W. is a 2008 American film based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush. It was produced and directed by Oliver Stone, written by Stanley Weiser, and stars Josh Brolin as Bush, with a cast that includes Ellen Burstyn, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Scott Glenn, and Richard Dreyfuss. Filming began on May 12, 2008, in Louisiana and the film was released on October 17.^[2]

Plot[link]

In 1966, George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) endures an alcohol-fueled initiation by his fellow Yale University students as a Delta Kappa Epsilon pledge. During the hazing, Bush successfully recalls the names and nicknames of many of the fraternity members, and states that his family's political legacy is one in which he has no interest. A little later, after the younger Bush is jailed in New Jersey for rowdiness following a football game, his father, George H. W. Bush (James Cromwell), states that he will help the younger Bush, but for the last time. Following his graduation from Yale, Bush takes a job at an oil patch back in his home state of Texas, but he quits after only a few weeks. Shortly after this, and proposing to his girlfriend while drunk, "Junior" reveals his real aspirations in a father-son talk: working in professional baseball, in some capacity. Soon after, Bush is accepted into Harvard Business School with the help of his father. Later that night after drinking heavily, the younger Bush crashes his car into his family estate and challenges his father to a fistfight. His brother, Jeb (Jason Ritter) intervenes and reveals that Bush got into Harvard Business which stops anything happening.

In 1977, Bush announces he will run for Congress in Texas. At a barbecue, Bush meets Laura Lane Welch (Elizabeth Banks), his future wife. During his congressional debate, Bush is criticized by his opponent, Democrat Kent Hance (Paul Rae), who says that Bush is not a "real Texan" and has spent campaign contributions to throw an alcohol-fueled party for underage Texas Tech University students. Bush does poorly in the debate and loses the election, but with the highest number of votes for a Republican candidate in the state's history. Angered by the loss, Bush declares that he'll: "never be out-Texas'd or out-Christianed again". In 1986, Bush becomes a born-again Christian, gives up alcohol, and somewhat mends his relationship with his father. The elder Bush invites him to assist with what becomes his successful 1988 presidential campaign, though the younger Bush suspects that he only was asked because Jeb was busy. Bush's political advisor, Karl Rove (Toby Jones), tells him that he has the potential to make a name for himself, but has not yet done anything with his life. Bush becomes the owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, while his father oversees the victory of the Persion Gulf. Allied forces win the war in 100 hours, but the elder Bush decides not to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein. When his father loses the 1992 election, Bush blames the loss on the decision not to depose Hussein.

In 1994, Bush decides to run for Governor of Texas despite his father's opposition. In 1999, after deciding to run for President, an election win prompts a successful presidential bid in 2000. Following the September 11 attacks, Bush plans a war with Iraq, and labels America's enemies — specifically Iraq, North Korea, and Iran — the "axis of evil". In 2002, Bush begins searching for evidence that Hussein was creating nuclear weapons, and has the army prepared. Bush's staff supports him, with the exception of Secretary of State Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright), who says that invading Iraq would destabilize the country. Powell is supportive of Bush somewhat, but generally is overruled by Vice President Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss) and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (Scott Glenn), who insist that the war — deliberately waged without an exit strategy — would secure the U.S.' status as sole global superpower while spreading democracy throughout the Middle East.

In his 2003 State of the Union Address, Bush states that: "Either you're with us, or you're with the terrorists." In March 2003, the U.S. invades Iraq and, at first, the war appears to be a success, and Bush gives his infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech on an aircraft carrier. When it becomes clear that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Bush learns that the responsibility for finding them had been relegated far down the chain of command. Bush also discovers that Hussein gambled his regime and his life on the assumption that Bush was bluffing. Bush is asked in a press conference what mistakes he made as President, a question that leaves him flustered and speechless. That night, Bush has a nightmare in which his father accuses him of ruining the Bush legacy, which he claims was intended for Jeb. Later, Bush dreams of playing center field in a baseball game. A pop fly is hit in his direction. As Bush attempts to catch the ball, it unexpectedly disappears. The film ends intentionally in 2004 before Bush's second term in the White House is marred by the Karl Rove affair, the protracted war in Iraq, the response to Hurricane Katrina, and the late-2000s financial crisis.

Cast[link]

• Josh Brolin as George W. Bush: Stone's original idea for the main role was to propose it to Harrison Ford, whom he said had "a pretty similar face as of George Bush". Stone then cast Christian Bale, who spent months researching for the role, but dropped out after he was not satisfied with the prosthetic makeup tests. Stone remarked, "Christian’s a very methodical actor and he has to have the makeup thing work for him."^[3] Brolin, cast at the "last minute",^[3] spent months working on Bush's distinctive vocal style, calling hotels in Texas and talking to the people at the front desk, listening to their accents. The actor also watched videos of Bush walking. Brolin said, "It changes over the years, how he walks in his 30s, how he walks in foreign lands, before 9/11 and afterward. People hold their emotions in their bodies. They can't fake it. Especially him."^[4]
• Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush: Banks said she would not do an impression of the First Lady. "I just want to honor her voice, her stillness, and her hairstyle".^[4]
• James Cromwell as George H. W. Bush
• Ellen Burstyn as Barbara Bush
• Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney: Stone was interested in Robert Duvall as Cheney, but Duvall turned down the role.^[5] Dreyfuss and Stone did not get along well during filming, and Dreyfuss was harshly critical of the director during the film's press junket (noting Stone had attacked him right before that tour began). Dreyfuss also told Nathan Rabin in an interview that he did not empathize with the former VP, calling him "true to himself", and saying that the real villain of W. was the American public, because it never responded with outrage to the Bush Admistration's actions and allowed them to move forward without any master plan.
• Jeffrey Wright as U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell
• Scott Glenn as U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
• Thandie Newton as U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice
• Toby Jones as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove
• Bruce McGill as Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet
• Ioan Gruffudd as British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Much of Gruffudd's intended scene was cut. The scene depicted Blair revealing his intentions to convert to Catholicism, and his desire to give the United Nations and British and US allies more time and greater involvement before the Iraq invasion.
• Noah Wyle as U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans
• Rob Corddry as White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer
• Dennis Boutsikaris as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz
• Randall Newsome as Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority
• Jason Ritter as Jeb Bush
• Michael Gaston as General Tommy Franks
• Tom Kemp as David Kay
• Paul Rae as Congressman Kent Hance
• Stacy Keach as Earle Hudd, Bush's pastor and spiritual advisor. Earle Hudd is a composite of several religious figures influential in Bush's life, including Billy Graham, James Robison, C. Lane Boyd, Kirbyjon Caldwell, Mark Craig, Tony Evans, T. D. Jakes, and Ed Young.^[6][7]
• Jesse Bradford as Thatcher, Bush's college buddy
• Marley Shelton as Fran, one of Bush's girlfriends
• Anne Pressly as Anchorwoman
• Sayed Badreya as Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq
• William Chan as Hospital Doctor
• Teresa Cheung as Miss China
• Colin Hanks as David Frum
• Bryan Massey as Skeeter
• Brent Sexton as Joe O'Neill

Originally, the Hong Kong actress Gillian Chung (from the band Twins) also appeared in a cameo. However, since the Edison Chen photo scandal incident happened before it released on the theater, her acting scenes were completely removed.

