she's a global phenomenon, having appeared before 4 million people in audiences across the world, with a franchise worth billions, and she’s making her African debut in Durban this Friday.
The American television show, Dora the Explorer has received numerous international industry awards. It is a play-along, animated-adventure TV series which follows a little Latina girl, Dora, and her best friend, a monkey named Boots, as they explore their world, solving puzzles and mysteries in English and Spanish.
The musical theatre-type production, which sees the crew go in search of the ultimate pirate party, comes to the ICC, Durban, from July 1 to 3; Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, July 7 to 12; and the Grand Arena, GrandWest Casino, in Cape Town, July 15 to 17.
Although Dora has been everywhere from Australia, to the United Kingdom, Egypt, Kuwait, Russia, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and New Zealand, and has been translated into more than 30 languages, this is the first time the character comes to Africa.
The dynamics on South African soil are as interesting as when Dora was first introduced to American audiences in 2000.
Creator, Chris Gifford explains, “I modelled Dora on my daughter, Katie, and Boots on my son, Henry. When we pitched to Nickelodeon they asked us to make the character Latina, due to the under-representation of Latinos in the media at the time and the huge population explosion of Latinos in the country.
“The choice to make her bilingual has made her the hero of second language speakers,” of whom there are many in South Africa.
Gifford says Dora’s presence on TV has been a breakthrough for children from bilingual homes.
“Some studies have shown that kids from bilingual homes feel shy about speaking two languages.
“Indeed, there was a point in time at which it was believed to hinder learning. But we know now that quiet the opposite is true.
“Dora inspires kids to feel proud of having a second language or even to learn a second language.”
Gifford says it’s hard to pinpoint a single reason why Dora is a global success but he believes it is because she empowers children in a number of ways.
“Swiper is an important key to this aspect. In terms of pre-school television we didn’t see many characters like him. He has sharp teeth and is a serious threat.
“He is a classic fox in a hen house. Dora’s ability to stop him shows that she isn’t as helpless as many kids her age feel.
“Most children know the famous line, ‘Swiper, no swiping’. For small children this can-do attitude is empowering.”
Gifford says there aren’t fixed polarities. “Often Dora will help Swiper, he is one of her friends too.
“Overall, she has great ethics and morals. Dora helps everyone. Her character is comforting, for kids and parents. She is a builder of bridges and perhaps this is what has made her ubiquitous around the world.”
Gifford says the interactive nature of the television series mimics the merging of computers and television and is another aspect tech-savvy pre-schoolers appreciate.
While Gifford may have drawn a great deal from his children – the idea for the stage production came from a treasure chest Katie had filled with costumes – he says they are adults now and the TV series is far more complex than it appears.
“Episodes are a brainstormed team effort.
“We take cognisance of our audience. We test every show. Often groups of 30 kids at a time will watch an episode and tell us what they understood or didn’t, and we will make changes based on the feedback.
“There is a lot of back and forth, and what looks simple and formulaic, never is.”
...
Book at Computicket, Emperors Palace box office, and the GrandWest Casino box office.
Tickets: R185-R385 (children under 1 free). Group discounts for parties of five or more.
Dora’s Pirate Adventur e is brought to South Africa by Blu Blood and Life Like Touring in association with Nickelodeon.
For more information on Dora’s Pirate Adventure, follow them on Twitter @NickAfrica, on Instagram @Nickelodeon_Africa, or like them on Facebook at Nickelodeon.
To join the conversation about the show, please use the hashtag #DoraLiveSA.