Media Analysis: Dora The Explorer

Dora the Explorer is a top-rated animated television series created in America. The target market is preschoolers. First aired in 1999, Dora the Explorer became a regular program in August 2000 on Nick Jr., and aired in 22 Latin American countries. The target age group is preschool children approximately aged 2.5-5 in the Unites States. The 30 minute show follows 7 year old Latina Dora Marquez and her sidekick, Boots the Monkey. Dora goes on various adventures across borders in a fantasy world of jungles, rainforests, and beaches and solves problems and puzzles with the help of Map and Backpack. During their adventures, Dora and Boots come across other animal characters such as Swiper the Fox. The setting of the show has a vague Latin American …show more content…
That target age group has economic value and is easily socio-politically empowered (Ryan, 2010). Earlier television viewed children as naïve and passive. Nickelodeon recognizes that children are empowered beings. Cris Gifford, the co-creator of Dora, explained, “Pre-schoolers are our least powerful citizens. They can’t reach the light switch; they have trouble pouring the milk on their cereal’ (“Meet Dora’s creators,” 2008). Dora is different from other television shows that target preschoolers because Dora allows children to help her throughout her journey. This allows children to feel experience action and power (Ryan, …show more content…
Since the late 1980’s toy companies have been renewing the new image of many toys in order to support the changing view of the female image. Female struggle daily with many expectations that society has set out for them. A thin body image and a super-feminized look is the new ideal.
These can be classified as an example of mass culture because all these viewers perspective on the ideal image of a child has instantly changed with the release of a new Dora. When as an artifact has such a large population of viewers or users, it is always crucial to be extra careful when releasing new information or changing the image.
In conclusion, narratives play a large role in our day to day lives. They can be seen everywhere we look. Every artifact has hidden meaning and stories to be discovered. Dora the Explorer is a show that exhibits a large variety of narratives that play a great role on the ever-changing society. Narratives such as hegemony, hybridity, and mass culture are all present within this television show. These narratives are both a positive and negative to the viewers of the show in the ways mentioned

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