I am about to ruin Dora The Explorer for parents everywhere, forever. No, it's not the theme music that my kid's been humming since she was one and a half. It's not Map's inexplicable Borscht Belt twang. Or even the uncomfortable pause after Dora asks her question to the viewer and then waits, blinks, waits, and waits that extra beat- - just long enough to be borderline passive aggressive. No, it's something that a friend, Lisa Cohen, pointed out to me a few years back that has spoiled the whole Dora thing.
If you don't want to be grated every time you watch the show, I suggest you stop reading now.
Don't say you weren't warned...
Simply put, everything Dora says - she says with an exclamation point! Seems innocuous enough - right?!? Except when every single line ends that way - you start to realize that Dora is actually yelling! And to be exact she's yelling at you. Sure, it's exuberant and cheerful, and let's face it the Gooey Geyser episode totally rocked -- but still, who needs to be scolded by some pint-size kid that's not my own.
This may not seem like a big deal. Yeah, you may've even noticed it before... But you're done! Every word from Dora will now be nails on a chalk board - you'll never be able to turn the volume low enough to ever tolerate it again. The faintest strains of Doo-doo-doo-do-doDORA, Doo-do-doo-do-doDORA even from across the house will slowly shrivel your soul.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
yeah...i'm always amazed by the banality of kids' programming. Some of it is cute though. Recently (while babysitting) I saw some barnyard animals talking about using the Internet on Nickelodeon. My thought was "Seriously?! Even the COWS have the Internet now?!"...and why should kids think that's funny?
I love the gooey geyser episode! My kids haven't watched Dora regularly for awhile, but I always answer the question "Where are we going?" with the response "Gooey Geyser!" (And, yes, I say it with an exclamation point!)
Post a Comment