My Niece, Dora the Explorer

What if someone close to you is at the heart of a many-tentacled, international mega-conglomerate recognized the world over?

I'm not talking about BP, but Dora Inc.

As this LA Times article indicates, Dora the Explorer has now held the world's youth in thrall for ten years. Her 10th birthday special airs this Sunday night on Nickelodeon. (Strange to think that some of her former fans are now approaching college age.)

Most of us in America have a sense of how huge she is here. Literally -- she's a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

In fact, at least 33 states and cities have declared this Saturday, August 14, “Dora the Explorer Day” (see sidebar for list).

But what may come as a surprise is what a global star she is. Earlier this year I came across her on TV in Holland, speaking Dutch, but mixing in a few words of English. A Japanese friend in Paris recently rhapsodized over how her children react to Dora l'exploratrice and her simian sidekick Babouche.

But to me, she's more than just the Dora-Industrial Complex.

She's my niece. My sister is Dora's mother, the female member of the team that created her for Nickelodeon. That's Valerie in the L.A. Times article, expressing her protective maternal feelings for Dora.

I exaggerate... but only slightly. In fact, for many years Dora was the only grandkid in our family. My sister loves her like a daughter, but she also has to do all the work of raising her. (And it's a lot of work -- when you see one of those simple half-hour episodes, it's hard to imagine that it took a year to create.)

But my folks love her even more. You know grandparents -- all the fun and none of the responsibilities.

I am reminded of this when I go home to visit. My old room is full of the latest merchandise, like a shrine to Dora -- everything but votive candles & incense (so far).

Dad loves to watch not only the usual Dora show, but also the Spanish version. Dad tries to learn from the Spanish dialogue, so when I call home he proudly shares the latest phrase he picked up.

Him: "Estacion de bomberos!"

Me:  "Dad, that's great - 'fire station.' You did it!"

After a few years, Dora's cousin Diego appeared. His show was designed for boys -- he's a dynamic animal rescuer, operating at a frenetic pace in his Batman-meets-Marlon Perkins jungle lair. In terms of TV viewership, I understand he's just as big as Dora. In our family's hearts, well... Dora has the edge. But we love all them both equally, officially speaking. (And now Dora has some younger sisters who are actual humans. We like them too.)

Dora's not just popular. She's beloved. In my experience almost everyone falls into one of two camps:  they don't have any small children in their lives and don't know her (the minority), or they pretty much love her. I don't think I've come across the contrarian 'not crazy about her' perspective yet. I'm sure it's out there somewhere, in this internet age, but I'm not going looking for it.

Of course, many are ambivalent about letting their young children watch television at all. A friend was recently telling me about his five kids and how they're being protected from TV, and how they spend their time reading, and creating their own games, and other wholesome, old-fashioned pastimes. It sounds idyllic.

For better or worse, however, many parents haven't drawn that line, and most of them seem to find Dora (and Boots, and the rest -- even Swiper!) welcome guests in the house. They find their kids picking up a bit of another language and generally enjoying themselves.

And it's rather easy to tell if the show is engaging a child. Unlike shows designed to lull kids into a stupor, it's “interactive,” in the sense of “the kids yell at the TV and jump around a lot.” As far as the kids know, Dora is listening to the answers they shout in answer to her persistent, slightly thick queries (which happily do not require extensive research to answer -- a brief scan of the background of the scene is sufficient). Children ages 2-5 may have a slightly less demanding sense of what 'interactive' means than the rest of us - which is for the best, really. (For you Hollywood types, she 'breaks the fourth wall' - kind of like “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” back in the 80s.)
 
At the center of it all is a character, a little girl, with a simplicity and goodness that somehow shine through those flat screens. Even on the far side of the world, kids like what they like, and they like Dora.  Admittedly, she’s more – a titan of industry, a triumph of market research, and an icon of globalization.  But for me, she's part of the family… and I’m a proud tío.

And I’ve never even had to babysit.

Brother Tom Walsh Interviews his sister, Valerie Walsh Valdes, in a SixSeeds Exclusive!

Tom: Compare your feelings, deep down, about Dora & Diego.
I have parental concern over Dora and Diego.  I just want them to grow up and get into a good college and find a job with health benefits.

Tom: Now you have 2 real kids of your own. Did you have concerns about exposing them to Dora?
After reading all the Dora books, I knew my daughter would love the show.  So when she turned two, I put on the television and it blew her mind.

Tom: Does your older daughter understand you have a special connection to Dora & relate to her differently from the way other children do?
No.

Tom: After 10 years, is it still fun to work on Dora? How? Is it still a challenge or do you have the formula pretty much down so you can phone it in?
No phoning it in for me – I still get stomach aches when I go to research to test a story I’ve written.  Three year olds can be brutal, and they give it to you straight (whether they like or hate a story).

Tom: Honestly, have you ever played 'the Dora card' to get out of something the rest of us have to do?
No.

Tom: How's your Spanish? Must be amazing, right?
Well, Dora has certainly taught me more than four years of high school Spanish.

Tom: Finally, who would you say is the more beloved icon, Dora or Alex Trebek? Note that as far as we know, there may be a balloon of him in Canada's Thanksgiving Day parade, or could be if they celebrated Thanksgiving up there. We don't know.
Well, if Alex is in more than 140 markets around the world and translated into over 30 languages, then they’re probably evenly matched.

(Photo from SpanglishBaby!)

Watch Valerie on Nightline here -- sure, it's not Tom interviewing her, but it's a close second!

Win a Free Dora DVD!

Congratulations, Mary Jean Murphy, for winning the "Dora The Explorer: Let's Explore! Dora's Greatest Adventures" DVD!  We used a random number generator to choose amongst the many wonderful comments below, and this mother (and grandmother!) won it.  Will she let her daughter use it in her profession, as a nurse who tends to bilingual patients at a Nashville pediatric clinic?  Will she keep it for the times when her grandkid visits?

This contest is now closed. Thanks for commenting, and come back to SixSeeds for more exciting giveaways!

Everyone feels Dora's a part of their family.  Tell us what you like about Dora and about who in your family watches her (or anything else you might think is pertinent about this great show!) One lucky winner will win "Dora The Explorer: Let's Explore! Dora's Greatest Adventures" DVD just by commenting.  (Make sure you also enter your e-mail address.  This will both automatically sign you up for our free weekly e-zine, and allow us to contact you if you are the winner!)

On August 19th at noon (EST), we'll pick a name in a random drawing from all eligible entries received and send you an email notification.

Limit one (1) entry per person; NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington D.C. who are 18 or older as of date of entry.

Comment away!

Read More from this Author:

World Cup Fever! Catch It - Or Not. That's Your Right as an American

Where Are You? And Other Hard Questions About Life in the 2010s

The Olympics: Why I Don't Love Them

The Involuntary, Unplanned Vacation Guide