Pint-size pioneer ‘Dora the Explorer’ celebrates her 25th
UC researcher cited in AP article on the reboot of Dora
As part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the children's program "Dora the Explorer," a new Dora movie is being released, sparking renewed public interest and media coverage.
Erynn Casanova, PhD, head of UC's Department of Sociology. Photo provided by Casanova.
Erynn Casanova, head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Cincinnati who conducted early research on Latino representation in children’s television, was cited in an Associated Press (AP) article on the role Dora played in popular culture.
“There were few programs at the time that featured Latina protagonists with Dora’s skin tone or features, so from that perspective, the representation is valuable,” Casanova says in the article.
Since the 2000 debut, Dora has become a symbol of cultural representation and empowerment, speaking both English and Spanish while inviting children to solve problems and engage in learning.
Casanova’s original research, done around 2005–2007, analyzed Dora and similar children's shows. Her findings noted that while "Dora the Explorer" was groundbreaking in presenting a Latina main character with darker skin tone and unique features — especially for its time — the show tended to use Spanish language in a mostly instrumental way (i.e., to accomplish tasks), rather than showcasing deeper aspects of Latino culture.
While Latin representation in media has improved, it remains disproportionately low. According to the AP, citing the Latino Donor Collaborative, Latino actors made up just 9.8% of lead roles in scripted television as of 2024, despite Latinos comprising nearly 20% of the U.S. population.
Featured image at top: Pablo Arellano Spatario/Nickelodeon/Paramount/AP.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Recent advances may speed time to endometriosis diagnosis
March 16, 2026
The average time to clinical diagnosis of endometriosis is nine years. Definitive diagnosis of the disease is difficult, and until recently, has relied on laparoscopic surgery. Now, as Medscape recently reported, novel clinical recommendations, advanced diagnostic tools and research into inflammation and immune responses, are bringing promise that women with endometriosis will find relief sooner and without surgery, according to experts, including Katie Burns, PhD, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine associate professor.
Position-specific helmets may not improve protection
March 16, 2026
Local 12 highlighted a new study by biomedical engineering researchers that looked at how well new football helmets protected players from impacts that can cause concussions.
UC biologist talks about 'pearmageddon'
March 16, 2026
WLWT talks to UC biologist and Department Head Theresa Culley about invasive, nonnative Callery pear trees that are spreading across Ohio forests after they were introduced by landscapers more than 50 years ago.