When Dora the Explorer was originally conceived she wasn’t even a “she”…the original lead was a male rabbit. Hard to imagine now that Dora is perhaps the best-known fictional Latina in the world.

The creators could never have guessed that Dora and the spin-off series Go Diego Go! and Dora and Friends would become global phenomena, but maybe the reason why is actually quite simple: “Dora doesn’t just talk to kids,” Valerie explains. “She engages them. She makes them part of her adventure. She’s their friend.”

Why create a new show for Dora? It’s time for a new adventure.