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Monday, January 19, 2009

The Dora The Explorer




Dora the Explorer is an American animated television series that is carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network. A pilot episode for the series aired in 1999, and Dora the Explorer became a regular series in 2000. The show was created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh, Rick Velleu and Eric Weiner. The series also airs on Noggin. The show 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 of 2008, this version of the program airs on Univision as part of the Planeta U block.
Dora the Explorer has been extremely successful, including $1 billion in sales in 2004 alone.[1]

Dora

In every episode, Dora goes on an exploring trip to find something or help somebody. Dora always asks the viewers at home to help her find new ways to get to the places with the help of Map. Dora also teaches children Spanish.

She sees everyone equally and mainly good no matter who the character, this noted at her not holding a grudge against Swiper for all the items he's swiped from her party. She acts against villains only when innocence sakes' depend on it and compromise is mostly impossible or unless she is somewhat strictly required to, but even still, she has yet to hold any true accounts of actual anger. Dora is very kind and will always give others a chance to try their hands at certain task for the simple thrill of seeing them excel in the skill even when/if she herself could have possibly fulfill the task faster and/or more accurately.

Though Dora spends very little time indoors, she still best values her family and its background and all who reside at her house. She seems to always want to influence her traditions and customs to those who have yet to know but still she is very subtle in doing so and wouldn't force her beliefs on others.

Dora openly loves her family. She loves Boots too. He is also her best friend since she saved his beloved red boots from being swiped by Swiper.

Dora enjoys sports. She was on a baseball team with her best friend Boots and her other friends and was coached by her father (his employment status was never changed after that). She loves soccer and is very good at it. Dora also speaks Spanish, teaching small words and phrases to the viewers.

Dora is also quite the musician shown mostly as having skill in playing the wooden flute.

The character was voiced by Kathleen Herles in every season, until she was replaced by Caitlin Sanchez[2].

Early concepts of Dora had her as a blond girl of European ancestry. The character was originally based on one of the creator's (Rick Velleu) nieces named Lilli.[citation needed]

Boots the Monkey

Boots the Monkey is Dora's best friend on the show, whom she met one day in the forest. He is voiced by Harrison Chad in the original English version (voiced by Regan Mizrahi as of season five). Boots is friendly and enthusiastic, and usually wears nothing but his beloved red boots, hence his name, Boots. He is gray with a yellow stomach. His mommy and daddy are designed in the same way with variations in eyes, height, clothing, and fur formation.

Boots is present with Dora on most of her adventures, and he helps Dora to solve clues and puzzles. He also loves baseball and is on a team with Dora as shown in one episode. He loves to ride Rojo the fire truck.

Boots is very athletic and can be just as hyper and energetic. Due to his animal species he is naturally experienced to execute frontflips, backflips, somersaults, and cartwheels, performing a selection of each along the way to the predetermined destination. His light weight also makes him quite easy to carry, even for Dora.

Boots and Dora also seem to apply a do's and don'ts theme to teaching viewers featuring Dora often as the voice of reason and/or maturity of what to do in situations requiring "deep thought" and Boots as the one who takes steps to leap before he looks if not properly supervised. Without guidance from Dora, the viewer, or another character, Boots is quick to take his own, often dangerous or dead-ended, route.

Boots also "loves" many things. In one episode, he would say many times "I love riddles. Call me 'Mr. Riddles'" or "I love nuts, I love chocolate, I love my ball, and I love, love, love...". Most importantly, however, Boots loves Dora and Dora loves him back, as both expressed verbally and physically in numerous episodes though mainly by Dora. His devotion and love always has Boots more than willing to drop whatever he's doing at the moment and make space in his random mental schedule for Dora. He has even engaged in his own single adventures assisted by the viewers all on her account.

Boots' language field is limited but steadily increasing. Dora is currently teaching him Spanish through memorable songs and phrases. He usually aspires with soaring colors or a bit over as averagely as the normal child viewer.

Swiper the Fox

Swiper is a sneaky fox in a blue mask and gloves, who appears in nearly every episode. He is voiced by Marc Weiner. As his name implies, Swiper steals or attempts to steal key items that help Dora on her adventures. Clever as he is, Swiper never manages to take Dora completely by surprise; an ominous "whisking" sound is always audible just prior to his appearances.

To prevent Swiper from success, Dora must repeat the phrase, "Swiper, no swiping!" three times. Usually she prevails, and Swiper slinks away, snapping his fingers and saying, "Oh, mannn!"; sometimes, however, Swiper gets to the item before Dora has a chance to repeat the phrase. He then gloats, "You're too late!" (and frequently "You'll never find it now! Ha, ha, ha!!").

