Dora the Explorer Characters

Dora Marquez

In every episode, Dora goes on an exploring trip to find something or help somebody. Dora always asks the viewers at home to help her find new ways to get to the places with the help of Map. Dora also teaches children Spanish.

She sees everyone equally and mainly good no matter who the character, this noted at her not holding a grudge against Swiper for all the items he’s swiped from her party. She acts against villains only when innocence sakes’ depend on it and compromise is mostly impossible or unless she is somewhat strictly required to, but even still, she has yet to hold any true accounts of actual anger. Dora is very kind and will always give others a chance to try their hands at certain task for the simple thrill of seeing them excel in the skill even when/if she herself could have possibly fulfill the task faster and/or more accurately.

Though Dora spends very little time indoors, she still best values her family and its background and all who reside at her house. She seems to always want to influence her traditions and customs to those who have yet to know but still she is very subtle in doing so and wouldn’t force her beliefs on others.

Dora openly loves her family. She loves Boots too. He is also her best friend since she saved his beloved red boots from being swiped by Swiper.

Dora enjoys sports. She was on a baseball team with her best friend Boots and her other friends and was coached by her father (his employment status was never changed after that). She loves soccer and is very good at it. Dora also speaks Spanish, teaching small words and phrases to the viewers.

Dora is also quite the musician shown mostly as having skill in playing the wooden flute.

The character was voiced by Kathleen Herles in every season, until she was replaced by Caitlin Sanchez

Dora is a Latina. Early concepts of Dora had her as a blond girl of European ancestry. The character was originally based on one of the creator’s (Rick Velleu) nieces named Lilli.

Boots the Monkey

Boots the Monkey is Dora’s best friend on the show, whom she met one day in the forest. He was voiced by Harrison Chad in the original English version and since season five by Regan Mizrahi. Boots is friendly and enthusiastic, and usually wears nothing but his beloved red boots, hence his name, Boots. He is gray with a yellow stomach. His mommy and daddy are designed in the same way with variations in eyes, height, clothing, and fur formation.

Boots is present with Dora on most of her adventures, and he helps Dora to solve clues and puzzles. He also loves baseball and is on a team with Dora as shown in one episode. He loves to ride Rojo the fire truck.

Boots is very athletic and can be just as hyper and energetic. Due to his animal species he is naturally experienced to execute frontflips, backflips, somersaults, and cartwheels, performing a selection of each along the way to the predetermined destination. His light weight also makes him quite easy to carry, even for Dora.

Boots and Dora also seem to apply a do’s and don’ts theme to teaching viewers featuring Dora often as the voice of reason and/or maturity of what to do in situations requiring “deep thought” and Boots as the one who takes steps to leap before he looks if not properly supervised. Without guidance from Dora, the viewer, or another character, Boots is quick to take his own, often dangerous or dead-ended, route.

Boots also “loves” many things. In one episode, he would say many times “I love riddles. Call me ‘Mr. Riddles'” or “I love nuts, I love chocolate, I love my ball, and I love, love, love…”. Most importantly, however, Boots loves Dora and Dora loves him back, as both expressed verbally and physically in numerous episodes though mainly by Dora. His devotion and love always has Boots more than willing to drop whatever he’s doing at the moment and make space in his random mental schedule for Dora. He has even engaged in his own single adventures assisted by the viewers all on her account.

Boots’ language field is limited but steadily increasing. Dora is currently teaching him Spanish through memorable songs and phrases. He usually aspires with soaring colors or a bit over as averagely as the normal child viewer.

Swiper the Fox

Swiper is a sneaky fox in a blue mask and gloves, who is the antagonist of the TV series and appears in nearly every episode. He is voiced by Marc Weiner. As his name implies, Swiper steals or attempts to steal key items that help Dora on her adventures. Clever as he is, Swiper never manages to take Dora completely by surprise; an ominous “whisking” sound is always audible just prior to his appearances.

To prevent Swiper from success, Dora must repeat the phrase, “Swiper, no swiping!” three times. Usually she prevails, and Swiper slinks away, snapping his fingers and saying, “Oh, mannn!”; sometimes, however, Swiper gets to the item before Dora has a chance to repeat the phrase. He then gloats, “You’re too late!” (and frequently “You’ll never find it now! Ha, ha, ha!!”).

