Um, Dora the Explorer Was Almost a Cat?!

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Can you say…el gato? 

In preparation for the 25th anniversary of the popular series “Dora the Explorer“, its creators Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes disclosed that the beloved character initially had a completely different idea behind her creation, such as transforming Dora into a talking cat.

Before becoming Dora, she went through several changes as Valdes explained in an interview published on August 13. Originally, she was called Tess and had characteristics similar to motion capture, even having a pocket mouse named Boots. However, there were certain aspects of her character that remained consistent throughout the development process, which they made a point to preserve.

In a casual and clear rephrasing, here’s how you could present that information:

A 59-year-old individual mentioned that the Nickelodeon icon was initially depicted in three ways – as a bunny, a small red-haired girl, and a cat.

Furthermore, not only did the character undergo a significant transformation, but so did her ethnicity. Interestingly, Gifford, who is 66 years old, revealed that initially, Dora wasn’t intended to be of Latin origin. However, the network suggested they reconsider and eventually changed her identity.

When Nickelodeon proposed the concept, “Is it possible to make (the character) Latina?” we were thrilled, exclaiming, “What an excellent suggestion!” Looking back, I realized that there was a lack of representation for this demographic on television.

In this fresh approach, Valdes and Gifford – the masterminds behind the hit kids’ show launched in ’98 – brought aboard Latino writers, consulted with cultural advisors, and visited Latin America to deepen their understanding of the diaspora. Prior to its Nickelodeon premiere in 2000, they also collaborated with writer Eric Weiner to polish the show’s script.

In my fervor for this captivating character, I’d say it was then, when the magic happened – the moment that truly shaped her into who she became. You see, it was all about leveraging a new tongue, a secret weapon if you will, to forge friendships, conquer challenges, and construct bonds beyond boundaries. That, my fellow enthusiasts, is what Gifford was trying to convey.

Without a doubt, the influence of the “Dora the Explorer” media empire has been enduring within popular culture. For one, it ran for eight seasons on Nickelodeon, led to the creation of “Go, Diego, Go!”, and generated two live-action films – the first being “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” in 2019, with another planned for release in 2025 called “Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado”.

Prior to Dora becoming a famous animated character, Valdes and Gifford showed the initial episode of the show to a bunch of kids to gather their feedback.

According to Valdes, they were utterly surprised and excited. When the executives witnessed children laughing, running around, and playing with their backpacks, all opposition vanished immediately.

Keep reading to see more surprising facts about animated characters…

Many fans were left purrrrrfectly confused after this revelation.

Contrary to popular belief, Hello Kitty isn’t a feline. As Jill Cook, an executive at Sanrio, clarified in 2024 to Today, she is in fact a young girl residing in the London suburbs. She leads a family life with her mother, father, and twin sister Mimmy, who is also her closest companion. Hello Kitty enjoys baking cookies and making new friends.

From my passionate perspective as a devoted fan, it’s important to clarify that while Cook’s revelation might have taken others by surprise, the truth about Hello Kitty’s identity has been unveiled before. After all, the learned Christine R. Yano-an esteemed anthropology professor and author of the illuminating book “Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific“-had already established that our beloved character isn’t, in fact, a cat.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2014, it was clarified that Hello Kitty is not a real cat. Instead, she’s a fictional character portrayed as a little girl, a friend, but not a feline. Unlike traditional cats, she is often depicted standing or sitting on two legs, and she even owns a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty.

As a devoted fan, here’s a fun tidbit I discovered: According to Sanrio, the adorable Hello Kitty stands at a height equivalent to five apples and tips the scales at three apples. Surprisingly, her birthday is on November 1st, which makes her a Scorpio. When dreaming of her future, she aspires to become either a pianist or a poet!

Gawrsh! Did you know this fact?

Bill Farmer, renowned for voicing Goofy over many years, shared insights on why this Disney character can speak whereas Mickey Mouse’s companion Pluto remains silent.

In the August 2024 episode of the Popcorn Podcast, hosted by Leigh Livingstone and Tim Iffland, it was mentioned that Goofy is more than just a dog, but still falls under the canine family. So, in essence, he’s like a wolf, not a dog, yet they both share the “canis” species. Alternatively, they referred to him as a MOG – man-dog.

However, Pluto, he added, is a “regular dog”—a blood hound as it turns out.

You’ll want to get to the (bikini) bottom of this discovery.

Stephen Hillenburg, the mind behind SpongeBob SquarePants, shared in the past that Squidward Tentacles isn’t really a squid as one might assume, but rather an octopus instead.

In a video from 2005 that was recently rediscovered by BuzzFeed, it was revealed that Squidward the Octopus is SpongeBob’s grumpy neighbor who lives next door. The creator of the show chose an octopus for this character because they have a big, round head, which aligns with the idea that Squidward considers himself an intellectual and therefore portrays him as having a large, prominent head.

If you’ve ever pondered why Squidward is depicted as an octopus with only six limbs rather than the usual eight, Fred Hillenburg addressed this question as well. He explained that from an animator’s perspective, it was simpler to draw Squidward with fewer tentacles.

Break out your handy dandy notebook and jot this one down.

One fascinating fact that not many people realize is that the character named Blue, from the show, was originally intended to be a cat. This revelation was made by co-creator Angela Santomero in the 2006 special “Behind the Clues: 10 Years With Blue,” recently brought to light again by Mental Floss. Initially, his name was Mr. Orange, but they later decided that Mr. Blue might be a better fit.

However, it’s worth noting that prior to this, Nickelodeon had been developing a series centered around a cat. As a result, the initial concept for Blue was discarded, and the team decided to transform Blue from a cat into a dog instead.

Now this really isn’t funnie, er, funny.

Interestingly enough, the character Doug Funnie from the animated show “Doug” almost had a different name – Brian. The reason behind this switch remains unclear.

Jim Jinkins, the creator of Doug, explained in 2014 to HuffPost TV that he initially felt Brian was too extravagant a name. So, he simplified it and began referring to him as Doug instead. The name Doug, when you hear it, sounds quite ordinary, which was exactly what Jinkins aimed for – to express the character’s perspective from an average viewpoint.

This fact is so good it’s scary.

In the interactive book “Monsters, Inc.: An Augmented Reality Book,” we discover that the character Boo, the young girl who becomes friends with Mike and Sulley in Monstropolis after accidentally entering their world, is actually named Mary Gibbs as unveiled by BuzzFeed. Interestingly enough, this name rings a bell because it’s the actual name of the voice actress behind the character of Boo.

To further solidify this, in the film, you’ll find a scene where Boo is organizing her sketches. Eagle-eyed viewers might catch the word “Mary” scrawled on top of one of these drawings.

When we talk about characters’ names, you may know Mickey Mouse’s girlfriend as Minnie Mouse. However, an interesting fact unveiled by the BBC in 1942 is that her real full name is Minerva.

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2025-08-13 20:47