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Dora the Explorer, continues to make an impact over two decades after her 2000 debut on Nickelodeon and remains a beloved animated figure, especially within the Latinx community. The iconic Latina character made her return in the Paramount+ series reboot Dora which is set to return for a second season with Dominican-American actress Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black, In The Heights) joining the cast as La Reina, one of the fun characters Dora meets during her adventures. La Reina, the Iguana Queen, is the colorful ruler of all the reptiles in the rainforest. While at first intimidating and formal, once you get to know her, you can see her playful side and fun-loving personality especially with the help of catchy music.
“As the Queen of the Jungle and the reptiles, I’m able to also show how I’m a leader, but I’m also able to have some fun when the music comes on. We’re able to celebrate and enjoy all our beauty,” Polanco tells HipLatina.
The reboot, which first premiered earlier this year, features the return of the original voice of Dora, Peruvian American voice actress Kathleen Herles as Mami and newcomer Mexican American actress Diana Zermeño in the titular role of Dora. Herles previously told HipLatina about the important role Dora played in the lives of Latinx kids who watched the original.
“Kids wanted to look like her. They had the hair cut, they wore the shorts and the pink shirt. It just shows how important representation is in all forms of media, animation, and TV. I think that’s why it’s important to keep telling her story and her being introduced now is kind of saying: Hey, we still need that, we still need the representation. Latinos, we still have a voice, we’re still here, we matter. This new generation needs to carry that on, carry that legacy on with them as well.”
Polanco shared with us how her first introduction to Dora as a young mom made her casting on the reboot series a full circle moment. The mother of two was a teen mom who bonded with her daughter while watching the original series so being a part of the reboot is that much more significant.
“I remember when Dora came out and I was a young teen mom. For me to be able to be part of something that I was able to share with my daughter growing up, and actually be involved in it, it’s really honorable. The opportunities that have been presented to me, that I’ve been able to take part of really make me proud, as far as what I advocate for,” she said.
The 41-year-old actress is as much a fan of the phenomenon of Dora—who she refers to as “the Beyonce of Nickelodeon”—as the community is and was drawn to voice La Reina because of it. She shares, “What drew me was Dora and the fact that I’m able to use my voice and be influential in homes of the youth, kids, it’s such a privilege. It’s such an honor to be able to be part of kids growing up, right? Being a character like Reina, that is a supporting character to Dora, and what she leads, because she’s the leader of this experience.”
While there is an entire generation that knows Dora through and through, this reboot gives new audiences an opportunity to get to know her message of inclusion and making education enjoyable. From her catchphrases to iconic characters like Map, this generation of children, especially Latinxs, will be immersed into the world of Dora through her interactive learning process. In the second season of Dora, her and her best monkey friend, Boots, will come across new adventures, challenges, obstacles and explore new fantastical territories. Through it all, kids watching will be able to join in on her journey and the friends she meets along the way, while engaging in lessons through songs and laughter.
Dora’s effortless, seamless way of teaching children important lessons is something that Polanco commends as innovative back in the early 2000s before social media and even now:
“What I loved about her then, and what I continue to love is that this is not a Spanish teaching show, but it is in a way that is through experience, which is the best way to learn a language. If you think about it, kids are not thinking they’re learning Spanish when they’re watching Dora. They’re thinking that they’re in Dora’s experience, it’s so interactive. Remember, she was ahead of the game. We were being interactive with Dora,” she says. “If you remember in school, kids that don’t come from a Spanish background, were speaking Spanish or at least knew familiarity with some words. That’s really innovative and very productive to be able to educate through experience. You are able to include a wider range of kids that might not have the same learning ability as their classmates or their friends.”
During a time when Latinx representation on screen is on a decline, the continuing legacy of Dora through this series is significant. Besides the bilingual education we get from Dora, she also is one of the most recognizable representations of Latinxs and the culture. As the Orange is the New Black actress points out, through Dora we also get to learn about Latin American cultural influences through Dora’s Peruvian heritage as well as her Mexican Cuban heritage from her dad. Additionally, as she incorporates Latin American culture on screen, children watching are able to learn lessons beyond what school curriculums teach:
“As far as education, we teach the ABCs, but why not teach the ABCs and also teach how to problem solve, how to be a team, how to embrace all our differences and use all our abilities to kind of solve whatever obstacles are in the way,” she says. “They [Dora and her friends] all find their weaknesses, their strengths, and they’re able to use that as a way to overcome the obstacles or things that along the way create certain problems. At the end of the day, problem solving is what we live by throughout our existence.”
Season one of Dora is currently available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. The second season of Dora is set to premiere on Friday, September 13 and its linear debut Monday, September 16.
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