Swiper’s motive for theft is patently childish; he never seems actually to want the object he takes, since he almost immediately throws it away to hide it from Dora (prompting her to ask the audience to help her find it). Until recently, it was unclear if he swipes merely for the joy of swiping, or from a desire to annoy and frustrate Dora. Compounding the confusion is the fact that, given the right reason — e.g., that the item in question is a present for Dora’s puppy — he’ll return items he has taken, no matter how much effort he went through to get them. It is also shown that he rarely knows the full importance of what he’s taken; e.g. he had no idea the aforementioned gift was for Dora’s puppy. In the episode “Dora Saves the Mermaids”, he revealed that he “liked swiping.” He has some kind of New York accent, and lives in a burrow on top of Blueberry Hill (no relation to the song).

Swiper is very fast and agile, and something of a master of disguise. He seems to have a great deal of technical knowledge, as he’s built a variety of vehicles and gadgets (including a remote-controlled robot butterfly) to help him swipe things. Most of the time, however, he simply relies on his natural stalking abilities — sometimes with the aid of a costume — to sneak up on Dora. In the early episodes he often “hid” by curling up into a ball, which neither Dora nor Boots ever recognized as Swiper; he apparently doesn’t do this anymore.

He has only been seen once without his mask, when the robot butterfly he built to swipe from Dora and Boots (in the episode “Dora’s Got a Puppy”) apparently malfunctioned; after they stopped it, it swiped his mask and gloves and kept them from him for a few humorous seconds.

None of Swiper’s relatives has ever been seen, but his grandmother has been mentioned in two episodes: “A Letter For Swiper” and “Swiper the Explorer.”

Over the course of the series, it’s shown that there’s more to Swiper’s character than an urge to swipe things. In one episode it was revealed that Swiper has a soft spot for puppies, and in another that he likes Cowboy cookies. In a few episodes, he expresses feelings of joy with a fox-like cry of, “Yip-yip-yippee!” In the episode “A Letter For Swiper,” Dora filled in for a delivery bird whose glasses were broken; Dora delivered stickers to Swiper (which were sent by his grandmother), and he thanked her for it without trying to swipe anything. In the episode “Swiper the Explorer,” Swiper helps Dora on her quest to help Baby Fox find its mommy, and Swiper carries the baby fox almost all through the episode. Also in this episode, it’s revealed that Swiper doesn’t speak Spanish, and wishes that he did.

The interaction between Dora and the antagonistic fox also reveals the kindness and grace of Dora’s character. In one unusual episode, “Dora’s Dance to the Rescue,” Swiper took pity on a Dancing Elf who was caught in a magic bottle, similar to a genie. The elf tricked the sympathetic Swiper into removing the bottle’s cork, thereby releasing the elf and his talking cane. Unfortunately, the wily fox was thereby entrapped in his place. Stuck and desperate, Swiper called out to Dora and Boots. The remainder of the episode chronicled an epic adventure involving most of the land’s creatures, eventually ending with the release of Swiper after a dance contest. The episode was atypical as it involved many dances and songs, demonstrated a close, unconflicted relationship between Swiper and the other creatures, and had Dora refer to the elf in an uncharacteristically judgmental way (“mean Elf”).

In this and several other episodes, Swiper finds himself captured, trapped, or in some sort of trouble. Despite his history of mean-spiritedness toward Dora, she demonstrates that the fox is her friend (which he doesn’t find out until “Dora’s World Adventure”) and will always unquestioningly help Swiper just as she would her other friends, Benny, Isa, Boots, and Tico. If Dora needs his help he will come to her aid in the same manner.

Swiper is far from being unable to feel guilty for his actions. In “A Present For Santa”, Swiper returns the present that he swiped, upon discovering that it was for Santa. In “Dora’s World Adventure,” Swiper helps Dora return the friendship bracelets he had swiped all over the world, and was shown to feel guilty once he discovered the magnitude of what he’d done and what he had stolen. During this time Swiper gets a taste of his own medicine, so to speak, as each country they visit has its own “Swiper,” only of different species, who tries to steal the bracelets: Fifi the skunk in France, Sami the hyena in Tanzania, Fomkah the bear in Russia, and Ying Ying the weasel in China. All of them act and dress nearly identically to Swiper and are stopped in the same way he is: by saying their name, followed by “no swiping” three times. Then they run off, saying Swiper’s catch phrase, “Ohh, maann” (their only line) in the local language. Their entrances are also preluded by a sound, only with local music; e.g. Ying Ying has a chau gong playing.