Production[link]

W was Oliver Stone's third film in a trilogy he made about the Presidency, set in the time from the 1960s to today: the set began with JFK and continued with Nixon. Originally, he was attached to direct Pinkville, a film about the Army's investigation of the My Lai Massacre, but development was canceled due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and actor Bruce Willis pulling out of the film three weeks before shooting was set to start.^[4] As a result, United Artists shut the production down. Stone moved on to direct a film about the life and presidency of George W. Bush, shopping a script that had been written before the strike by Stanley Weiser, who had co-written Wall Street with Stone. Weiser and Stone read 17 books as part of their research for the script,^[9] and worked on the project for a year before venturing to film Pinkville.^[8] Stone has admitted that he and Weiser had to speculate on some dialogue: "You take all the facts and take the spirit of the scene and make it accurate to what you think happened".^[4] W. was financed independently for Stone, with Hong Kong, German, and Australian funds: he tried to approach American studios for money, but got turned down.^[10] Lions Gate Entertainment distributed the film.^[4] Though Stone has criticized Bush for his administration's 2003 invasion of Iraq, the director said that he was not looking to make an "anti-Bush polemic." Stone compared his goal of the film to that of The Queen, wanting to trace "seminal events in Bush's life." According to the director, "It's a behind-the-scenes approach, similar to Nixon, to give a sense of what it's like to be in his skin. But if Nixon was a symphony, this is more like a chamber piece, and not as dark in tone."^[8] He described the structure of W. as a three-act film starting with Bush as a young man "with a missed life", followed by his transformation and "an assertion of will which was amazingly powerful" as he came out from his father's shadow, and finally his invasion of Iraq.^[11]

The film, originally titled Bush,^[8] was re-titled W.^[12] Filming began on May 12, 2008 in Shreveport, Louisiana,^[2] and completed filming on July 11, 2008.^[13] On May 13, 2008 the New York Post published excerpts from an early draft of the script. The column, written by Cindy Adams, stated “Pro-Bushies will hate it, antis will love it.”^[14]

The film was released on October 17, 2008, before the presidential election.^[2] W. 's producers reportedly ran television spots for the film opposite Republican Party presidential nominee John McCain's ads in the fall of 2008.^[4]

Reception[link]

Critical response[link]

W. received mixed to positive reviews from critics. As of June 29, 2011, Rotten Tomatoes reports 59% of critics giving the film positive write-ups, based upon a sample of 207, with an average score of 6/10.^[15] The website summarized the reviews of the film by calling it "A surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of the 43rd American president, W. is fascinating in spots, but merely rudimentary as a whole."^[15] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 56, based on 36 reviews.^[16]

Giving the film four stars in his review, Roger Ebert wrote that it was "fascinating" and praised all the actors, noting that Richard Dreyfuss, in particular, was "not so much a double as an embodiment" of Dick Cheney.^[17] In contrast, Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post called the film "a rushed, wildly uneven, tonally jumbled caricature."^[18] Film critic James Berardinelli negatively compared the film with Saturday Night Live skits, saying of the actors that "None of them are as dead-on as Tina Fey as Sarah Palin."

The Bush administration never officially commented on the film. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who is portrayed in the film, called the sibling rivalry portrayed in the film "high-grade, unadulterated hooey" and said that Stone's exploration of the family dynamic could have benefited from actual conversations with the Bush family.^[19] Slate Magazine's Timothy Noah, however, noted that "most [of] the film's more ludicrous details" are actually directly taken from non-fiction sources, and argued that the film was too kind to Bush in omitting certain historically recorded dramatic events, most notably Bush's alleged mocking of murderer Karla Faye Tucker, a woman put to death during his tenure of the Texan governorship, to interviewer Tucker Carlson.^[20] However, the incident is disputed by Bush himself, and as such is also unconfirmed. In a March 2010 "Screen Test" interview with The New York Times' Lynne Hirschberg, Josh Brolin claims Bush did in fact watch the film. Brolin said Oliver Stone met with Bill Clinton in China and Clinton told Stone he'd lent his copy of W. to Bush. Apparently, Bush "liked it very much" and "thought there were sad moments."^[21]

The film appeared on some critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News named it the eighth best film of 2008,^[22] and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times named it on his top 20 list (he did not assign rankings).^[22]

Box office[link]

The film opened #4 behind The Secret Life of Bees, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and Max Payne, respectively with $10,505,668 from 2,030 theaters with a $5,175 average.^[23] The film had a budget of $25.1 million and grossed $25,534,493 in North America, and $3,401,242 internationally.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: W. (film)

External links[link]

	Film portal
	United States portal

• Official website
• The Official Filmss Guide
• W. at the Internet Movie Database
• W. at AllRovi
• W. at Rotten Tomatoes
• W. at Box Office Mojo

v t e George W. Bush Life Early life Professional life Governorship of Texas Presidency First term Second term Cabinet Domestic policy Legislation and programs Economic policy Foreign policy Bush Doctrine Iraq War Judicial appointments Pardons Presidential library Elections 1994 Texas gubernatorial election 1998 Texas gubernatorial election 2000 presidential campaign 2004 presidential campaign Public image Bushisms Nicknames As the subject of books and films Bush Derangement Syndrome Fictionalized portrayals Miss Me Yet? Books A Charge to Keep Decision Points Family Laura Bush (wife) Barbara Pierce Bush (daughter) Jenna Bush Hager (daughter) George H. W. Bush (father) Barbara Bush (mother) Barney (dog) Miss Beazley (dog) India (cat) Book · Category

Travis Rice (born October 9, 1982^[1]) is an American professional snowboarder. He is #13 on Snowboarder magazine’s list of the Top Twenty Most Influential Riders,^[2] He has been considered "the Paul Revere" of the big mountain freestyle movement.^[3]

Early life[link]

Rice was born in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He was raised near Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, where he continues to reside. Raised a skier by his father, a member of Jackson Hole Ski Patrol, Rice initially did not understand the rave of the new sport springing up on his mountain. However, he would soon catch on and join the local team.

Competition[link]

In 2001, without a sponsor and only 18 years old, Rice drove to Mammoth Mountain in California to ride at Snowboarder magazine’s “Superpark”. Recognition from the snowboarding world would come at this event, when Rice launched a backside rodeo off a 110 foot gap jump.^[4] Absinthe Films' producer Justin Hostynek immediately approached Rice to begin filming for their upcoming movie, Transcendence.^[2]

Films and Other Media[link]

Rice has filmed outstanding video parts year after year, producing jaw-dropping shots like his switch 540 over Chad's Gap in Utah, a 120 foot backcountry gap jump. On top of that, he has won several US Opens, an X-Games gold, and an Icer Air gold, where he landed the first double rodeo 1080 in competition.^[5]

In 2008, Rice co-produced (with filmmaker Curt Morgan) and starred in the snowboarding film That’s It That’s All. This film featured Troy Blackburn, Jeremy Jones, Mark Landvik, Terje Haakonsen, Nicolas Müller, Scotty Lago, Pat Moore, John Jackson, Jake Blauvelt, Danny Kass, and fellow Jackson Hole residents Bryan Iguchi and Kyle Clancy.^[6] Rice’s part in That’s It That’s All, which included the first ever double cork 1260, heavily influenced his sweep at the Transworld Magazine Rider’s Poll. He won Rider of the Year, Video Part of the Year, Standout of the Year, and Readers’ Choice award.^[7] On September, 07 2011, Rice released The Art of Flight, a film made in collaboration with the same team behind 'That's It, That's All, including John Jackson, Mark Landvik, Nicolas Müller and Jeremy Jones,Scotty Lago,Mark McMorris. The film divides the snowboard community, described as one of the best snowboard movies ever made, with a budget being well into the millions of dollars by some, and seen as a boring and soulless display of budget, far from the snowboard spirit and the respect of nature by others. It truly is one of the most inspirational movies ever filmed.^[8]

His sponsors are Quiksilver, LIB Tech, DC, Red Bull, Union bindings, Bluebird Wax, Contour, Jack’s Garage & Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.^[9]

He is also a downloadable, playable character in SSX. He is the first "real-life" snowboarder to ever be featured in the franchise.