Swiper's motive for theft is patently childish; he never seems actually to want the object he takes, since he almost immediately throws it away to hide it from Dora (prompting her to ask the audience to help her find it). Until recently, it was unclear if he swipes merely for the joy of swiping, or from a desire to annoy and frustrate Dora. Compounding the confusion is the fact that, given the right reason — e.g., that the item in question is a present for Dora's puppy — he'll return items he has taken, no matter how much effort he went through to get them. It is also shown that he rarely knows the full importance of what he's taken; e.g. he had no idea the aforementioned gift was for Dora's puppy. In the episode "Dora Saves the Mermaids", he revealed that he "liked swiping." He has some kind of New York accent, and lives in a burrow on top of Blueberry Hill (no relation to the song).

Swiper is very fast and agile, and something of a master of disguise. He seems to have a great deal of technical knowledge, as he's built a variety of vehicles and gadgets (including a remote-controlled robot butterfly) to help him swipe things. Most of the time, however, he simply relies on his natural stalking abilities — sometimes with the aid of a costume — to sneak up on Dora. In the early episodes he often "hid" by curling up into a ball, which neither Dora nor Boots ever recognized as Swiper; he apparently doesn't do this anymore.

He has only been seen once without his mask, when the robot butterfly he built to swipe from Dora and Boots (in the episode "Dora's Got a Puppy") apparently malfunctioned; after they stopped it, it swiped his mask and gloves and kept them from him for a few humorous seconds.

None of Swiper's relatives has ever been seen, but his grandmother has been mentioned in two episodes: "A Letter For Swiper" and "Swiper the Explorer."

Over the course of the series, it's shown that there's more to Swiper's character than an urge to swipe things. In one episode it was revealed that Swiper has a soft spot for puppies, and in another that he likes Cowboy cookies. In a few episodes, he expresses feelings of joy with a fox-like cry of, "Yip-yip-yippee!" In the episode "A Letter For Swiper," Dora filled in for a delivery bird whose glasses were broken; Dora delivered stickers to Swiper (which were sent by his grandmother), and he thanked her for it without trying to swipe anything. In the episode "Swiper the Explorer," Swiper helps Dora on her quest to help Baby Fox find its mommy, and Swiper carries the baby fox almost all through the episode. Also in this episode, it's revealed that Swiper doesn't speak Spanish, and wishes that he did.

The interaction between Dora and the antagonistic fox also reveals the kindness and grace of Dora's character. In one unusual episode, "Dora's Dance to the Rescue," Swiper took pity on a Dancing Elf who was caught in a magic bottle, similar to a genie. The elf tricked the sympathetic Swiper into removing the bottle's cork, thereby releasing the elf and his talking cane. Unfortunately, the wily fox was thereby entrapped in his place. Stuck and desperate, Swiper called out to Dora and Boots. The remainder of the episode chronicled an epic adventure involving most of the land's creatures, eventually ending with the release of Swiper after a dance contest. The episode was atypical as it involved many dances and songs, demonstrated a close, unconflicted relationship between Swiper and the other creatures, and had Dora refer to the elf in an uncharacteristically judgmental way ("mean Elf").

In this and several other episodes, Swiper finds himself captured, trapped, or in some sort of trouble. Despite his history of mean-spiritedness toward Dora, she demonstrates that the fox is her friend (which he doesn't find out until "Dora's World Adventure") and will always unquestioningly help Swiper just as she would her other friends, Benny, Isa, Boots, and Tico. If Dora needs his help he will come to her aid in the same manner.

Swiper is far from being unable to feel guilty for his actions. In "A Present For Santa", Swiper returns the present that he swiped, upon discovering that it was for Santa. In "Dora's World Adventure," Swiper helps Dora return the friendship bracelets he had swiped all over the world, and was shown to feel guilty once he discovered the magnitude of what he'd done and what he had stolen. During this time Swiper gets a taste of his own medicine, so to speak, as each country they visit has its own "Swiper," only of different species, who tries to steal the bracelets: Fifi the skunk in France, Sami the hyena in Tanzania, Fomkah the bear in Russia, and Ying Ying the weasel in China. All of them act and dress nearly identically to Swiper and are stopped in the same way he is: by saying their name, followed by "no swiping" three times. Then they run off, saying Swiper's catch phrase, "Ohh, maann" (their only line) in the local language. Their entrances are also preluded by a sound, only with local music; e.g. Ying Ying has a chau gong playing.