Fiesta Trio

Whenever Dora and Boots are successful in a given portion of their quest (quests are usually divided into three portions), the Fiesta Trio appears from seemingly nowhere to congratulate Dora and celebrate for a brief few seconds with music. The Fiesta Trio is a group of three small animals: a grasshopper, a snail, and a frog. The trio are occasionally unable to complete their music as a result of something going on in the scene, such as when they are startled by a bear that is chasing Dora and Boots in one episode.
Backpack

Dora’s purple Backpack mochila (originally voiced by Sasha Toro, and currently voiced by Alexandria Suarez beginning with the fifth season[3]), provides whatever Dora needs to complete her quests. The backpack is a magic satchel, which has been known to produce large items, including multiple ladders, two complete space suits — one each for Dora and Boots — and other items that simply could not fit inside it. Backpack seems to have a lot of extra space within her fabric to be held in such a small area. It was given to Dora as a present by her mother and father. To make the Backpack open up, Dora asks the viewers at home to say “Backpack”. The Backpack then sings a little introduction and asks the viewers at home to choose what Dora needs from among the Backpack’s contents. Afterwards, the remaining contents go back into Backpack, who says, “Yum yum yum yum yum, ¡delicioso!” (“Delicious!”)

Map

The Map (voiced by Marc Weiner) provides travel guidance and advice. When not being consulted, the rolled-up Map resides in a side pocket on the Backpack; to make the Map come out, Dora asks the viewers at home to say “Map.” This is the Map’s cue to introduce himself to the audience with a repetitive song, which is short in some episodes and longer in others, and describe the path Dora has to take on her quest.

Usually the Map doesn’t do anything more than the actions described above, but in a few episodes he plays a more active role, especially in the episode “Super Map”; the Map finds a small red cape that gives him Superman-like powers, and he uses them to help Dora on her current quest. Map inexplicably gives up the cape, and his super powers, at the end of the episode.
Isa the Iguana

Isa the Iguana is an very close friend of Dora’s and an even closer friend of Boots. Isa is a skilled gardener and loves to grow mainly flowers of all kinds. She even presents her mom with a bouquet of flowers she grew herself as a Mother’s Day gift.

At times, her problem solving prowess prove to be invaluable for her friends and even herself made all the more disposal by her naturally acquired ability to blend into surroundings at will.

Isa also seems to have a bit of a crush on Boots, whom she knew long before she ever met Dora. She treats Both Dora and Boots equally but Isa always greets Boots more shyly than Dora. She was first voiced by Ashley Flemming, and is now being done by Lenique Vincent.
Tico the Squirrel

Tico the Squirrel (who’s been voiced by Muhammed Cunningham, Jose Zelaya and currently by Jean Carlos Celi) is a friend of Dora’s who lives in the forest and who speaks Spanish and very rarely English (one occasion when he said “You’re welcome” in English). He wears a colorful striped vest, and is usually seen driving his little yellow car, although he has been known to travel in a variety of vehicles, from helicopters to boats. He has purple fur, a round body, and small triangular stumps for arms and legs.

Tico’s function on the show is to help Dora teach the audience words and phrases in Spanish; Dora has to tell Tico something in Spanish, such as “Faster” or “Look out,” and she asks the viewers at home to say it along with her. In some episodes, a different Spanish-speaking character (such as Señor Tucán) appears instead of Tico.

In the episode “Dora’s First Trip,” it was established that Boots had been friends with Tico before Dora met either of them, despite the fact that Boots and Tico speak two different languages.
Benny the Bull

Benny the Bull (voiced by Jake Burbage) is a friend of Dora’s who lives in a barn, loves to eat, and often rides in a hot air balloon. He’s mostly blue with little yellow horns, stands on his hind legs, is a little taller than Dora, and wears a blue bandanna with white polka dots around his neck.