Highlights[link]

Travis Rice's professional snowboarding career started in 2001. Various competition results taken from EXPN.^[10]

2008–2009

• 1st in X-Games Big Air Competition
• 4th - CJ - 5Star Red Bull Snow Scrapers (Ticket to Ride (World Snowboard Tour))
• Transworld Rider of the Year

2007–2008

• 11th, Nokia Air & Style Big Air Competition ^[11]
• 1st, ICER AIR, San Francisco, CA (Big Air event). With a best run score of 95^[12] for his Double backside Rodeo 1080.^[13]
• 1st Winter X Games Big Air Double Cork 1080

2005–2006

• 12th, FIS World Cup #1, Valle Nevado, Chile (Halfpipe)
• 8th, Nokia Air & Style, Munich, Germany (Slopestyle)
• 51st, Chevrolet US Snowboard Grand Prix Halfpipe #1
• 26th, Chevrolet US Snowboard Grand Prix Halfpipe #2
• 9th, X Games 10 (Slopestyle)
• 2nd, Honda Session at Vail, Co (Rail)
• 3rd, Honda Session at Vail, Co (Slopestyle)
• 33rd, Ticket To Ride World Snowboard Tour (Season End Rankings, Overall)

2004–2005

• Transworld Rider of the Year
• Named by Faces Magazine as one of the Top 20 Greatest Athletes Now
• 2nd, X-Trail Jam, Tokyo, Japan (Quarterpipe)
• 3rd, X-Trail Jam, Tokyo, Japan (Straight Jump)
• 1st, US Snowboard Grandprix, Breckenridge, Co (Rails)
• 2nd, US Snowboard Grandprix, Breckenridge, Co (Halfpipe)
• 8th, US Snowboard Grandprix Season End Ranking (Halfpipe)
• 10th, X Games 2005 (Superpipe)
• 3rd, X Games 2005 (Slopestyle)
• 2nd, Abominable Snow Jam, Mount Hood, Oregon (Quarterpipe)
• 3rd, Abominable Snow Jam, Mount Hood, Oregon (Slopestyle)

2003–2004

• 1st, Arctic Challenge, Trysilfjellet, Norway (Quarterpipe Overall)
• 9th, Arctic Challenge, Trysilfjellet, Norway (Slopestyle)
• 1st, Boost Mobile Pro-Jam (Rail)
• 1st, Boost Mobile Pro-Jam
• 4th, Winter X Games 2003 (Slopestyle)
• 21st, Winter X Games 2003 (Superpipe)
• 1st, Abominable Snow Jam (Slopestyle)
• 1st, Abominable Snow Jam (Quarterpipe)
• 1st, Grand Prix, Breckenridge, Co. (Rail)
• 1st, X-Rail Jam Tokyodome 2003 (Jam Session)
• 1st, US Open Rail Jam
• 1st, The Session, Vail, Co. (Rail)
• 4th, The Session, Vail, Co. (Slopestyle)
• 1st, Montana Christchurch Big Air, New Zealand

2002–2003

• 1st, X-Games (Slopestyle)
• 1st, Grand Prix, Breckenridge (Big Air)
• 4th, World Snowboard Federation Season End (Slopestyle)
• 4th, The Session, Vail, Colorado (Slopestyle)
• 1st, The Session, Vail, Colorado (Rail Jam)
• 2nd, Toyota Slopestyle, Kijimadaira, Japan (Slopestyle)
• 3rd, US Open, Stratton, Vermont (Slopestyle)
• 1st, US Open, Stratton, Vermont (Rail Jam)

2001–2002

• TransWorld Rookie Of The Year
• 1st (FIS Halfpipe), FIS, Park City
• 2nd, Vans Triple Crown Series, Breckenridge, Colorado (Slopestyle)^[14]
• 3rd, Vans Triple Crown Series, Snow Summit, California (Slopestyle)^[14]
• 4th, World Championships, Vail, Co. (Slopestyle)
• 1st, Yahoo Big Air, Breckenridge, Co. (Big Air)
• 7th, US Grand Prix, Mount Bachelor, Oregon (Halfpipe)
• 9th, Vans Triple Crown (Season End, Overall)

Video parts[link]

• The Art of Flight - Brainfarm (2011)
• Neverland - Absinthe Films (2009)
• That's It, That's All (2008)
• DC MTN.LAB 1.5 (2007)^[15]
• Billabong - Lines (2007)^[16]
• DC MTN.LAB
• The Gap Sessions
• First Descent
• The Community Project^[17]
• Pop
• Night of the Living Shred
• The Prophecy (2002)
• Revenge of the Grenerds
• Futureproof
• More
• Full Metal Edges
• Saturation
• Vivid (2002)
• Deeper (2010)
• Transcendence (2002)^[18]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Posts tagged 'Travis Rice' on SuperStoker
• Posts tagged 'Travis Rice' on THEBLEND

Steve Larson (AKA "Larson") is the former lead guitarist for Lime Green, Dead Hot Workshop (1987–97), Dialectrics, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers (1999–2005), and now plays in his own band, Steve Larson Band.

Larson has opened for many artists solo and with the Steve Larson Band, including Shooter Jennings, Hank III, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Reckless Kelly, Billy Joe Shaver, and Hans Olson.

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers[link]

In 1999, Steve Larson joined a newly formed band, The Peacemakers, which was forming out of the ashes of another local Phoneix band, The Refreshments. It wasn't until the band's first CD was in print that he, bassist Danny White, and guitarist Scott Johnson had learned the band had changed its name to Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. Though touring throughout the US and parts of Mexico, Larson, White, and Johnson began to lose interest in the group, citing that they did not feel like everyone in the band were equals. Larson played his last show in Rocky Point, Mexico at the end of January 2009.

When interviewed more than a year after his departure, Larson said of his time with the band, "After you dig through all of the carnage, drama, ego meltdowns and money issues, the truth is that the band never fit my style. I was a rock guitarist in a novelty pop band."

Steve Larson Band[link]

Larson now plays in his own band, which is based in Phoenix, AZ. The band, Steve Larson Band, was first established in 2005.

Discography[link]

• Limited Edition Live
• Road Trip Songs

External links[link]

• Steve Larson Band
• Steve Larson Recordings
• Dead Hot Workshop

This article about a United States guitarist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help improve the article by updating it. There may be additional information on the talk page. (December 2011)

Dora the Explorer
Logo
Genre	Children Adventure
Created by	Chris Gifford Valerie Walsh Valdes Eric Weiner
Directed by	George S. Chialtas Gary Conrad Henry Lenardin-Madden Sherie Pollack Arnie Wong
Voices of	Caitlin Sanchez, Kathleen Herles, Fatima Ptacek as Dora the Explorer Harrison Chad, Regan Mizrahi as Boots the Monkey Marc Weiner as Swiper Sasha Toto and Alexandria Suarez as Backpack
Theme music composer	Joshua Sitron Billy Straus
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English Spanish (Teaches Spanish)
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	118 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Chris Gifford
Editor(s)	Gayle McIntyre Karyn Finley Powell David Wigforss
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Nickelodeon, Nick Jr
Original run	August 14, 2000 (2000-08-14) – present
Chronology
Related shows	Go, Diego, Go!

