Shakira, Salma & More Join 'Dora The Explorer' 10th Anniversary Special

By Michael Lopez

It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since we first met Dora, Boots, Swiper, and the Backpack. In the past decade, our little “Explorer” has made one heck of an impact. Since her series debut in 2000, the Dora franchise has taken in hundreds of millions of dollars, churned out tons of merchandise, and influenced a generation of young Latinos.

Now that she’s turning 10, Nickelodeon thought it would be a good idea to air a star-studded special highlighting the impact this little cartoon has had on the world. Believe it or not, her show airs in over 100 different countries and is translated into 30 languages!

There’s been live Dora stage shows, video games on virtually every system, educational books, plush dolls, handbags, DVDs, cosmetics, t-shirts…you catch our drift. And who can forget about “Go Diego Go!”? Yup, it’s all part of the Dora empire.

Interestingly enough, Dora was not created by Latinos, but rather three anglo TV writers. Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh, and Eric Weiner definitely had the right intentions when came up with the concept.

“One of the things I love most about the show…is that viewers are asked to be active participants”, said Valerie. “Parents tell us they know when Dora is on because they’ll see and hear their kids playing along the show: counting, speaking Spanish, jumping, rowing, clapping.”

We definitely think the bilingual element was groundbreaking and truly a key to the show’s long lasting success. And it’s obvious a lot of famous Latinos feel the same way. Listen to who they’ve assembled to appear in the 10th anniversary special.

First there will be an hour-long TV movie based on “The Wizard of Oz” featuring Rosie Perez as the wicked witch, John Leguizamo as the flying monkeys, and Hector Elizando as the Wishing Wizzle. Then viewers will be treated to a mini-documentary featuring interviews with Shakira, Salma Hayek Pinault, and more!

Que bueno Dora! We are super proud of this milestone. Not even Swiper the Fox could spoil this celebration!

“Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure,” along with the special tribute, premieres Sunday, August 15th, at 8:00 pm ET/PT on Nickelodeon.

Source: [All Headline News]

Are you a fan of “Dora The Explorer”? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags anniversary, Dora the Explorer, John Leguizamo, Nickelodeon, Salma Hayek, Salma Hayek Pinault