Kids TV Shows: Dora the Explorer
Dora is a 7-year-old girl who enjoys adventures with her friend Boots the Monkey. Often, they are on a quest to help someone (like reuniting a baby fox with his mommy) or to retrieve a lost item (usually one of Boots’ toys).
To get to their destination, Dora and Boots enlist the help of their friend, Map. After Map sings about himself (“I’m the Map, I’m the MapâÂ?¦”), Map talks about the three places Dora and Boots must visit to complete their task. Dora and Boots consult Map throughout the show to check their progress, singing about where they must go in their “Come On, Vamonos” song (for example, “river, bridge, Tall Mountain”).
Dora and Boots need to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles to complete each of the three legs of the task. Dora often speaks directly to the children, which keeps them involved. However, Dora often asks kids to say things “Again! Louder!”
Dora and Boots also get help from friends in their animated world to get over a few hurdles. This group includes Backpack (who also sings a repetitive song), Isa the Iguana, Benny the Bull and Tico the Squirrel (who speaks exclusively Spanish).
Dora also collects explorer stars, who fly around near the beginning of some episodes. Once the kids at home help Dora gather the stars into Backpack’s star pocket, the stars can help by using their unique skills (Noisy Star, Glowy Star, Tool Star, etc.)
A fox named Swiper is the nemesis of Dora and Boots. He ranks as the most hapless villain in television history. Most of the time, Dora and Boots are able to stop him by simply leading the kids at home in a chant of “Swiper, no swiping!”
When Swiper does actually steal something, he just moves it to another location (“you’ll never find your juggling balls now!”). Dora and Boots proceed to collect their lost items easily. Swiper actually used his swiping skills to help Dora and Boots in the “baby fox” episode. The characters spent the entire episode in disbelief that Swiper was actually being nice.
When Dora finally achieves her goal, she leads everyone in the “We did it!” song. While this is another repetitive song, it is accompanied by a hilarious, hip-swinging dance. Everybody does the “We did it” dance, including animals, elderly people, reformed villains and the moon.
The best part of Dora the Explorer is the introduction of Spanish world to your child’s vocabulary. Kids learn the Spanish words for numbers, colors and phrases, like “There it is. Aqui esta.”
Dora the Explorer has a spinoff show call Go Diego Go, featuring her cousin Diego. Obviously, this is an attempt to appeal to boys. Diego helps his parents at an animal rescue center.
The music on Dora isn’t all that hot, and the show can be loud and repetitive. Overall, though, Dora is a fun, colorful, upbeat show. It’s one of the best kids TV shows today, thanks to the Spanish words and Dora’s can-do attitude.