Dora the Explorer is an American animated television series created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh, and Eric Weiner. Dora the Explorer became a regular series in 2000. The show is carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network, including the associated Nick Jr. channel. It aired on CBS until September 2006. A Spanish-dubbed version first aired as part of a Nick en español block on NBC Universal-owned Telemundo through September 2006; since April 2008, this version of the program has been carried on Univision as part of the Planeta U block.

Characters[link]

Dora Marquez[link]

Dora, the main character, is an eight-year-old girl who embarks on a trip in every episode in order to find something or help somebody. She asks the viewers at home to help her find new ways to reach places with the help of Map. She also teaches viewers Spanish, introducing them to short words and phrases.

Dora has a positive view of the characters she meets, failing even to hold a grudge against the mischievous fox, Swiper, who continually attempts to steal items from her party. She acts against villains only when it seems that compromise is impossible, and even in these cases, fails to display actual anger. She gives others a chance to try their hands at tasks even when she herself might have an easier time with them. Dora values her family, whom she loves openly, though she spends little time indoors at home with them. She tries to introduce her traditions and customs, subtly and without compulsion, to those who are not familiar with them.

Dora is fond of Boots, who became her best friend when she saved his beloved red boots from being swiped by Swiper.

Dora enjoys sports. She played on a baseball team with Boots and her other friends and was coached by her father (who has never been depicted as having other employment). She loves and excels at soccer. Dora is also a musician, skilled at playing a wooden flute.

The character was voiced by Kathleen Herles until she was replaced by Caitlin Sanchez and replaced with another voice actress Fatima Ptacek.^[1]

Dora is a Latina. Early concepts of Dora had her as a blond girl of European ancestry. The character was originally based on a niece, Lilli, of Rick Velleu, one of the creators of the show.^{[citation needed]}

Boots the Monkey[link]

Boots, the 5-year-old monkey whom Dora met one day in the forest, is her best friend. He is friendly and enthusiastic, and usually wears nothing but his beloved red boots, hence his name. He is light blue with a yellow stomach. His parents look similar, with variations in eyes, height, clothing and fur.

Boots is present with Dora on most of her adventures, and he helps her solve clues and puzzles. He also loves baseball and is on Dora's team. He enjoys riding Rojo the fire truck.

Boots is athletic and energetic. He performs a series of acrobatic flips, somersaults, and cartwheels along the way to their destination. His light weight also makes him easy to carry, even for Dora.

Without guidance from Dora, the viewer, or another character, Boots is quick to take his own, often dangerous or dead-ended, route. Dora often acts as the voice of reason.

Boots "loves" many things. In one episode, he would say many times "I love riddles. Call me 'Mr. Riddles'" or "I love nuts, I love chocolate, I love my ball, and I love, love, love...". Most importantly, however, Boots loves Dora and Dora loves him back, as expressed verbally and physically in numerous episodes. His devotion and love always has Boots more than willing to drop whatever he is doing at the moment for Dora. For her sake, he has even engaged in adventures on his own, assisted by the viewers.

Boots' vocabulary is limited but steadily increasing. Dora teaches him Spanish through memorable songs and phrases.

Boots was voiced by Harrison Chad in the original English version and then, from season five onwards, by Regan Mizrahi.

Swiper the Fox[link]

Swiper is a sneaky fox in a blue mask and gloves, who is the antagonist of the TV series and appears in nearly every episode. He is voiced by Marc Weiner. As his name implies, Swiper steals or attempts to steal key items that help Dora on her adventures. Clever as he is, Swiper never manages to take Dora completely by surprise; an ominous "whisking" sound is always audible just prior to his appearances.

To prevent Swiper from success, Dora must repeat the phrase, "Swiper, no swiping!" three times. Usually she prevails, and Swiper slinks away, snapping his fingers and saying, "Oh, man!"; sometimes, however, Swiper gets to the item before Dora has a chance to repeat the phrase. He then gloats, "You're too late!," and frequently states "You'll never find it now! Ha, ha, ha!!," as he throws the item away.

Swiper's motive for theft is patently childish; he never seems actually to want the object he takes, since he almost immediately throws it away to hide it from Dora (prompting her to ask the audience to help her find it). Until recently, it was unclear if he swipes merely for the joy of swiping, or from a desire to annoy and frustrate Dora. Compounding the confusion is the fact that, given the right reason, for example, that the item in question is a present for Dora's puppy, he will return items he has taken, no matter how much effort he went through to get them. It is also shown that he rarely knows the full importance of what he has taken; for example, he had no idea the aforementioned gift was for Dora's puppy. In the episode "Dora Saves the Mermaids", he revealed that he "liked swiping." He has some kind of New York accent, and lives in a burrow on top of Blueberry Hill.

Swiper is very fast and agile, and something of a master of disguise. He seems to have a great deal of technical knowledge, as he has built a variety of vehicles and gadgets (including a remote-controlled robot butterfly) to help him swipe things. Most of the time, however, he simply relies on his natural stalking abilities (sometimes with the aid of a costume) to sneak up on Dora. In the early episodes he often "hid" by curling up into a ball, which neither Dora nor Boots ever recognized as Swiper; he apparently does not do this anymore.

He has only been seen once or twice without his mask, when the robot butterfly he built to swipe from Dora and Boots (in the episode "Dora's Got a Puppy") apparently malfunctioned; after they stopped the robot butterfly, it swiped his mask and gloves and kept them from him for a few humorous seconds.

His grandmother has been mentioned in two episodes: "A Letter For Swiper" and "Swiper the Explorer," and finally made an appearance in "Swiper's Favorite Things." His parents are never seen, and it is unclear whether or not he has any siblings.

Over the course of the series, it is shown that there is more to Swiper's character than an urge to swipe things. In one episode it was revealed that Swiper has a soft spot for puppies, and in another that he likes Cowboy cookies. In a few episodes, he expresses feelings of joy with a fox-like cry of, "Yip-yip-yippee!" In the episode "A Letter For Swiper", Dora filled in for a delivery bird whose glasses were broken; Dora delivered stickers to Swiper (which were sent by his grandmother), and he thanked her for it without trying to swipe anything. In the episode "Swiper the Explorer", Swiper helps Dora on her quest to help Baby Fox find its mommy, and Swiper carries the baby fox almost all through the episode. Also in this episode, it is revealed that Swiper does not speak Spanish, and wishes that he did. Over the course of a few episodes and specials, it can be clearly seen that swiper is very shy, such as in Christmas Carol Adventure, when he was nervous and didn't want to ask the Grumpy old troll how the capes worked. If Swiper fails to swipe something, is sad, or gets in trouble, he will utter his catch phrase of "Oohhh Maaann," such as in the episode "Dance To The Rescue," when Elf and Cane initially trick Swiper and trap him in the magic bottle.

