Dora Márquez is the main protagonist and hostess of the television series Dora the Explorer, Dora and Friends: Into the City!, and Dora (2024), as well as a supporting character of the spin-off series Go, Diego, Go!. She is a heroic Latina girl who embarks on countless adventures in every episode in order to find something or help somebody in need.
Appearance[]
Dora has dark peach skin causing it to appear almost orange. Dora's hair is styled in a bob-styled hair and her eyes are brown. The character is often shown wearing a pink t-shirt that repeatedly shows her belly, orange shorts, frilly yellow socks, and white Velcro shoes with a pink trim along with other outfits. She wears a yellow bracelet with a blue flower on it that she wears on her right wrist and it happened to be a birthday present when she was four. Additionally, though rarely seen, Dora wears little gold earrings on her ears.
In Seasons 7-8, Dora's shirt no longer shows her belly and her shorts extend up to her knees, and she now wears pink slip-one with white trimming.
In Dora and Friends: Into the City!, her hair is longer and she wears a pink dress with a flower design on the side, purple denim leggings, and pink sneakers. She also wears a magical charm bracelet on her right wrist. Promotional arts depict her wearing a purple headband, but she rarely wears such in several episodes of the actual animation.
In Dora (2024), Dora returns to wearing an outfit similar to her original design but with a few minor changes, including a small purple hairband, a new bracelet, purple and light pink sneakers, and yellow sport socks.
Personality[]
Dora is kind to all of the characters she meets, failing even to hold a grudge against the sneaky fox, Swiper. She hates 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 helped him save his beloved red boots from being swiped by Swiper the Fox (This was revealed in Dora's First Trip).
Interests[]
Dora enjoys sports, especially soccer. She played on a baseball team with Boots and her other partners and was coached by her father (who has never been depicted as having other employment before or since). She loves and excels at soccer. Dora is also a musician, skilled at playing a wooden flute and the guitar.
Dora is bilingual and is fluent in both English and Spanish. She enjoys teaching new words and phrases in Spanish to help the viewer say them to proceed. She is also able to translate for other Spanish-only characters such as Tico and Señor Tucán, and can interpret what they are saying to help other people understand them.
Age[]
She’s indicated to be 7 years of age until the Season 5 episode "Dora's Big Birthday Adventure", in which she turns 8. She’s 10 years old in Dora and Friends: Into the City!. In Dora and the Lost City of Gold she’s 16 years old.
Etymology[]
Dora's surname being Márquez isn’t directly addressed in the series. However, it’s uncovered in "Grandma's House" in which Boots addresses her mother, Elena, as "Señora Márquez".
Trivia[]
- It's unknown what Dora's exact nationality is. She's obviously Hispanic/Latin-American, but what exact country she's from, is unknown.
- In the pilot episode, she's said to be Costa Rican, but this is not brought up at all in the actual series or any other media featuring her.
- When the showrunners contacted Latin American specialists, it was decided she would just be a general Latina of Mestizo (mixed indigenous-European) descent. In the series, she spoke general Spanish, voiced at different times by Peruvian, Cuban and Ecuadorian/Colombian-descended actresses. In Dora and the Lost City of Gold, she is hinted to be Peruvian, since she spoke Quechua to Kawillaka, however, she may have just studied the language.
- In the Latin Spanish dub, she was voiced by a Venezuelan actress in Dora the Explorer and Dora (2024), and later another Venezuelan actress In Dora and Friends: Into the City.
- Early concepts of Dora had her as a blonde girl of European ancestry. The character was originally based on a niece, Lilli, of Rick Velleu, one of the creators of the show. They eventually changed her to being Latina to add more diversity to the network.
- Other previous concepts of her included a little girl named Tess, and then Nina, before they decided to name her Dora.
- In the pilot, Dora's eyes were green, but were changed to brown in the actual show. Her original design was partially used for Sabrina in Dora Saves the Snow Princess.
- In development, Dora was originally going to be a little bunny, Benjamin Bunny who went on adventures with his mom daily.
- This change was possibly done to avoid confusion with the book of the same written by Beatrix Potter.
- Coincidentally, Benjamin Bunny is one of the main characters of the Peter Rabbit TV series (which, like Dora, also aired on Nickelodeon).
- This change was possibly done to avoid confusion with the book of the same written by Beatrix Potter.