Benny sometimes provides Dora with something that she needs on her current quest. In the episode “Swiper the Explorer,” Dora needed something for the Baby Fox to drink, and Benny’s picnic basket just happened to contain a carton of milk and a baby bottle (“Now, why did I pack that?”). In “Dance to the Rescue,” Dora and Boots needed fancy clothes to be allowed into King Bobo’s castle, and Benny happened to have a gown and a bow tie in the basket of his balloon.

In the episode “Boots’ Cuddly Dinosaur,” Benny said that he can’t sleep without nine dolls which he calls his “guys.”

Despite having the same name, this character is not the same as the mascot of the Chicago Bulls.

Other characters

Other recurring human characters include:

Dora’s dad (Papi).
Dora’s mom (Mami).
Dora’s grandma (Abuela).
Dora’s cousins (Diego, Daisy, and Alicia).
Dora’s twin baby brother and sister.
Dora’s teacher
Boots’ music teacher
King Bobo
Santa Claus
Recurring humanoid characters include:

Dancing Elf
Mariana the Mermaid
There are a number of minor, recurring animal characters such as:

Señor Tucán, this character only speaks Spanish.
The Big Red Chicken.
Pirate Parrot.
Baby Blue Bird.
Baby Jaguar, who doesn’t speak (in this series) but seems to be just as intelligent as the other characters.
The Grumpy Old Troll, who requires Dora and her traveling partners to solve his riddle before crossing over his bridge.
Baby Crab, also Cangrejito.
Mama Bugga Bugga
Wizzle, a cute creature who loves wishes.
Leon the Circus Lion.
Baby Dino the dinosaur
Little Monster
Baby Bear
Baby Pingüino
Little Lamb
Pinto The Pony
El Coquí
Baby Red Fish
Pirate Pig, he has an eyepatch and a hat.
Squishy Squid, he loves music and also playing bongoes.
Friendly Bear
Baby Fox
Val the Octopus
Little Kitten
Friendly Dragon
Sleeping Sloth
Mountain Goat
Banana Bird
Fifi the Skunk
Sami the Hyena
Fomkah the Bear
Ying Ying the Weasel
Additionally, the show features a number of anthropomorphic objects, such as locomotives, boats, and automobiles with speaking roles. In addition, some episodes include talking trees, gates and walls. Examples are:

Azul the Blue Train
Rojo the Fire Truck
Chocolate Tree
flower
Jack-o-Lantern
snowman
Arco Iris
Roberto The Robot
Gassy the Gas Pump
Little Star
El Autobus who appears only in the episodes “The Missing Piece” and “La Maestra de Musica”.
10 Wheeler, a big truck that has 10 wheels.
Bulldozer
Giant Crane
Ice Cream Truck
Tow Truck
Ice Cream Cart
Newer episodes feature flying stars, which Dora and Boots catch and put into the star pocket on Backpack. The stars are always excited about going into the star pocket, which was shown in one episode to have much more space inside that one would think, similar to Backpack herself. Normally among these stars are one or more Explorer Stars, which have special powers that Dora uses to overcome obstacles.

Explorer Stars:

Baker Star — A job star that appears in “Job Day”.
Baseball Star — A job star that can turn into a baseball.
Cowgirl Star — A job star that appears in “Job Day”.
Disco Star — Seen only in “Super Star.” Apparently only has party capabilities.
Glowy — Illuminates dark places and can melt goo with her hot rays.
Hero Star — Has super strength.
Mega — When helped by Ultra and Supra, the stars have super strength.
Movie Star — A job star that appears in “Job Day”.
Navy Star — A job star that appears in “Job Day”.
Noisy Star — A loud star. Can wake most things up.
Pointer Star — In the game “Super Star.” Stops children from getting lost.
Police Star — Policia, a job star, that directs pedestrian traffic.
Saltador — A star that can carry an object and have it jump the same height.
Spy Star — Can video-record what someone is doing, and play it back on a small TV-like screen on its face. Wears a black hat and sunglasses.
Supra — When helped by Ultra and Mega, the stars have super strength.
Switchy — Can change shape (i.e., star, circle, square, etc.) Originally named, “Morph”.
Tool Star — A star equipped with many tools.
Ultra — When helped by Supra and Mega, the stars have super strength.
Woo-Hoo — A baby star with no apparent powers.

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