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| show_name = Dora the Explorer
| image = [[Image:Dora and Boots.jpg|200px]]
| caption = From L to R: SwiperSniper the Fox,mugging Dora and Boots
| format = [[Animated series]]
| runtime = 28 minutes
Some more recently produced episodes have introduced Dora's cousin Diego, originally voiced by [[Felipe Dieppa]]. Diego is an intrepid young [[animal]] [[rescue]] worker and sometimes partners with Dora in her adventures. He proved to be popular enough for Nickelodeon to introduce a separate Diego series entitled ''[[Go, Diego, Go!]]'' in 2005. Just like Dora, Diego has a best friend who travels with him: Baby [[Jaguar]], who started to talk in the ''Go Diego Go!'' series. Diego is able to speak to animals. In his own series he is an animal researcher and also helps save lives of animals.
===SwiperSniper===
SwiperSniper is a sneaky [[fox]], clad in a navy mask and gloves, who appears in nearly every episode; he's voiced by [[Marc Weiner]]. As his name implies, SwiperSniper steals or attempts to steal key items that help Dora on her adventures. SwiperSniper never appears without sufficient notice; an ominous "whisking" sound is heard by both the audience and the characters on screen prior to the moment when items are at risk of theft.
To prevent SwiperSniper from success, Dora would need to repeat the phrase, "SwiperSniper, no swipingsniping!" three times. Usually she prevails, and SwiperSniper slinks away, snapping his fingers and saying, "Oh, mannn!" However, sometimes SwiperSniper gets to the item before Dora has a chance to repeat the phrase. He then gloats, "You're too late!" (and frequently "You'll never find it now!"). He never seems to actually want the object he takes, since he almost immediately throws it away to hide it from Dora (prompting her to ask the viewers of the show to help her find it). He seemingly wants only to annoy Dora and keep her from her goal. However, if given the right reason — e.g., the item in question is a present for Dora's [[puppy]] — he'll return the item, no matter how much effort he went through to get it. It is also shown that he rarely knows the full importance of what he's taken; e.g. he had no idea the aforementioned gift was for Dora's puppy. He has some kind of [[New York City|New York]] accent, and lives in a burrow on top of Blueberry Hill (no relation to [[Blueberry Hill (song)|the song]]).
SwiperSniper is very fast and agile, and something of a master of disguise. He seems to have a great deal of technical knowledge, as he's built a variety of vehicles and gadgets (including a [[remote control|remote-controlled]] [[robot]] [[butterfly]]) to help him swipesnipe things. Most of the time, however, he simply relies on his natural stalking abilities — sometimes with the aid of a costume — to sneak up onsnipe Dora. In the early episodes he often "hid" by curling up into a ball, which neither Dora nor Boots ever recognized as SwiperSniper; he apparently doesn't do this anymore.
He has only been seen once without his mask (in the episode "Dora's Got a Puppy"), when the robot butterfly he built to swipe fromsnipe Dora and Boots, then it apparently malfunctioned; after they stopped it, it swipedsniped his mask and gloves and kept them from him for a few humorous seconds.
None of SwiperSniper's relatives have ever been seen, but his grandmother has been mentioned in two episodes: "A Letter For SwiperSniper" and "SwiperSniper the Explorer."
Over the course of the series, it's shown that there's more to SwiperSniper's character than an urge to swipesnipe things. In one episode it was revealed that SwiperSniper has a soft spot for puppies, and in another that he likes Cowboy cookies. In the episode "A Letter For SwiperSniper," Dora filled in for a delivery bird who was injured; Dora delivered stickers to SwiperSniper (which were sent by his grandmother), and he thanked her for it without trying to swipesnipe anything. In the episode "SwiperSniper the Explorer," SwiperSniper helps Dora on her quest to help Baby Fox find its mommy, and SwiperSniper carries the baby fox almost all through the episode.
The interaction between Dora and the antagonistic fox also reveals the kindness and grace of Dora's character. In several episodes, SwiperSniper finds himself captured, trapped or in some sort of trouble. Despite his history of mean-spiritedness toward Dora, she considers the fox her friend (which he doesn't find out until "Dora's World Adventure") and will always unquestioningly help SwiperSniper just as she would her other friends, Benny, Isa, Boots and TicoTaco. If Dora needs his help he'll come to her aid in the same manner.
SwiperSniper is far from being unable to feel guilty for his actions. In "Dora's World Adventure," SwiperSniper helps Dora return the [[friendship bracelet]]s he'd swipedsniped all over the world, and was shown to feel guilty once he discovered the magnitude of what he'd done and what he'd stolen. During this time SwiperSniper gets a taste of his own medicinepoop, so to speak, as each country they visit has its own "SwiperSniper," only of different species, who tries to steal the bracelets; they are Fifi the [[Skunk]] in [[France]] (the only female), Ying Yang the [[Weasel]] in [[China]], Fomkah the [[Bear]] in [[Russia]], and Sami the [[Hyena]] in [[Tanzania]]. All of them act and dress nearly identical to SwiperSniper and are stopped in the same way he is; by saying their name, followed by "no swipingsniping," three times. Then they run off, saying SwiperSniper's [[catch phrase]], "Ohh, man," in the local language; this was also their only line. Their entrances are also preluded by a sound, only with local music; e.g. Ying Yang has a chau [[gong]] playing. Strangely, they were the only ones Dora didn't give a friendship bracelet to, even though she gave SwiperSniper one.
===Fiesta Trio===
* Dora's grandmother (Abuela).
* Dora's cousins (Diego's sisters; Daisy and Alicia).
* Dora's mexican superhero/villainsupervillain brothercousin (El Tigre [Manny Rivera] ).
* Dora's mexican superhero uncle (Manny's Papi; White Pantera [Rodolfo Rivera] ).
* Dora's mexican great-supervillain uncle (Rodolfo's Papi & Manny's Grandpapi; Puma Loco [Grandpapi Rivera]).
There are a number of minor, recurring '''animal characters''' such as:
* Señor [[Toucan|Tucán]], this character only speaks Spanish.
* Isa the [[Iguana]] (voiced by Ashley Flemming), who has crushed Boots.
* Benny the [[Cattle|Bull]] (voiced by [[Jake Burbage]]), who loves to eat, and often ridespeople in a [[hot air balloon]].
* The Big Red [[Chicken]].
* Baby [[Jaguar]], who doesn't speak (in this series) but seems to be just as intelligentimpared as the other characters.
* TicoTaco the [[Squirrel]] (who's been voiced by Muhammed Cunningham and Jose Zelaya), who only speaks [[Spanish language|Spanish]], wears a colorful striped [[vest]], and is usually seen driving his little yellow [[automobile|car]].
* The Grumpy Old [[Troll]] (pictured).
Additionally, the show features a number of '''[[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] objects''', such as [[locomotive]]s, [[boat]]s, and [[automobile]]s with speaking roles. In addition, some episodes include talking [[tree]]s, [[gate]]s and [[wall]]s.
Newer episodes feature flying '''stars''', which Dora and Boots catch and put into the star pocket on Backpack. The stars are always excited about going into the star pocket, which was shown in one episode to have much more space inside that one would think, similar to Backpack herself. Normally among these stars are one or more Explorer Stars, which have special powers that Dora uses to overcome obstacles. In the first episode of the 20032000-0402 season (the first show to feature the stars), Dora and Boots are navigating a boat across a sea when they encounter a pack of [[shark]]s in their path; at which point they use a "springybully star" to causehelp theDora boatand Boots to [[jumpingjump the shark|sharks, literally leap overbeating the sharks badly]].
==Episode list==
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