SING ALONG WITH 'DORA' LIVE 'EXPLORER' AT KODAK THEATRE GETS CHILDREN INTO ACT OF LEARNING.

Byline: Vicki Smith Paluch Correspondent

`Dora the Explorer,'' Nickelodeon's animated television series about a 7-year-old bilingual Latina heroine who leads her audience of preschoolers through daily adventures, has not only become the hottest thing on commercial and cable television but is also a top-selling merchandising phenomena. And she has just conquered live theater.

Each month, 20.6 million viewers watch Dora on television. And you can't go anywhere without seeing her. Dora the Explorer merchandise is everywhere. Dora dolls, backpacks, shirts, raincoats, umbrellas, lunch boxes, coloring books, computer games, including ``Search for the City of Lost Toys'' and more.

``Children ... are rushing to buy these brown little dolls. Dora has done what no Barbie has done,'' said Aurora Flores, the Spanish culture consultant for the television show.

In her first national tour, ``Dora the Explorer Live - Search for the City of Lost Toys,'' our little moppet sold out Radio City Music Hall, playing to more than 100,000 children and adults last April. From that stunning start, ``Dora'' has been crisscrossing the nation on a 32-city tour, which takes her to the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood tonight through Sunday, and the Long Beach Terrace Theatre on Sept. 9 and 10 before the show and its cast take a well-earned hiatus.

The live stage production features actress Christina Bianco as Dora, who leads a cast of costumed characters, puppets and marionettes that portray her nemesis, Swiper the Fox, and her trusted friends Boots, Map, Backpack, Benny and Tico.

Based upon a television episode in which Dora's teddy bear is stolen by Swiper the Fox, it is up to Dora to find her toy. Her adventure takes her to the ``City of Lost Toys,'' teaching youngsters how to forge ahead, being proud of their bilingual heritage and sharing a few Spanish words and phrases in the process.

Along the way, the well-known songs from the television show are performed, along with new ones. The finale is ``Get on Your Feet!'' by Gloria Estefan, which adds energy and cross-generational familiarity to the show.

``Music should always be a means of bridging gaps and uniting people,'' Estefan said. ``I'm so thrilled to have one of my songs featured in something my kids care so much about.''

Nickelodeon's Brown Johnson, who lobbied for the creation of a female bilingual children's character, has called Dora ``a pint-size Indiana Jones.''

``She is fearless. She is smart. She's also ready to offer solutions to problems in math, geography or any other subject in both English and Spanish, and sometimes a combination of the two,'' Flores said. ``She is proud of her Latino heritage and culture.''

Chris Gifford, the co-creator and executive producer of the series, initially did not conceive of Dora as a Latina.

``That came far into the development of the show,'' Gifford said. ``None of the creators of the show are Latinos, so we had to learn about the culture.''

The creators - Gifford, Valerie Walsh and Eric Weiner - also have a staff of cultural advisers to make certain no negative stereotypes are conveyed and that no single Latin culture is portrayed.

``Dora - just as Dorothy in ``The Wizard of Oz'' - is an action-adventure heroine to help kids face the problems they confront every day. We have the kids play along with Dora - a smart, confident adventurer- explorer. As a Latina, she has made the show more unique and gives it a greater impact,'' he said.

Gifford also believes that the fact Dora is bilingual helps other bilingual children regardless of their cultural background.

``Dora has broken down the barriers about people who speak two languages. Children can be more proud of that because it's a weapon in their arsenal for problem solving,'' Gifford said.

He recalled that at Radio City Music Hall, he overheard a Chinese-American girl say, ``Dora is just like me, she speaks another language.''

Bianco, a 21-year-old from Suffern, N.Y., portrays Dora on stage, leading the audience on its 80-minute adventure. Bianco has performed in more than 40 other productions, but ``Dora the Explorer'' is her first national tour. She landed the role just a few weeks after graduating from New York University.

She is up to the challenge, according to director Gip Hoppe, who directed ``Blue's Clues Live'' and who wrote the play ``Jackie: An American Life,'' which is still playing on Broadway.

``Christina is a real creature of the footlights,'' said Hoppe, who has served as director at La Mirada Playhouse.

Bianco said she was well-prepared to play Dora. ``I used to baby-sit a 4-year-old girl, Lily, and her younger brother, Chester, in New York City. We all watched the television show, and they would play 'Dora the Explorer.' Lily would then go through the show, playing Dora ... her brother would be Boots,'' said Bianco. ``I could see why the children love Dora. They love to respond and answer.''

In the stage show, there is an even greater sense of the children helping Dora solve the problem of finding her teddy bear.

``The show is much more interactive (on stage). I can really look at a child in the front row and answer her or him directly,'' Bianco said. ``The audience is up on their feet asking if they can help, singing along and dancing. It gets very, very noisy. There is this constant buzz of the audience.''

In the show, Dora's adventures take place in an imaginative, tropical world filled with jungles, beaches and rain forests. She and her best friend Boots confront problems and puzzles that they must solve to find her teddy bear. Hoppe noted that there is very little difference between directing a show for children's theater and ``adult'' theater.

``Children are open and willing to go on this journey with you,'' Hoppe said. ``As director, I have to make sure it is visually stimulating and that the pace is right. The kids do the rest.''

DORA THE EXPLORER LIVE - SEARCH FOR THE CITY OF LOST TOYS

Where: Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.

When: Opens 7 tonight. Continues 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets: $12 to $40. Call [phone].

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Every kid's favorite 7-year-old adventurer looks for her missing teddy bear with her friends in ``Dora the Explorer Live - Search for the City of Lost Toys.''