Dora the Explorer: Giving Power to Preschoolers, Girls, and Latinas

Dora the ExplorerÀ is a highly successful animated program on Nickelodeon; its title character has captured the imaginations of children across the globe. This study examined Dora within the framework of Gramsci’s hegemony, exploring how the program is changing the “faceÀ of children’s television while giving power to three traditionally powerless groups: preschoolers, girls, and Latinas. Two episodes of the program were analyzed: “Dora Saves the PrinceÀ and “Dora’s Fairytale Adventure.À At first blush, the two episodes appeared to be polar opposite portrayals of Dora (the savior vs. the damsel in distress); however, she ultimately functions as the heroine of both stories. The analysis revealed that Dora represents a Latina “anti-Barbie,À empowering young girls while using her “magicÀ Spanish words to save the day. In addition, Dora’s direct gaze and her pleas for help from the viewers give power to her biggest fans: the preschool audience.

Publisher: Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, The Renaissance, Washington, DC, Aug 08, 2007
Year of Publication: 2007