Twenty-five years ago, a little girl with a bob haircut appeared on TVs in the US, speaking a mix of English and Spanish, with a spunky, can-do spirit. She had an adventure planned, a backpack, a monkey friend and upbeat songs.
“Hi, I’m Dora. What’s your name?” she asked.
This was, of course, Dora the Explorer, the first Latina to lead a major cartoon series and the girl who helped spearhead the rise of multicultural children’s programming in the US on her way to becoming a cultural phenomenon.
“The show allowed Latinos to be depicted on TV as educators, teaching viewers how to speak our language, and yet at the same time, just teaching ordinary things that children need to learn,” said Brenda Victoria Castillo, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition.
Nickelodeon is celebrating Dora’s 25th anniversary with the feature-length live-action movie Dora And The Search Of Sol Dorado, a third season of the rebooted animated series Dora, the podcast Dora’s Mermaid Adventures, an album of songs and plenty of toys and apparel.
“The great thing about Dora is that, yes, she celebrates Latin culture through every aspect – language, food, dress and music,” says Ramsey Naito president of animation at Paramount and Nickelodeon. “But she also empowers everybody to be their true self and to be brave. She’s not exclusive. She’s inclusive.”
THE ORIGINAL VOICE
Kathleen Herles had a special vantage point to see Dora’s influence: She was the original voice of the pint-size heroine, cast in the role when she was seven and staying until she was 18 and off to college.
“It has been the longest journey and the greatest adventure of my life – no pun intended,” said Herles, who grew up in New York City to parents of Peruvian descent.
On the convention circuit, Herles would see firsthand the power of Dora. “I remember I would make kids cry, not intentionally,” she says. “Their mind goes to a memory, to a moment, it’s just incredible. It’s so special, it’s magical.”
Herles has lately been the voice actor for Dora’s mum on Dora, the reboot that started in 2024. It’s a full-circle moment for the actor and singer: “It changed my life forever, twice.”
Dora The Explorer led to what Herles laughingly calls the “Dora-verse” – the spinoff series Go, Diego, Go!, a sequel series Dora And Friends: Into The City! and the 2019 live-action feature film Dora And The Lost City Of Gold, starring Isabela Merced, Eva Longoria and Michael Peña.
Dora co-creator Chris Gifford has watched his creation age up and down and take human form. “She has been older and she has been younger and she has a hair clip now,” he says. “Her essence, her positive spirit, her I-can-do-anything-with-your-help attitude has stuck through.”
