Adorably 25: Reliving memories of Dora and Boots

She wore the same outfit every day a pink T-shirt, orange shorts, yellow socks, white trainers and a purple backpack that somehow held everything from a ladder to maracas. At seven years old, Dora Mrquez, with her wide brown eyes and neatly bobbed hair with bangs, trekked through forests, forded rivers, crossed wobbly bridges and climbed mountains. All in the company of her chirpy sidekick Boots, a monkey in bright red boots. When she first bounded onto television screens in 2000, she wasnt just another cartoon heroine. For one, she was a curious, ambitious, bilingual Latina and free of the glitter-and-tiara formula that dominated girls animation. Dora was the product of a deliberate push by Nickelodeon to bring Latino voices to the forefront, a mission championed by then-president Herb Scannell. The network consulted academics, race-relations experts, and multicultural advisers, eventually deciding to make Dora Latin American rather than Mexican American to broaden her appeal and ensure her Spanish was universally understood. Co-creator Valerie Walsh has said she thought of Dora as an alternative to Barbie, rejecting the impossibly blonde, ballgown-wearing princess ideal. Instead, she was shorts-wearing, map-reading and problem-solving, designed according to multiple intelligence theory, which encourages children to develop linguistic, musical and physical skills alongside the standard reading and arithmetic. And yet, even this anti-Barbie had her compromises. When she jumped or danced, her shirt sometimes rode up to reveal a glimpse of stomach, something male animated characters almost never did. Still, Doras most potent statement came from the way she addressed viewers directly, breaking the fourth wall with every Can you see it? pause. In Dora Saves the Prince, it was she, not the prince, who did the rescuing, turning the fairy tale on its head without making a fuss about it. Dora the Explorer walked into living rooms around the globe, translated into 30 languages and broadcast in over 150 countries. When it premiered in the US on August 14, 2000, the audience wasnt just watching but participating, answering Doras questions, pointing to the screen and shouting out clues. That interactivity is what stuck with Aaron Alexander, an aspiring actor. I still remember the joy of sitting in front of the TV, waiting for Dora to ask her famous question, Where is it? The excitement would bubble up inside me, and Id jump up, pointing right at the screen with all the enthusiasm I could gather. It was almost as if Dora could see me, and, for a moment, I was part of her world, he says. For many, she was also part of the morning routine. As a child, I used to look at Dora as my own. I was glued to the television. It was a morning ritual while eating breakfast before rushing to school, recalls 22-year-old Vasudha Sharma. Some drew more than just entertainment from her adventures. Pavithra Prabhu, now a copywriter, credits Dora with shaping her sense of independence. Growing up, I wanted to be more like Dora as independent as her, to travel with my friends and simply take one challenge at a time in life. Komal recalls the joy of seeing Dora stepping briefly into a different role. I vividly remember the episode where Dora dresses up like a princess. I think it was her birthday. That was the first time I saw her dressed up, and it made me want to dress up too. For Diwali that year, I got a colour-changing dress it would shift between violet, pink, yellow, and green when I walked. I even wanted a flower bracelet like hers. My sisters werent into dressing up, so cartoons became my nspiration. Even after the original run ended in 2014, with a final batch of episodes airing in 2019, the legacy didnt fade. New films reimagined the character, and reruns found fresh audiences. Ramyashree Raj, a campus manager, now watches the series with her two-year-old niece. It feels like reliving my childhood but with double the joy. Whenever the title song plays, she excitedly says Dora! She loves Boots so much that once, when she saw a real monkey, she said, Its Boots!, she laughs. Dora and Boots were not the only favourites. Other characters struck a chord too. Komal felt protective of a less-celebrated character. I didnt like how they behaved towards the fox. Every time he came, they assumed he was going to steal and kept saying, Dont steal, dont steal. I think I related to the fox as a kid, I often felt left out, so seeing that happen to him made me uncomfortable. Yet, like any visual it came with its flip side. Vasudha points out the subtle moral coding, Dora promotes physical activities and exploration in children through adventures, and the portrayal of Swiper, the fox, has a moral on stealing, it made my childhood active. Parents felt the pull too. Barathi Sukumar, a mother and stand-up comedian, remembers watching the show with her firstborn when she was four years old. The way she explores and travels around places drew our attention, she says. As a family, we enjoy travelling, and Dora influenced my childs curiosity to explore. She would want to lead us with the map when we were in a tourist location, taking charge. Its the independent nature of the girl who travels on her own, solving problems on the way, interacting with different people she comes across. Irrespective of gender, this encourages problem-solving skills, a sense of independence and social interaction for kids. My only concern was, who lets a small girl wander around in a jungle all by herself with just a monkey for protection? In todays world, Im worried my child might be influenced to wander off alone. Twenty-five years on, in our minds, Dora hasnt changed her outfit, her map is still uncrumpled and Bootss grin hasnt faded. In Tamil-speaking homes, that grin belonged to Buji (Boots), and Dora spoke in their own language. Her world grew beyond the original series with spin-offs like Go, Diego, Go! , Dora The Grownup , and Dora and Friends and a 2019 live-action film. Launched amid US Latino population growth and anti-immigration sentiment, Dora even became a political meme during Arizonas SB 1070 debate, yet remained on air, winning awards and cementing her cultural ubiquity.