Dora the Explorer

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Dora the Explorer (2000-2014) was an animated television series. This program on Nick Jr. is produced in the style of a mid-1990s CD-ROM game. Dora, a cute 7-year-old explorer girl, and her monkey friend, Boots, teach young viewers, in both English and Spanish, how to observe situations and solve problems. This show was the first in the unfortunately continually expanding list of shows that treat children like they're imbeciles.

Dora the Explorer is, at present, one of Nickelodeon's most heavily merchandised characters. In March 2009, Mattel raised a minor furor with its new "Tween Dora" doll, mentioned below. In 2019, a Live Action Adaptation/Sequel called Dora and the Lost City of Gold hit the big screen to generally good reviews and box office.

Dora the Explorer is the Trope Namer for:
Tropes used in Dora the Explorer include:
  • Adored by the Network: Oh yes. Second in line from SpongeBob SquarePants.
  • Animated Series
  • Alternative Foreign Theme Song: Japanese Dora the Explorer uses "Sound Space Scope" as its Japanese ending theme song. It also uses a remixed version of the opening.
  • Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: This show features many anthropomorphised animals with unrealistic colours, including regular characters such as Benny (a blue cow), Tico (a purple squirrel with pink hair), the Fiesta Trio (a pink snail with a purple shell, an orange insect, and a purple frog), Val the Octopus (purple), and the Big Red Chicken (whilst it was transformed magically into a larger animal, it was initially still red in colour).
  • The Artifact: The idea of the events of the series being a CD-ROM game is increasingly feeling like this. The computer and the other CD-ROM-like elements were dropped from the opening of the program around the time that the Explorer Stars first showed up. As such, the only remnant of this idea is the click/beep mouse arrow that is used to indicate the Non-Interactivity aspect of the program.
  • Bad Future: Seen in Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure. Due to getting put on the naughty list, Swiper completely stops caring about others at all and becomes a true thief, stealing so much stuff that the future Dora outright tells the present Swiper, in a rather bitter fashion, there's nothing left for him to steal and he's ruined Christmas. Thankfully, this future is changed at the end of the episode.
  • Bag of Holding: Dora's appropriately named Backpack was shown in the last Dora/Diego crossover special to have bear milk inside it. Cue blatant lolwut reaction from parents.
    • "Anything that you might need, I've got inside for you." He says it in his song, people.
  • Balloonacy: In at least one episode they ride in a hot air balloon not powered by fire. So how does it fly? Why, they pump it up with a bicycle pump before taking off of course!
  • Bilingual Bonus: Dora the Explorer translated to Spanish is Dora la Exploradora, which rhymes!
    • And the theme song, which has a few words in Spanish, uses it.
  • Big Bad: The series itself really doesn't have a main villain (unless you count Swiper), but most of the movies have their own Big Bad. These villains are typically far more difficult to deal with than Swiper and several are truly evil.
  • Blatant Item Placement: OH SO MUCH.
  • Blind Without'Em: Petunia, the Grumpy Old Troll's wife.
  • Boring Return Journey
  • Broken Record: "I'm the map! I'm the map! I'm the map! I'm the map! I'm the map! I'm the map! I'm the map! I'm the map! I'm the map!"
  • Captain Obvious: "The ocean is a rough sea, mates. And it's full of water!"
  • Chekhov's Gun: Swiper's new swiping technique in Swiper's Favorite Things.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Diego had an older sister, Daisy, who completely disappeared after her quince [15th birthday] and was basically replaced with another older sister, Alicia, upon the launch of Go, Diego, Go!.
    • Daisy does appear in a few other Dora and Diago episodes, including "The Bobo's Mother's Day!" where she looks older then Alicia and is said to be visiting from college.
  • Continuity Nod
  • Cool Old Lady: Both Dora and Swiper's grandmothers.
  • Cousin Oliver: Arguably the introduction of Dora's twin younger siblings.
  • Crazy Prepared: Backpack always has everything Dora needs. Even bear milk.
  • Disembodied Eyebrows: Both Swiper and the Map, but only when they raise them.