Fiesta Trio

Whenever Dora and Boots are successful in a given portion of their quest (quests are usually divided into three portions), the Fiesta Trio appears from seemingly nowhere to congratulate Dora and celebrate for a brief few seconds with music. The Fiesta Trio is a group of three small animals: a grasshopper, a snail, and a frog.

Backpack

Dora's purple Backpack mochila (voiced by Sasha Toro; voiced by Alexandria Suarez beginning with the fifth season.[3]) provides whatever Dora needs to complete her quests. The backpack is a magic satchel, which has been known to produce large items, including multiple ladders, two complete space suits — one each for Dora and Boots — and other items that simply could not fit inside it. Backpack seems to have a lot of extra space within her fabric to be held in such a small area. It was given to Dora as a present by her mother and father. To make the Backpack open up, Dora asks the viewers at home to say "Backpack". The Backpack then sings a little introduction and asks the viewers at home to choose what Dora needs from among the Backpack's contents. Afterwards, the remaining contents go back into Backpack, who says, "Yum yum yum yum yum, ¡delicioso!" ("Delicious!")

Map

The Map (voiced by Marc Weiner) provides travel guidance and advice. When not being consulted, the rolled-up Map resides in a side pocket on the Backpack; to make the Map come out, Dora asks the viewers at home to say "Map." This is the Map's cue to introduce himself to the audience with a repetitive song, which is short in some episodes and longer in others, and describe the path Dora has to take on her quest.

Usually the Map doesn't do anything more than the actions described above, but in a few episodes he plays a more active role, especially in the episode "Super Map"; the Map finds a small red cape that gives him Superman-like powers, and he uses them to help Dora on her current quest.

Isa the Iguana

Isa the Iguana is an very close friend of Dora's and an even closer friend of Boots. Isa is a skilled gardener and loves to grow mainly flowers of all kinds. She even presents her mom with a bouquet of flowers she grew herself as a Mother's Day gift.

At times, her problem solving prowess prove to be invaluable for her friends and even herself made all the more disposal by her naturally acquired ability to blend into surroundings at will.

Isa also seems to have a bit of a crush on Boots, whom she knew long before she ever met Dora. She treats Both Dora and Boots equally but Isa always greets Boots more shyly than Dora. She is voiced by Ashley Flemming.

Tico the Squirrel

Tico the Squirrel (who's been voiced by Muhammed Cunningham and Jose Zelaya) is a friend of Dora's who lives in the forest and who only speaks Spanish (although there was one occasion when he said "You're welcome" in English). He wears a colorful striped vest, and is usually seen driving his little yellow car, although he has been known to travel in a variety of vehicles, from helicopters to boats. He has purple fur, a round body, and small triangular stumps for arms and legs.

Tico's function on the show is to help Dora teach the audience words and phrases in Spanish; Dora has to tell Tico something in Spanish, such as "Faster" or "Look out," and she asks the viewers at home to say it along with her. In some episodes, a different Spanish-speaking character (such as Señor Tucán) appears instead of Tico. In the Spanish-language version of the show.

In the episode "Dora's First Trip," it was established that Boots had been friends with Tico before Dora met either of them, despite the fact that Boots and Tico speak two different languages.

Benny the Bull

Benny the Bull (voiced by Jake Burbage) is a friend of Dora's who lives in a barn, loves to eat, and often rides in a hot air balloon. He's mostly blue with little yellow horns, stands on his hind legs, is a little taller than Dora, and wears a blue bandanna with white polka dots around his neck.

Benny sometimes provides Dora with something that she needs on her current quest. In the episode "Swiper the Explorer," Dora needed something for the Baby Fox to drink, and Benny's picnic basket just happened to contain a carton of milk and a baby bottle ("Now, why did I pack that?"). In "Dance to the Rescue," Dora and Boots needed fancy clothes to be allowed into King Bobo's castle, and Benny happened to have a gown and a bow tie in the basket of his balloon.

In the episode "Boots' Cuddly Dinosaur," Benny said that he can't sleep without nine dolls which he calls his "guys."

Despite having the same name, this character is not the same as the mascot of the Chicago Bulls.

