games and her sheer enthusiasm for learning, Dora the Explorer offers good exposure to language, culture, creativity, and social skills.

Each episode of Dora the Explorer starts out by setting up a problem to solve or task to complete. Usually, reaching the goal involves traveling somewhere, so Dora gets her backpack and takes out her trusty map. The map outlines the trip using landmarks, and viewing kids are asked to help Dora remember the order by repeating the names of the landmarks. At each landmark, Dora and her friends find some educational obstacle to overcome or puzzle to solve. Dora works through the problem out loud and gives time for kids to provide the right answer as they watch. Dora also uses several Spanish words during each show, and she often meets Spanish-speaking characters along the way. When Dora and the gang finally accomplish their goal, they sing the "We Did It!" song. Dora does a brief recap and asks viewing children to tell her their favorite part of the adventure. As she concludes the episode, Dora thanks the viewer for helping and gives positive affirmation of a job well done.

Dora the Explorer is a positive role model that always helps out her friends in need. She is usually spunky and eager to come to her friend's aid, whatever the case may be; and there is never a task too large or too small. Dora is motivated; she portrays outstanding values and morals. In one particular episode she even helps out the mean fox Swiper, who is always swiping (taking) things from her and trying to deter her from her goal. Instead of rejecting her enemy, she optimistically helps him. He was grateful at the end of the episode, but returned to swiping on the following episodes. She is showing that people should be kind to everyone, even if others are not always kind to you in return.

Dora the Explorer is designed to actively engage preschoolers in a play-along by use of interactive computer-style adventure in a way that makes the children enjoy learning. Kids learn about colors, numbers, shapes, and more as they help Dora solve riddles and puzzles along the way. Often an arrow clicks on correct answers, so the animation looks like a computer mouse guiding the arrow and choosing the answer. This constant