  • Dude in Distress: Swiper in Dance to the Rescue.
  • Earn Your Happy Ending: Dora and Swiper have to work their asses off to help him get off the naughty list in Christmas Carol Adventure.
  • Edutainment Show
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Swiper's conscience often gets the better of him. He won't swipe gifts for people he cares about. If he swipes something and then learns it's for somebody, like Santa or a Puppy, he'll immediately give it back, no strings attached.
  • Everyone Meets Everyone: Dora, Boots, Tico, Isa, Benny, and Swiper all met in one episode. Which is strange, as in Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure, it's shown that they had known each other since they were babies.
  • Everything's Better with Monkeys: Boots.
  • Everything's Better with Princesses: Two of the double-length specials, "Dora's Fairytale Adventure" and "Dora Saves the Snow Princess".
  • Everything Talks
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Guess what the Big Red Chicken is.
  • Fantasy Helmet Enforcement: Dora is a spokesperson for a St. Jude's program promoting bike safety. Additionally, she is always shown buckling up in the car.
  • Free-Range Children: Where the hell are Dora's parents?
    • They are there in one episode at least, to help retrieve the twins who've wandered off, but most of the time, yes, they appear absent and perfectly willing to let their daughter roam through all sorts of dangers.
    • Dora's mother is shown to be an archeologist. Her parents don't hesitate to encourage her.
    • Though Dora and Boots' parents are perfectly fine with letting them sleep over with Swiper, you know, the person who repeadetly steals from everyone in the entire rainforest...
  • Friend to All Living Things: And inanimate objects.
  • Getting Crap Past the Radar: There's an episode about a "Best Friends Day". One pair of best friends is a talking lock and key. And yes, the key is inserted and turned. And before you ask, the moment of penetration is offscreen. Guess they couldn't get it completely past the radar.
    • Another instance of this trope was in a Diego/Dora crossover, where they help a giant tortoise find a mate. Though they used the term "a friend" instead of mate, they explicitly state that it was in order to save the species.
  • Girliness Upgrade: Tween Dora.
  • Go-Karting with Bowser: Dora and Boots have a sleepover with Swiper at the end of Swiper's Favorite Things.
  • Gratuitous Spanish
    • Spoofed in the Saturday Night Live parody in which the Dora Expy, among other things, randomly speaks in various languages.
    • Adélie Penguins, explicitly identified as such, and encountered in the Antarctic, apparently speak Gratuitous Spanish.
  • Guest Star Party Member: From time to time characters will join Dora on her quest, from random characters to even Swiper. In Catch The Babies though, Dora's entire family joins in.
  • Harmless Villain: Swiper the Fox does want to steal from them, but can be stopped if you chant "Swiper, no swiping!" three times fast enough. On occasion, he actually does manage to grab stuff before you can. (Or, he's been known to say that "you're too late.") What does he do with it? He doesn't keep it. No, he chucks it into the bushes, chuckles about how you'll never find it, and runs off. Dora manages to spot it within three guesses from the various MacGuffin lookalikes in the bushes, and they're back in business. And thanks to Take Your Time, they don't even lose ground in their quest.
    • He did take a stolen item to his home, the Blueberry Bush. Dora did manage to retrieve it.
    • In Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure, they try "Swiper, no swiping!" on the elderly Swiper when they travel to the future. He states that that doesn't work on him anymore and steals the object anyway. He also keeps everything he swipes in his new castle home. This is explained that, because he ended up on the Naughty List, he just stopped caring about others.
    • And in a recent episode, he actually ends up going on a globetrotting trip with Dora to return friendship bracelets he stole, fending off various other animals with his own sticky fingered traits.
    • If only crime prevention were as easy as saying "Terrorist, no terrorizing!" or "Rapist, no raping!"
  • I Know Your True Name: Saying "Swiper, no swiping" enough times prevents Swiper from stealing objects. In a few episodes there's also an asshole rain cloud who is forcefully repelled by singing the "Rain, Rain, Go Away" song.
  • Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Swiper is obviously the show's main antagonist. While he steals from people, it rarely does any harm to them, and even though he's stolen from everyone for years, they still see him as a friend. This often comes in handy for Swiper's sake, as there are a few cases where he ends up in trouble and needs help himself. As of now, Swiper's probably teetering on the line of Anti-Villain, or he's turning into a Heel Face Revolving Door.
  • Instant Costume Change: In Dora's World Adventure, Dora seems to magically change into the clothing that suits each country that she visits in an instant. We don't see it happening - she just passes behind things and emerges in the new outfit, even though she couldn't possibly have had time to change into it.
  • Kawaisa: Dora is already designed to be rather cute, but the My Best Friend Dora board books take this to a new level with soft pastel colors, even bigger eyes, soft edges and two little hairs sticking out from the top of Dora's head.
  • Knight of Cerebus: The film's Big Bads are genuinely evil, or at least far more threatening than the villains in a typical episode.
    • A special mention goes to Future!Swiper in the Bad Future in the Christmas Special. Unlike the present Swiper, he really steals from people and the usual trick doesn't work on him anymore. Also, any time he shows up the tone suddenly becomes a good bit more serious as well.
  • Live Action Adaptation: In 2019, a genuine live-action film, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, was released starring Isabela Moner as a teenaged Dora. Before that, CollegeHumor.com created a trailer for a Darker and Edgier live-action version as part of a sketch in 2012, starring Ariel Winter as Dora.
  • Long Runner: 14 years on the air.
  • The Merch: You betcha. Toys and games? Check. Books and videos. Check. Want Dora and her friends in your bath or shower? They've got body wash, shampoo, conditioner (and at least one that's all three in one), bubble bath, washcloths, towels and more.
  • Moral Dissonance: So Swiper the Fox is there to teach us that stealing is bad, mmmkay? But then in the Blueberry Hunt episode, Dora and Boots sneak onto a hill to pick blueberries. They discuss in advance how Swiper lives on that hill (in fact, his hole is directly behind the blueberry bush!) and they take extra care to be quiet so they don't alert him to their presence. And then they get angry eyebrows when they think about how Swiper might try to swipe their blueberries.
    • In their defense, just because Swiper's den is there doesn't mean he owns the hill, and from a child's point of view, that might make more sense.
      • There was a fence and a locked door around the hill. Those are both generally good signs that you're not allowed to go in and take whatever you want.
  • MST3K Mantra: Invoked in Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure when the current Dora travels into the future and meets her tween counterpart.
  • My Friends and Zoidberg: Swiper, unless it's an episode where he's set as an actual protagonist, always gets this treatment. If Dora has to help him along with her other friends, he'll always come last. A good example is in the episode The Lost City, where Dora needs to find everyone's lost possessions. Swiper's the last person to be helped. unless you count Boots finding his lost blankie, but he didn't actually need help.
  • No Fourth Wall: Done regularly whenever she addresses the viewer. This then leads into a creepy ten second pause during which she stares directly at you waiting for a "response from the viewer."
  • No Indoor Voice: Dora's voice is probably better known than she is.
    • Then again, she does spend a lot of time outdoors.
  • Non-Human Sidekick: Boots the monkey.
  • Non-Interactivity
  • No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: For any of Swiper's gadgets in "Dora's Got a Puppy"
  • Plot Induced Stupidity: Why the hell doesn't Dora simply go around the obstacles her Map shows her, instead of wasting time moving through them? Simple answer: Because then, the writers wouldn't have a show.
    • Justified with bridges and rivers, since you can't exactly go around them. Also justified with large obstacles. In reality, it would take twice as long to go around something like a lake, rather than just go across it.
  • Poorly-Disguised Pilot: "Meet Diego!" for obvious reasons.
  • The Power of Friendship: Pops up every now and then, but becomes a part of the main plot in Dora's World Adventure.
  • Precious Puppies: Dora's puppy, Perrito. Even Swiper has a weakness for puppies and won't keep a gift once he learns that it's for Perrito. Swiper also has a book about puppies that his Grandmother reads to him whenever he sleeps at her house.