Other characters

Other recurring human characters include:

  • Dora's dad (Papi).
  • Dora's mom (Mami).
  • Dora's grandma (Abuela).
  • Dora's cousins (Diego, Daisy, and Alicia).
  • Dora's twin baby brother and sister.
  • Dora’s teacher
  • Boots’ music teacher
  • King Bobo
  • Santa Claus

Recurring humanoid characters include:

There are a number of minor, recurring animal characters such as:

  • Señor Tucán, this character only speaks Spanish.
  • The Big Red Chicken.
  • Pirate Parrot.
  • Baby Blue Bird.
  • Baby Jaguar, who doesn't speak (in this series) but seems to be just as intelligent as the other characters.
  • The Grumpy Old Troll, who requires Dora and her traveling partners to solve his riddle before crossing over his bridge.
  • Baby Crab, also Cangrejito.
  • Mama Bugga Bugga
  • Wizzle, a cute creature who loves wishes.
  • Leon the Circus Lion.
  • Baby Dino the dinosaur
  • Little Monster
  • Baby Bear
  • Baby Pingüino
  • Little Lamb
  • Pinto The Pony
  • El Coquí
  • Baby Red Fish
  • Pirate Pig, he has an eyepatch and a hat.
  • Squishy Squid, he loves music and also playing bongoes.
  • Friendly Bear
  • Baby Fox
  • Val the Octopus
  • Little Kitten
  • Friendly Dragon
  • Sleeping Sloth
  • Mountain Goat
  • Banana Bird
  • Fifi the Skunk
  • Sami the Hyena
  • Fomkah the Bear
  • Ying Ying the Weasel

Additionally, the show features a number of anthropomorphic objects, such as locomotives, boats, and automobiles with speaking roles. In addition, some episodes include talking trees, gates and walls. Examples are:

Newer episodes feature flying stars, which Dora and Boots catch and put into the star pocket on Backpack. The stars are always excited about going into the star pocket, which was shown in one episode to have much more space inside that one would think, similar to Backpack herself. Normally among these stars are one or more Explorer Stars, which have special powers that Dora uses to overcome obstacles.

Explorer Stars:

  • Baker Star — A job star that appears in "Job Day".
  • Baseball Star — A job star that can turn into a baseball.
  • Cowgirl Star — A job star that appears in "Job Day".
  • Disco Star — Seen only in "Super Star." Apparently only has party capabilities.
  • Glowy — Illuminates dark places and can melt goo with her hot rays.
  • Hero Star — Has super strength.
  • Mega — When helped by Ultra and Supra, the stars have super strength.
  • Movie Star — A job star that appears in "Job Day".
  • Navy Star — A job star that appears in "Job Day".
  • Noisy Star — A loud star. Can wake most things up.
  • Pointer Star — In the game "Super Star." Stops children from getting lost.
  • Police Star — Policia, a job star, that directs pedestrian traffic.
  • Saltador — A star that can carry an object and have it jump the same height.
  • Spy Star — Can video-record what someone is doing, and play it back on a small TV-like screen on its face. Wears a black hat and sunglasses.
  • Supra — When helped by Ultra and Mega, the stars have super strength.
  • Switchy — Can change shape (i.e., star, circle, square, etc.) Originally named, "Morph".
  • Tool Star — A star equipped with many tools.
  • Ultra — When helped by Supra and Mega, the stars have super strength.
  • Woo-Hoo — A baby star with no apparent powers.

The episodes of Dora the Explorer almost always follow a regular pattern, breaking the fourth wall:

  • Dora has something she wants to do or somewhere she needs to go.
  • Dora has three, or, in some double-length episodes, four, places to go, with the final place as the destination.
  • Dora and Boots meet Swiper somewhere along the way, sometimes succeed at saying 'Swiper no Swiping' three times; sometimes Swiper successfully swipes Dora's item and hides it. Dora and Boots always find the hidden item.
  • Dora will meet one of her friends at each of the locations detailed by the Map.
  • Dora always succeeds in passing the obstacles.
  • In the English version, Dora will ask the viewers to help her by giving advice (jump, run etc.), locating items (especially those stolen by Swiper) and often shouting commands to the characters in Spanish (especially Tico and Sr. Tucan, who can only speak Spanish).
  • Every character that appeared on the episode sings 'We did it' at the end except for Swiper (unless Swiper has taken some positive role in the episode, such as the episode where he rescues a lost baby fox).
  • Dora asks viewers what their favorite part was. She (and usually Boots) then proceed to tell the viewer which part of the adventure she most enjoyed. Any other major character can also be included in this section.
  • During the closing Credits, viewers are either asked to find a character, hiding in a location, or follow instructions to achieve an objective.