- During Seasons 1 and 2, Dora would open every episode by saying "Hi, I'm Dora!". Beginning with Season 3, she would now say "¡Hola, soy Dora!", which is the same phrase in Spanish.
- In commercials for Paramount+, she just says "¡Soy Dora!". But it is unknown how she got her new temporary voice.
- Dora (along with her Backpack) is the only one never to get Character Find at the end of each episode during the end credits.
- Despite that, she is always seen on the top of everyone's choice, but instead of her name written in Comic Sans below the picture, her name is written in her regular logo font on top of the lily pad she is in. Additionally, she's the one who introduces each character before the game starts, usually by saying "This is my friend,/Hey look, it's (character's name). Find (said character)!"
- "Boots to the Rescue" is the only canon episode Dora doesn't travel with Boots because she's at school and he runs there right away to bring her song to her. It's also the only episode where she makes a minor appearance and doesn't appear as the first character to begin the episode like she always does. Boots is the first character and the host instead of her.
- Dora has chosen Boots has her partner to go traveling with her all the time because he's the first friend she meets which is revealed in Dora's First Trip.
- Dora's last name was mentioned twice in Dora the Explorer, Grandma's House and Surprise!, when Boots addressed Mami as "Señora Márquez".
- Whenever Dora and Boots travel anywhere, they sing the Travel Song (After season 1, they sing a song related to the episode as a placeholder) but when they're done with their adventure, they sing We Did It!.
- Whenever Dora and Boots sing songs, sometimes they would cut the songs off during them singing and due to emergencies or sometimes they'd just cut them off for a timeout when the instrumentals are rolling and getting the viewer's attention of how they should sing them like if they wanted to in special ways.
- Dora doesn't always travel with Boots in every episode even though they're best friends. She only travels with Isa once as his replacement in Isa's Unicorn Flowers and she travels with Swiper (in Dora's World Adventure and Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure, he just travels with her) whenever he's on his good side. However, she also occasionally travels alone.
- Whenever Dora gets mad sometimes, she never seems to make any angry looks throughout the series, not even once.
- In most double-length episodes, Dora gets a new outfit or form, either by retrieval or a magical transformation. The only double-length episodes where this does not happen are Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure and Dora's Big Birthday Adventure.
- Her pirate costume (Dora's Pirate Adventure)
- La Princesa Dora (Dora's Fairytale Adventure)
- A fancy gown from Benny (Dora's Dance to the Rescue)
- Her clothes from around the world, and her friendship day dress (Dora's World Adventure!)
- Her mermaid transformation (Dora Saves the Mermaids and various mermaid episodes)
- Her Snow Princess disguise (Dora Saves the Snow Princess)
- Her dress for the crystal ball (Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom)
- Her Enchanted Forest gown (Dora Saves King Unicornio)
- Her Lady Knight armor (Dora's Royal Rescue)
- Her Alice dress and Queen of Wonderland gown (Dora In Wonderland)
- Her Fairytale Land gown (Dora Saves Fairytale Land)
- Dora is the first Nick Jr. protagonist to become royalty, in "Dora's Fairytale Adventure" when she becomes a true princess.
- The second is Kai-Lan Chow in the Ni Hao, Kai-Lan special, "Princess Kai-Lan", when she becomes the Princess of Friends.
- The third is Blaze in the Blaze and the Monster Machines episode, "The Great Animal Crown", when he becomes the king of Animal Island.
- In Sammy's Valentine, Dora doesn't physically appear, her picture is only seen on Diego's Valentine card.
- Dora was seen crying in the Nick Jr. Babies Flash game (as a baby) and never throughout the series even though she sometimes gets a little mad.
- In Go, Diego, Go!, whenever she makes an appearance in an episode, she usually appears alongside Alicia during the Let's Review segment. But since Alicia is absent in Diego and Dora Save the Giant Tortoises, she takes her place.
- Her perseverance, leadership and warm-hearted personality all draw similarities with Bloom from the Winx Club franchise, another show that aired on Nickelodeon, as well as with Polly from the namesake Polly Pocket 2010-17 web series.
- If this were to be a Magic Tool from Fairytale Land (alongside the Red Ring, the Magic Music Box, the Bag of Sunshine, the Magic Hairbrush and even the Enchanted Pitcher), Dora's Charm Bracelet will be her Magic Tool of choice.