Dora, The Explorer LIVE! The Search for the City of Lost Toys comes to The Fabulous Fox Theatre this month. The bilingual, animated little girl springs to life, with Susan Oliveras in the lead role. Encore Atlanta was keen to know more about the pint-sized explorer who has helped so many children learn. So, Oliveras shared these fun facts with us.
Originally, there was no Dora. When creators Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes, and Eric Weiner decided to create a show that would encourage active problem solving with all sorts of games, their main characters were animals: first a squirrel, then a marten and finally, the most promising of all, a bunny. But the bunny eventually became a 7-year-old Latina girl … named Dora!
Brown Johnson, president of animation at Nickelodeon, attended a Children Now diversity conference that focused on the underrepresentation of minority characters in all sorts of media, including TV. That experience inspired him to make Dora a bilingual Latina heroine, which has had a huge cultural impact. Dora’s popularity introduced new generations to the richness of Latino culture and has made it a part of American pop culture.
“Dora the Explorer” is syndicated to TV broadcasters in 125 markets, translated in 24 languages; and consumer products are available in 30 territories. (Dora teaches more kids English around the world than Spanish.)
Dora is considered pan-Latina, meaning her background is generic so as not to isolate any one particular Latino culture. Nickelodeon employs a large consulting team for the show, including educational, cultural and language consultants to help make certain Latino culture is depicted in a valid and sensitive way.
Dora’s last name is Marquez.
For the animated series, 12-year-old Caitlin Sanchez provides the voice of 7-year-old Dora. Caitlin was born in New Jersey to Cuban-American parents and inherited the gift of music from them. She has studied musical theater, drama, dance and voice. She’s also played the piano since she was five, composes her own music and was the recipient of the Tito Puente Scholarship Award for Musical Excellence.
Dora, The Explorer LIVE! The Search for the City of Lost Toys explores the Fox stage August 21.
Suehyla El-Attar is an actress/playwright living and performing in Atlanta. For more information, please visit suehyla.com.