As with many animated series made in the U.S., Dora the Explorer has been dubbed into many languages all over the world. The simplicity and repetitious nature of the episodes make this series especially well-suited for learning important phrases in a foreign language.

  • Chinese In the Chinese language version Dora the characters speak mainly Mandarin with limited English. It is broadcast on Yo-yo TV in Taiwan (Channel 25).
  • Danish In the Danish language version Dora is similarly to Swedish listed by Nickolodeon as Dora- utforskaren although this title is actually incorrect use of Danish. Translated it would be Udforskeren Dora (or, Udforskerinden Dora to emphasize the female gender). There are commands and expressions in English. It is broadcast on Nick Jr. in the subscription of Canal Digital and Viasat.
  • French. In the French language version, Dora l'exploratrice, broadcast on TF1 in France and Télé-Québec in Canada, the bilingualism is Anglo-French, with Dora and Boots (called Babouche) speaking French and other protagonists speaking and answering in English.
  • German. In the German language version, broadcast on the recently restarted German branch of Nickelodeon, the bilingualism is Anglo-German, analogous to the French and Japanese Version.
  • Greek. In the Greek version called "Ντόρα η μικρή εξερευνήτρια" (or Dora the Little Explorer), broadcast on Channel 9, the bilingualism is Greek-English. Dora and Boots (called Botas) speak Greek and other protagonists speak and answer in English.
  • Hebrew. In the Hebrew version, broadcast on HOP channel, the bilingualism is Hebrew-English. The series is called מגלים עם דורה (or Megalim Im Dora--English: Discovering with Dora).
  • Irish. In the Irish language version, broadcast on the Irish Language station TG4, the bilingualism is Irish-Spanish, with Dora and Boots speaking in Irish and some other characters speaking Spanish as in the original. This is generally uncommon, as most foreign language versions of Dora have bilingualism between the local language and English.
  • Italian. In the Italian language version, broadcast on Italia 1, the bilingualism is Italian-English. The series is called Dora l'esploratrice ("Dora the Explorer"). Most characters speak Italian, but some characters and especially Dora's parents and backpack speak English together with Italian.
  • Japanese. In the Japanese language version, broadcast on Nick Japan, the bilingualism is Anglo-Japanese, with Dora and Boots speaking Japanese and other protagonists speaking and answering in English.
  • Korean. The Korean language version is broadcast on Nick Jr in Korea. The title is different it is called "Hi 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.
  • Malay. The Malay language version is broadcast on TV9. The bilingualism is Malay-English. Dora speaks primarily in Malay instead of English, and the secondary language is English instead of Spanish. The original English-Spanish version, however, is also available on Nickelodeon South-East Asia via the Nick Jr. programming slot to subscribers of the ASTRO satellite TV service.
  • Portuguese. In the Portuguese language versions, Dora a Exploradora, broadcast on RTP2 and Nickelodeon Portugal. At Nickelodeon Brasil, Dora and Boots (called Boots in the Portuguese version and called Botas in the Brazilian version) speak Portuguese and the other protagonists speak and answer in English. Some Portuguese episodes are available on DVD.
  • Russian. In the Russian language version, broadcast on TNT and Nickelodeon, the bilingualism is Russian-English. The series is called Dasha-sledopyt ("Dasha the Pathfinder"). Dasha is the children's name of Daria (Darya).
  • Serbian. In the Serbian language version, broadcast on B92, the bilingualism is Serbian-Spanish. The series is called Dora istražuje (Dora is exploring).
  • Spanish. In the Spanish language version, Dora la Exploradora, broadcast on Nickelodeon in Latin America (and until September 2006 on Telemundo in the USA; since April 2008 on Univisión), Dora and Boots (called Botas) 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 & Señor Tucan (called Mr. Toucan) only speak English.
  • Swedish In the Swedish language version Dora- utforskaren the characters speak mainly Swedish but will have commands and expressions in English. It is broadcast on Nickelodeon and TV4.
  • Tamil In the Tamil language version Dora The Explorer, the characters all speak Tamil, with some accented English interspersed. It is broadcast on a local kids programming channel Chutti TV, a channel run by the Sun Network
  • Turkish In the Turkish language version Dora the characters speak mainly Turkish, Spanish and English but will have commands and expressions in Turkish. It is broadcast on Nickelodeon and CNBC-e.

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 in the role, a former member of the all female American pop band innosense. 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.


Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dora_the_Explorer

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