The interaction between Dora and the antagonistic fox also reveals the kindness and grace of Dora's character. In one episode, "Dora's Dance to the Rescue", Swiper took pity on a Dancing Elf who was caught in a magic bottle, similar to a genie. The elf tricked the sympathetic Swiper into removing the bottle's cork, thereby releasing the elf and his talking cane. Unfortunately, the wily fox was thereby entrapped in his place. Stuck and desperate, Swiper called out to Dora and Boots. The remainder of the episode chronicled an epic adventure involving most of the land's creatures, eventually ending with the release of Swiper after a dance contest. The episode was atypical as it involved many dances and songs, and demonstrated a close, unconflicted relationship between Swiper and the other creatures.

In this and several other episodes, Swiper finds himself captured, trapped, or in some sort of trouble. Despite his history of mean-spiritedness toward Dora, she demonstrates that the fox is her friend (which he doesn't find out until "Dora's World Adventure") and will always unquestioningly help Swiper just as she would her other friends, Benny, Isa, Boots, and Tico. If Dora needs his help he will come to her aid in the same manner.

In "Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure," another atypical episode, Swiper's love of swiping ends up getting him on Santa's naughty list, when he fails to heed Santa's warnings about swiping on Christmas. At first, everyone dismisses what has happened, but Dora immediately insists on helping Swiper, as nobody, not even Swiper deserves to be on Santa's naughty list. After asking Santa if she can do something, Santa sends Dora and Swiper on an epic quest through time to help Swiper get off the naughty list. Upon coming back, Swiper initially fails his quest, but everyone then expresses that Swiper is their friend and that they want to share their gifts with him because they care about him, despite all the things he's done. It is at this point Swiper learns the true meaning of Christmas, and tries to give Dora his most prized possession, a stuffed bunny he had since he was really young. Dora refuses to accept it, but suggests that they can share it, and Swiper shares his bunny with her. Upon seeing him share his bunny, Santa returns and puts Swiper back on the nice list. It is then revealed that Swiper shared his gifts and didn't swipe anything every Christmas after that.

Swiper is far from being unable to feel guilty for his actions. In the episode "A Present For Santa", Swiper returns the present that he swiped, upon discovering that it was for Santa. In "Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure," Swiper travels through time and begins to regret his actions in the past and future, including making his friends cry when they were babies, and littering on Christmas Eve. In the episode "Dora's World Adventure", Swiper helps Dora return the friendship bracelets he had swiped all over the world, and was shown to feel guilty once he discovered the magnitude of what he'd done and what he had stolen. During this time Swiper gets a taste of his own medicine, so to speak, as each country they visit has its own "Swiper", only of different species, who tries to steal the bracelets: Fifi the skunk in France, Sami the hyena in Tanzania, Fomkah the bear in Russia, and Ying Ying the weasel in China. All of them act and dress nearly identically to Swiper and are stopped in the same way he is: by saying their name, followed by "no swiping" three times. Then they run off, saying Swiper's catch phrase, "Ohh, maann" in the local language. Their entrances are also preluded by a sound, only with local music; e.g. Ying Ying has a chau gong playing.

Fiesta Trio[link]

Whenever Dora and Boots are successful in a given portion of their quest (quests are usually divided into three portions), the Fiesta Trio appears from seemingly nowhere to congratulate Dora and celebrate for a brief few seconds with music. The Fiesta Trio is a group of three small animals: a grasshopper, a snail, and a frog. The trio are occasionally unable to complete their music as a result of something going on in the scene, such as when they are startled by a bear that is chasing Dora and Boots in one episode.

Backpack[link]

Dora's purple Backpack (originally voiced by Sasha Toro, and currently voiced by Alexandria Suarez beginning with the fifth season^[2]), provides whatever Dora needs to complete her quests. The backpack is a magic satchel, which has been known to produce large items, including multiple ladders, two complete space suits (one each for Dora and Boots) and other items that simply could not fit inside it. Backpack seems to have a lot of extra space within her fabric to be held in such a small area. It was given to Dora as a present by her mother and father. To make the Backpack open up, Dora asks the viewers at home to say "Backpack". The Backpack then sings a little introduction and asks the viewers at home to choose what Dora needs from among the Backpack's contents. Afterwards, the remaining contents go back into Backpack, who says, "Yum yum yum yum yum, ¡delicioso!" ("Delicious!")

Map[link]

The Map (voiced by Marc Weiner) provides travel guidance and advice. When not being consulted, the rolled-up Map resides in a side pocket on the Backpack; to make the Map come out, Dora asks the viewers at home to say "Map." This is the Map's cue to introduce himself to the audience with a repetitive song, which is short in some episodes and longer in others, and describe the path Dora has to take on her quest.

Usually the Map does not do anything more than the actions described above, but in a few episodes he plays a more active role, especially in the episode "Super Map"; the Map finds a small red cape that gives him Superman-like powers, and he uses them to help Dora on her current quest. Map inexplicably gives up the cape, and his super powers, at the end of the episode.

Isa the Iguana[link]

Isa the 9 year old Iguana is a very close friend of Dora's and an even closer friend of Boots. Isa is a skilled gardener and loves to grow mainly flowers of all kinds. She even presents her mom with a bouquet of flowers she grew herself as a Mother's Day gift.

At times, her problem solving skills prove to be invaluable for her friends and even herself made all the more disposal by her naturally acquired ability to blend into surroundings at will.

Isa also seems to have a bit of a crush on Boots, whom she knew long before she ever met Dora. She greats both Dora and Boots equally but Isa always greets Boots more shyly than Dora. She was first voiced by Ashley Flemming, and is now being done by Lenique Vincent.

[edit] Tico the Squirrel

Tico the Squirrel (who has been voiced by Muhammed Cunningham, Jose Zelaya and currently by Jean Carlos Celi) is a friend of Dora's who lives in the forest and who speaks Spanish and very rarely English (one occasion when he said "You're welcome" in English). He wears a colorful striped vest, and is usually seen driving his little yellow car, although he has been known to travel in a variety of vehicles, from helicopters to boats. He has purple fur, a round body, and small triangular stumps for arms and legs.

Tico's function on the show is to help Dora teach the audience words and phrases in Spanish; Dora has to tell Tico something in Spanish, such as "Faster" or "Look out", and she asks the viewers at home to say it along with her. In some episodes, a different Spanish-speaking character (such as Señor Tucán) appears instead of Tico.

In the episode "Dora's First Trip", it was established that Boots had been friends with Tico before Dora met either of them, despite the fact that Boots and Tico speak two different languages.

Benny the Bull[link]

Benny the Bull (voiced by Jake Burbage until 2009, now by Matthew Gumley) is a friend of Dora's who lives in a barn, loves to eat, and often rides in a hot air balloon. He is mostly blue with little yellow horns, stands on his hind legs, is a little taller than Dora, and wears a blue bandanna with white polka dots around his neck.

Benny sometimes provides Dora with something that she needs on her current quest. In the episode "Swiper the Explorer", Dora needed something for the Baby Fox to drink, and Benny's picnic basket just happened to contain a carton of milk and a baby bottle ("Now, why did I pack that?"). In the episode "Dance to the Rescue", Dora and Boots needed fancy clothes to be allowed into King Bobo's castle, and Benny happened to have a gown and a bow tie in the basket of his balloon.

In the episode "Boots' Cuddly Dinosaur", Benny said that he can not sleep without nine dolls which he calls his "guys."

Despite having the same name, this character is not the same as the mascot of the Chicago Bulls.