  • Prehensile Tail: Boots.
  • Rhymes on a Dime: Santa, all the time, and Elf and Cane in Dance To The Rescue.
  • Rule of Three
  • Scarily Competent Tracker: Map knows where everything is even before it's gets there.
  • Shaped Like Itself: Phrases like "Stormy Storm" are not uncommon here.
  • She's All Grown Up: Well, not quite, but the toy maker is producing a 'Tween Dora' to appeal to older kids. Parents were expecting Bratz Dora. And they got it.
    • Though so far, she's really only shown up in the show itself as a future self of Dora seen when her and Swiper traveled to a Bad Future.
    • On August 7, 2011, the first episode of Tween Dora aired.
  • Similar Squad: As Dora and Swiper travel to France, Tanzania, Russia and China in Dora's World Adventure, they discover equivalents of themselves in each country. They also meet a cranky troll in Russia.
  • Smelly Skunk: In "Dora's Got A Puppy", Dora and Boots come across one and wisely leave it alone. However, Swiper's attempt to steal from them results in him grabbing it. He doesn't get skunked, but it still sends him running.
    • Fifi the Skunk from "Dora's World Adventure" averts this. She doesn't stink, they just don't want her to swipe from them.
  • Spin-Off: Go, Diego, Go! and Doras Explorer Girls.
  • Take Your Time: So their friend Benny is being swept away in a hot air balloon, headed straight for Crocodile Lake! Oh no! They need to fix the hole in his balloon before the balloon dips so low that the crocs eat him! But c'mon, it's not like they need to hurry. They stroll along at their usual beat (to the walking song they always use), even pause to dance out the musical portions. It's only once they get very close to Crocodile Lake that they start sprinting toward their doomed friend. It's like they manufacture their own cliffhanger moments.
  • Tempting Fate: Invoked on several occasions, usually involving Swiper. "I hope Swiper doesn't try to swipe <object>!" *Cue Swiper's signature whisking sound* "Oh no! That sounds like Swiper!"
  • "There and Back" Story: The basic plot of most episodes, with Map detailing the path Dora and Boots will take. The path always includes two primary landmarks prior to the destination itself, and at least a couple of subplots (often involving one of Dora's friends) occur that requires their assistance.
  • Troll Bridge: The grumpy old troll who lives under the briiiiiiidge...
  • Tyrant Takes the Helm: The Big Bad of "Dora Saves The Enchanted Forest", Owl.
  • Viewers Are Goldfish: "Say arriba! Louder! Say arriba! Louder!"
  • Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: A few of the villains from the specials are genuinely threatening. Of note is the witch from "Dora's Fairytale Adventure", who was not only truly evil, but had absolutely no qualms about putting Boots into a never ending sleep For the Evulz.
  • Villain Song: Depends if you consider him a "villain", but the Grumpy Old Troll's song.
    • Owl, the Big Bad of "Dora Saves The Enchanted Forest", has "I've Got A Rule For That", about all the unfair rules he's put in place to make him able to do whatever he wants to.
    • The Witch from "Dora's Fairy Tale Adventure" has a short one.
  • Watch It Stoned: If you believe Kevin Smith.
  • We Could Have Avoided All This: Usually invoked when Swiper swipes something and has no idea what it's for, or tries to swipe something he really wants when he could just ask. A lot of the trouble Swiper ends up in/causing could easily be avoided if he would just ask.
  • Weaksauce Weakness: You only have to say "Swiper, no swiping!" three times to make him go away.
    • In a Bad Future (for this show anyway), this doesn't work anymore.
  • Wedding Day: "The Grumpy Old Troll Gets Married"
  • Where the Hell Is Springfield?: It's somewhere in a Spanish-speaking rainforest. Recent Diego episodes seem to confirm that the setting is in South America, anyway.
  • Winter Royal Lady: The snow princess.
  • Yet Another Christmas Carol: Swiper is placed on Santa's naughty list in Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure. He and Dora have to travel to the past and future in order for Swiper to get off the list. Although why they would do such a thing is unclear.
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