Nickelodeon's Top-Rated Preschool Phenomenon Dora the Explorer Launches New Season With Week of Premiere Episodes, Beginning Monday, Sept. 15, at 10:30AM (ET/PT)

Nickelodeon's Top-Rated Preschool Phenomenon Dora the Explorer Launches New Season With Week of Premiere Episodes, Beginning Monday, Sept. 15, at 10:30AM (ET/PT)

Season Five Introduces Brand-New Voiceover Cast, Featuring Caitlin Sanchez as Dora

New Dora the Explorer Party Favorites CD Hits Retail Tuesday, Sept. 9

NEW YORK, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's most beloved Latina heroine is back! Nick Jr. will premiere season five of Dora the Explorer with a special week-long celebration that begins with brand-new episodes from Monday, Sept. 15, through Thursday, Sept. 18, at 10:30 a.m. (ET/PT) and culminates in a five-hour marathon on Friday, Sept. 19 (9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET/PT), that will include all four new episodes in addition to various movies and specials from previous years. The new season features a brand-new voiceover cast and new play-along animated adventures. After eight years on the air, Nick Jr.'s Dora the Explorer continues to reign as the #1 rated preschool series on all of commercial television.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080820/NYW032 )

There's a lot of excitement in store this season as preschoolers learn and explore with Dora and her pals. In every new episode, Dora will meet a friend from a different cultural background (French, Mayan, Guatemalan, German, and more) who will teach her a special skill. In the new season, Dora will use more math to help solve problems and will also teach preschoolers multi-word phrases in Spanish.

For the first time since Dora the Explorer premiered in 2000, the internationally acclaimed series will debut a brand-new voiceover cast, with newcomer Caitlin Sanchez stepping into the coveted role of Dora. Born in New Jersey of Cuban-American parents, the acting bug bit early for the precocious and talented 12-year-old who has appeared in print and on local and national television. Rounding out the new cast is: Regan Mizrahi as Boots, Alexandria Suarez as Backpack, Jean Carlos Celi as Tico, Matthew Gumley as Benny and Lenique Vincent as Isa.

"Dora is an international icon and we are so excited to have fresh new talent to carry on her global legacy," said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "It's our pleasure to welcome Caitlin and the new cast into the Nickelodeon family and we're confident that preschoolers will continue to play, explore and learn with Dora and her friends for years to come."

Preschoolers can kick off the new season with the Dora the Explorer Party Favorites CD, set for release Sept. 9 from Nickelodeon/Sony BMG. On the CD, Dora takes children on a musical adventure while traveling to a fiesta. Dora the Explorer Party Favorites consists of 16 tracks, including a special party remix of "Dora The Explorer Theme" with "Travel Song," along with updated versions of classic kids' tunes like "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "London Bridge," all sung by Caitlin Sanchez as Dora. The CD also features a special guest appearance from Dora's cousin Diego and a bonus fold-out activity game, "Pin The Boots On Boots."

On the season five premiere episode titled "The Backpack Parade," Dora and her pals are traveling to a parade where everyone dresses up their backpacks in different costumes. Backpack is super excited because this year she gets to lead the parade with her signature song. Unfortunately, Backpack has a case of allergies and she can't stop sneezing. Every time she sneezes, stuff flies out of her and viewers have to make sure she doesn't lose anything along the way. Backpack and Dora are off on an adventure over the Hiccup Bridge and through the Snoring Forest where they meet their friend Luis from Peru who plays a song on his special flute. Eventually, they make their way to the parade and Backpack leads everyone as they march and sing Backpack's theme song together.

An international phenomenon, Dora the Explorer is broadcast all over the world, teaching the majority of her viewers English rather than Spanish. Syndicated to TV broadcasters in 125 markets and translated in 24 languages, Dora the Explorer is among one of the top rated preschool shows in nearly every major television market around the world across broadcast and cable.

Dora the Explorer is a play-along, animated adventure series starring Dora, a seven-year-old Latina heroine whose adventures take place in an imaginative, tropical world filled with jungles, beaches and rainforests. Dora explores her world just as preschoolers do everyday, and the show is designed to actively engage its audience in an interactive quest using a variety of learning techniques.

In every episode, Dora and Boots invite the audience to participate in an exciting adventure, where each step of their journey consists of a problem or puzzle that Dora and the audience must think their way through in order to solve the next problem. Dora is proudly bilingual and uses her knowledge of English and Spanish to communicate with her friends, overcome obstacles and reach her goals. In each episode, Dora teaches a Spanish word or phrase to the viewers and then asks them to use it to solve a problem and forge ahead. Ultimately, Dora and her best friend, Boots, triumph, and the story always ends with a "We Did It!" anthem.

Dora the Explorer was created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh and Eric Weiner. Gifford and Walsh serve as executive producers on the series.

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.'s Emmy, Peabody and Parents' Choice Award- winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE: VIA.B).

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080820/NYW032
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN3
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Maggie Wang, +1-212-846-6381, Maggie.wang@nick.com, or
Heather Brown, +1-212-846-6240, Heather.brown@nick.com, both of Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: *Art and screeners available upon request

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