Voices[link]

• Dora the Explorer: Kathleen Herles (2000-2004), Caitlin Sanchez (2007–2010), Fatima Ptacek (2012-Present)
• Boots: Regan Mizrahi (2007–2010)
• Backpack: Sasha Toro (2000-2004), Alexandria Suarez (2007–2010)
• Swiper: Marc Weiner (2007–2010)
• Map: Marc Weiner (2007–2010)
• Isa the Iguana: Ashley Fleming (2000-2004), Lenique Vincent (2007–2010)
• Tico the Squirrel: Jose Zelaya (2002-2004), Jean Carlos Celi (2007–2010)
• Benny The Bull: Matt Gumley (2007–2010)
• Big Red Chicken: Chris Gifford (2000-2004)
• Explorer Stars: Christiana Anbri, Henry Gifford, Katie Gifford, Aisha Shickler, Muhammed Cunningham, Jose Zeleya

• Jake Burbage
• Harrison Chad
• Andres Dieppa
• Felipe Dieppa
• Elaine Del Valle
• Eileen Galindo
• Chris Gifford
• K.J. Sanchez
• Adam Sietz
• Leslie Valdes
• Marc Weiner

Guests voices[link]

• John Leguizamo
• Cheech Marin
• Ricardo Montalbán
• Esai Morales
• Amy Principe
• Irwin Reese
• Chita Rivera (Dora's Fairytale Adventure, 2004)
• Antonia Rey
• Paul Rodriguez

Episode list[link]

Plot[link]

The episodes of Dora the Explorer almost always follow a regular pattern, breaking the fourth wall:

• Dora has something she wants to do or somewhere she needs to go.
• Dora has three, or, in some double-length episodes, four, places to go, with the final place as the destination.
• Dora and Boots meet Swiper somewhere along the way, sometimes succeed at saying 'Swiper no Swiping' three times; sometimes Swiper successfully swipes Dora's item and hides it. Dora and Boots always find the hidden item.
• Dora will meet one of her friends at each of the locations detailed by the Map.
• Dora always succeeds in passing the obstacles.
• In the English version, Dora will ask the viewers to help her by giving advice (jump, run etc.), locating items (especially those stolen by Swiper) and often shouting commands to the characters in Spanish (especially Tico and Sr. Tucan, who can only speak Spanish).
• Every character that appeared on the episode sings 'We did it' at the end except for Swiper (unless Swiper has taken some positive role in the episode, such as the episode where he rescues a lost baby fox).
• Dora asks viewers what their favorite part was. She (and usually Boots) then proceed to tell the viewer which part of the adventure she most enjoyed. Any other major character can also be included in this section.
• During the closing credits, viewers are either asked to find a character, hiding in a location, or follow instructions to achieve an objective.

Dora's Explorer Girls[link]

In 2009, Mattel and Nickelodeon introduced a preteen version of Dora, with four friends named Naiya, Kate, Emma, and Alana, who call themselves the Explorer Girls.^[3] This is the "tween Dora" whose silhouette created some controversy when it debuted at the Nickelodeon website.^[4][5]

Foreign adaptations[link]

As with many animated series made in the U.S., Dora the Explorer has been dubbed into many languages all over the world. The simplicity and repetitious nature of the episodes make this series especially well-suited for learning important phrases in a foreign language.

• Arabic In the Arabic language version broadcast on the "Nickelodeon on MBC3" block of MBC3, the bilingualism is Arabic-English.

• Cantonese The Cantonese version (Chinese: 愛探險的朵拉; Cantonese Yale: Oi taam hím dīk Dó Lā; literally "Explore-loving Dora") is sold in Hong Kong. The bilingualism is Cantonese-English.

• Danish In the Danish language version Dora is similarly to Swedish listed by Nickolodeon as Dora- utforskaren although this title is actually incorrect use of Danish. Translated it would be Udforskeren Dora (or, Udforskerinden Dora to emphasize the female gender). There are commands and expressions in English. It is broadcast on Nick Jr. in the subscription of Canal Digital and Viasat.

• Dutch. In the Dutch language version, broadcast on Nickelodeon and Nick .Jr, the bilingualism is Dutch-English. Starring Voice Actors: Lottie Hellingman as Dora and Dieter Jansen as Boots.

• French. In the French language version, Dora l'exploratrice, broadcast on TF1 in France and Télé-Québec in Canada, the bilingualism is French-English, with Dora and Boots (called Babouche) speaking French and other protagonists speaking and answering in English.

• Filipino In the Filipino language version broadcast on ABS-CBN entitled as its English title "Dora, the Explorer". The characters speak Filipino and some English, Dora teaches English in this version.

• German. In the German language version, broadcast on the recently restarted German branch of Nickelodeon, the bilingualism is German-English.

• Greek. In the Greek version called "Ντόρα η μικρή εξερευνήτρια" (or Dora the Little Explorer), broadcast on Nickelodeon and Star Channel, the bilingualism is Greek-English. Dora and Boots (called Botas) speak Greek and other protagonists speak and answer in English.

• Hebrew. In the Hebrew version, broadcast on HOP channel, the bilingualism is Hebrew-English. The series is called מגלים עם דורה (or Megalim Im Dora--English: Discovering with Dora).

• Hindi. In the Hindi language version, Dora and the other characters speak Hindi. It is broadcast on Nickelodeon. In this version, Dora teaches the viewers some English words and numbers.

• Indonesian. The Indonesian language version, formerly broadcast on Lativi, is now broadcast on Global TV.The bilingualism is Indonesian-English.

• Irish. In the Irish language version, broadcast on the Irish station TG4, the bilingualism is Irish-Spanish, with Dora and Boots speaking in Irish and some other characters speaking Spanish as in the original.

• Italian. In the Italian language version, broadcast on Italia 1 and on Nickelodeon in the subscription of Sky, the bilingualism is Italian-English. The series is called Dora l'esploratrice ("Dora the Explorer"). Most characters speak Italian, but some characters and especially Dora's parents and backpack speak English together with Italian.

• Japanese. In the Japanese language version, broadcast on Nick Japan, the bilingualism is Anglo-Japanese, with Dora and Boots speaking Japanese and other protagonists speaking and answering in English. The version is called ドーラといっしょに大冒険 (Dōra to issho ni dai bōken/Adventures with Dora).

• Korean. The Korean language version is broadcast on Nick Jr in Korea. The title is different it is called "Hi Dora" and is introduced by a real person whose name is Dami - she introduces key English vocabulary for each episode. The episode is primarily in Korean with some English.

• Malay. The Malay language version is broadcast on TV9. The bilingualism is Malay-English. Dora speaks primarily in Malay instead of English, and the secondary language is English instead of Spanish. The original English-Spanish version, however, is also available on Nickelodeon South East Asia via the Nick Jr. programming slot to subscribers of the ASTRO satellite TV service.

• Mandarin In the Mandarin Chinese version Dora the characters speak mainly Mandarin with limited English. It is broadcast on Yo-yo TV in Taiwan (Channel 25).

• Norwegian. In the Norwegian language version, the bilingualism is Norwegian-English.

• Polish. In the Polish language version, broadcast on Nickelodeon in Poland, the bilingualism is Polish-English. The series is called Dora poznaje świat ("Dora explores the world").

• Portuguese. In the Portuguese language versions, Dora a Exploradora, broadcast on RTP2 and Nickelodeon Portugal. At Nickelodeon Brazil, Dora and Boots (called Boots in the Portuguese version and called Botas in the Brazilian version) speak Portuguese and the other protagonists speak and answer in English. Some Portuguese episodes are available on DVD.

• Russian. In the Russian language version, broadcast on TNT and Nickelodeon, the bilingualism is Russian-English. The series is called Dasha-sledopyt ("Dasha the Pathfinder"). Dasha is the children's name of Daria (Darya).

• Serbian. In the Serbian language version, broadcast on B92, the bilingualism is Serbian-Spanish. The series is called Dora istražuje (Dora is exploring).

• Spanish. There are different Spanish language versions for Latin America and Spain. In Dora la Exploradora, broadcast on Nickelodeon in Latin America (and until September 2006 on Telemundo in the USA; since April 2008 on Univisión), Dora and Boots (called Botas) speak Spanish and the other protagonists speak and answer in English. Some Spanish episodes are available to US viewers on VHS, and some DVDs have a Spanish track (including Dora's Egg Hunt). This version is entirely the reverse of the original English version; Tico & Señor Tucan (called Mr. Toucan) only speak English. Additionally, Univision has added on-screen captions of the Spanish words spoken in English. In Spain, Dora la exploradora is aired on TVE 1, Clan TVE and Nickelodeon; the characters speak mainly Spanish but will have commands and expressions in English.

• Swedish In the Swedish language version Dora- utforskaren the characters speak mainly Swedish but will have commands and expressions in English. It is broadcast on Nickelodeon and TV4.

• Tamil In the Tamil language version Dora The Explorer, the characters all speak Tamil, with some English interspersed. It is broadcast on a local kids programming channel Chutti TV, a channel run by the Sun Network

• Turkish In the Turkish language version Dora the characters speak mainly Turkish, Spanish and English but will have commands and expressions in Turkish. It is broadcast on Nickelodeon and CNBC-e.

Stage adaptations[link]

Two stage versions of Dora the Explorer toured North America, the first being "City of Lost Toys", and the second being "Dora's Pirate Adventure." Produced by Nickelodeon and LiveNation, these productions featured live actors portraying the roles of Dora and her friends, including Boots, Diego, Isa, and the Fiesta Trio. Many of the characters wore elaborate foam costumes designed to resemble the Dora characters. Each production featured a structure similar to an episode of the television series.

City of Lost Toys featured Christina Bianco as Dora, while Dora's Pirate Adventure featured Danay Ferrer in the role, a former member of the all female American pop band innosense. Both productions featured a version of the popular Gloria Estefan song "Get On Your Feet" as the final number of the show.

Both productions were conceived by Chris Gifford, creator of the television show, and directed by Gip Hoppe.

There have been three Dora touring companies. The "City of Lost Toys" company and the "Pirate Adventure" company featured actors and crew that were members of Actor's Equity and IATSE, respectively, the unions for professional actors and stagehands in the United States. The third company performs a reduced version of "Pirate Adventure" and does not employ union personnel. This production is currently touring North America, and scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom and France.

Live-action movie[link]

It was revealed on February 18, 2008, that Nickelodeon would make a made-for-television movie based on the series, but as a live-action/CGI animated feature.^[6] Dora, who would still be of Hispanic descent, would become a ten-year-old girl in this version with other characters computer animated. The movie is expected to be released in 2011.

Makeover[link]

On March 8, 2009, Mattel and Nickelodeon announced that Dora will receive a tweenage makeover, switching from a young age to a teenage attending middle school. Initially, it was announced that the new look would not be revealed until late 2009,^[7] but after a short controversy, the tween Dora was unveiled on March 16, 2009.^[8] The new pre-teen Dora may be used for one of the future seasons.

Dora the Explorer merchandise[link]

This section requires expansion.

There are many action figures and playsets available in many markets, along with DVDs, cosmetics, hygiene products, ride-ons, books, board games, plush dolls, apparel, handbags, play tents, play kitchens and more. Licensees include Holland Publishing in the United Kingdom.

Toys[link]

In 2007, lead paint used by a contract toy manufacturer in China prompted Mattel to issue recalls for nearly a million toys, many of which featured Sesame Street and Nickelodeon characters, including Dora the Explorer. Nickelodeon responded that they would introduce "third-party monitoring" of all manufacturers of products under its brands.^[9][10][11]

Books[link]

Dora the Explorer series[link]

1. Dora's Backpack (ISBN 978-0689847202)
2. Little Star (ISBN 978-0689847219)
3. Happy Mother's Day Mami! (ISBN 978-0689852336)
4. Meet Diego! (ISBN 978-0689859939)
5. Dora's Thanksgiving (ISBN 978-0689858420)
6. Dora Loves Boots (ISBN 978-0689863738)
7. Dora's Book of Manners (ISBN 978-0689865336)
8. Dora Goes to School (ISBN 978-0689864940)
9. Dora's Fairy-Tale Adventure (ISBN 978-0689870125)
10. Dora's Chilly Day (ISBN 978-0689867958)
11. Show Me Your Smile! (ISBN 978-0689871696)
12. Dora's Pirate Adventure (ISBN 978-0689875830)
13. Big Sister Dora! (ISBN 978-0689878466)
14. At the Carnival (ISBN 978-0689858413)
15. Dora's Costume Party! (ISBN 978-1416900108)
16. Dance to the Rescue (ISBN 978-1416902164)
17. Dora's Starry Christmas (ISBN 978-1416902492)
18. Super babies (ISBN 978-1416914853)
19. The Birthday Dance Party (ISBN 978-1416913030)
20. Dora's World Adventure (ISBN 978-1416924470)
21. Dora Climbs Star Mountain (ISBN 978-1416940593)
22. It's Sharing Day! (ISBN 978-1416915751)
23. Dora Had a Little Lamb (ISBN 978-1416933687)
24. Dora Saves Mermaid Kingdom! (ISBN 978-1416938415)
25. Dora and the Stuck Truck (ISBN 978-1416947998)

Ready To Read series – Level 1[link]

1. Dora's Picnic (ISBN 978-0689852381)
2. Follow Those Feet! (ISBN 978-0689852398)
3. Dora in the Deep Sea (ISBN 978-0689858451)
4. I Love My Papi! (ISBN 978-0689864957)
5. Say "Cheese!" (ISBN 978-0689864964)
6. The Halloween Cat (ISBN 978-0689867996)
7. Eggs for Everyone! (ISBN 978-0689871764)
8. Just Like Dora! (ISBN 978-0689876752)
9. I Love My Mami! (ISBN 978-1416906506)
10. Puppy Takes a Bath (ISBN 978-1416914839)
11. Around the World! (ISBN 978-1416924784)
12. Dora's Sleepover (ISBN 978-1416915089)
13. Dora Helps Diego! (ISBN 978-1416915096)
14. Dora's Perfect Pumpkin (ISBN 978-1416934387)
15. Dora's Mystery of the Missing Shoes (ISBN 978-1416938248)

A Lift-the-Flap Story[link]

• Good Night, Dora!: A Lift-the-Flap Story (ISBN 978-0689847745)
• Where Is Boots?: A Lift-the-Flap Story (ISBN 978-0689847752)
• Let's Play Sports!: A Lift-the-Flap Story (ISBN 978-1416933502)
• All Dressed Up!: A Lift-the-Flap Book (ISBN 978-0689877186)

Treasury books and collection books[link]

• Dora's Ready-to-Read Adventures (ISBN 978-0689878152)

Contains: Dora's picnic, Follow those feet, Dora in the deep sea, I love my Papi!, Say "Cheese"

• Dora's Storytime Collection (ISBN 978-0689866234)

Contains: Dora's Backpack, Little Star, Happy Birthday, Mami!, Meet Diego!, Dora Saves the Prince, Dora's Treasure Hunt, Good Night, Dora!

• Dora's Big Book of Stories (ISBN 978-1416907084)

Contains: Dora's Book of Manners, Dora Goes to School, Dora's Fairy-Tale Adventure, Dora's Chilly Day, Show Me Your Smile!, Dora's Pirate Adventure, Big Sister Dora!

Sticker books[link]

• Dora's Magic Watering Can (ISBN 978-1416947721)

DVDs and videos[link]

Video games[link]

Video games based on the 2000 television show Dora the Explorer were released. In Canada, Cheerios offered free Dora the Explorer the Game CD-ROMs in specially marked packages. However, packages sold in Quebec would only have the French version. Dora the Explorer: Barnyard Buddies is a video game released for the PlayStation in 2003 in the US. It was not released in Europe until 2005 being one of the very last games released on that platform in that territory. Dora the Explorer: Super Star Adventures is an adventure video game for the Gameboy Advance released in 2004. It was developed by Imaginengine and published by Global Star.^[12]

Dora the Explorer: Journey to the Purple Planet is an action-adventure video game, developed by Monkey Bar Games, published by Global Star Software and powered by Vicious Engine. The game was released for Gamecube in North America on October 13, 2005,^[13] and later in PAL regions on December 16, 2005. The Playstation 2 version was released on PAL regions on December 2, 2005, and later in North America in February 9, 2006.^[14] The game is about Dora and Boots who finds some lost aliens from the purple planet. However, to take them home, she and Boots are required to collect keys to open the space gate, leading to the saturn planet. The game is unique in that it uses pictures and symbols to communicate rather than words. The object of the game is to capture one of the six explorer stars. Each explorer star has a special power such as the ability to be noisy or the ability to create music. In order to capture the star, the player must complete a hide-and-seek activity. These activities include maze navigation, matching games, side-scrolling race games, a "Frogger"-type game, a complete-the-pattern activity and a song playing game.^[15]

Dora Puppy is a puppy simulator were players must help Dora take care of her puppy, Perrito, and help train him for doggie competitions. All the actions are performed by either tracing certain shapes with the stylus or calling out commands into the DS's microphone.^[16] It was developed by Take-Two Interactive for the Nintendo DS and published by 2K Play in North America^[17] and Australia in 2009, and in Europe in 2010.

Dora the Explorer: Dora's Cooking Club is a cooking video game for the Nintendo DS. It was published by 2K Play in 2010.^[18] In the game, players have to chop veggies, stir soups, top pizzas, and more using math skills. They may be sorting cookies into numbered groups or counting out different amounts of ingredients.^[19]

• Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess is a video game that was released for the PlayStation 2 and the Wii console in 2008.
• Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom is a video game that was released for the PlayStation 2 and the Wii console in 2009.

References in other media and parodies[link]

Hip hop artist Ludacris made a few references to Dora in his song "Number One Spot", rapping "Explora like Dora, those swipers can't swipe me".

In an episode of Drake & Josh titled "The Storm", character Crazy Steve is seen watching Dora. He repeatedly yells at her as to why she is asking him questions.

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy makes reference to Dora in episode "Pandora's Lunchbox", where a character bearing a suspicious resemblance and the same name as Dora tries to convince people to open her lunchbox, but her personality is nearly the exact opposite of Dora's, being evil and wanting to plunge the world into never-ending suffering. Billy also describes Grim's favorite show, which is nearly a summary of Dora.

On the series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, imaginary friend Eduardo watches a show named "Lauren is Explorin'".

On Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse sketch entitled "Maraka", created by Robert Smigel, the Dora-like character is called Maraka, while the Boots-like character is called Mittens. The storyline resembles an episode from Season 2 of Go, Diego, Go!, "Macky the Macaroni Penguin". The sketch made fun of the pauses in the show for the child viewer to react, the translations from Spanish to English (and Chinese, German, Portuguese, Hebrew, Swahili, Xhosa, Korean and Russian) in Maraka's sentences and had many sporadic events. Maraka was voiced by Becca Lish, who imitated Kathleen Herles' voice for Dora.

Saturday Night Live also featured a Dora reference in their MTV 4 sketch. A rapper (played by Zach Braff) talks about his Dora the Explorer tattoo. He mentioned he likes calling her "Explora". When asked why he got the tattoo, he said he had a lot in common with Dora as they both, "grew up on the streets". Another character mentions he grew up in the suburbs. "Yeah, but they had streets", the rapper replies.

On an episode of The Daily Show, during the CNBC controversy, Jon Stewart makes a mock appearance on Dora the Explorer, in response to Mad Money's Jim Cramer's appearances on The Today Show and Morning Joe. In the appearance, Dora casually calls both Cramer and Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough pendejos, and Boots offers to throw feces on both.^[20]

Comedian Brian Regan once poked fun at Dora the Explorer in his stand-up, repetitively singing "I'm the Map!"

Many fan-made parodies exist on YouTube that include Dora dancing the Soulja Boy,^[21] in a music video for "Leam like a Cholo",^[22] and asking Brad Pitt on a date.^[23] These parodies have been very popular, generating over several million views each.^{[citation needed]}

On Bubble Gang, the parody of the show was Chickadora The Exploiter, portrayed by Michael V. and Diego.

On Goin' Bulilit if the casts are on Location, The combined parody of the show and Nora Aunor was Nora The Explorer, portrayed by Chacha Canete.

On Eat Bulaga, the opening number for November 28, 2009 Allan K. as Dora the Rat Killer while he holds the Stuffed Monkey along with Wally Bayola as Spider-Man.

A parody of Dora called 'Doray Alaskadora' is seen on Wow Mali. Doray also makes frequent appearances alongside host Joey de Leon and the monkey puppet Enchong Go.

On Fred: The Movie, when Fred is riding in the car with his dad, his dad turns on a TV in the car. Dora is on the TV.

At the beginning of a Law & Order: Los Angeles episode, the kids watch Dora the Explorer in the car.

On an episode of Cartoon Network's MAD series, the segment "Dora the Explorer in the Road to Recovery" features Dora throwing up on backpack. After, backpack's gurgling voice was saying "I'm the backpack!" and scared Boots. On another episode of MAD called "Are You Karate Kidding Me?", Dre's backpack winds up to be Dora's.

References[link]

	Nickelodeon portal
	Television portal
	Animation portal

External links[link]

• Dora The Explorer on Nick Jr. Australia
• Dora The Explorer On Nick Jr. US
• Dora The Explorer On Nick Jr. UK
• Dora The Explorer on Treehouse
• Dora The Explorer On Nick Canada
• Unofficial British fansite.
• Article on the value of Dora the Explorer as a Spanish learning tool
• Dora the Explorer at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2011)

Ariel Winter Workman (born January 28, 1998), best known as Ariel Winter, is an American teen actress. Winter is known for her current role as Alex Dunphy in the TV series Modern Family, for which she has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series, along with the rest of the show's cast. In 2011, Winter landed the voice "Marina the Mermaid" on Jake and the Never Land Pirates on Disney Junior.

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Awards[link]

Won[link]

• 2012 - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (Modern Family)
• 2011 - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (Modern Family)
• 2010 - Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series (Modern Family)^[1]

Nominated[link]