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Dora Saves the Mermaids

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Dora Saves the Mermaids (or simply known as "Dora V: Save the Mermaids!") is a 5th double-length episode Dora the Explorer TV special. It is also the 18th episode of Season 4. In production order, it is the 24th episode of Season 4, as well as the Season 4/Classic Era finale.

Characters[]

Summary[]

In this adventurous episode, Dora and Boots visit a beach on "Clean Up the Beach Day" and discover a talking clam shell. The clam informs them about the Mermaid Kingdom, which is in peril because a mean octopus has covered it in garbage. The duo sets out to help, guided by a magic crown that can cleanse the kingdom. Along the way, they solve challenges like navigating a numbered Seashell Bridge and enlisting the help of various friends, including Swiper the Fox. Upon reaching the kingdom, a climactic confrontation ensues with the octopus. Dora transforms into a mermaid using the magic crown and, with the help of her friends and sea creatures, mostly cleans up the kingdom. The octopus reforms, pledging to dispose of garbage properly. The episode concludes with Dora receiving a special necklace from Mariana, ensuring their enduring friendship.

Plot[]

The final classic episode starts with Dora and Boots at the beach. They were cleaning up the beach because it is Clean Up the Beach Day, where they have make sure the beach is clean by picking up any trash found on the ground. They were looking for garbage on the sand and took a juice box off a crab's head. After looking for more garbage, a very special talking clam shell told Dora and Boots about Mermaid Kingdom. He told them a story about a young mermaid named Mariana, but she and her friends were in trouble because a mean octopus dumped garbage all over the Mermaid Kingdom and there is a chance it will disappear. The clam suggests Dora and Boots to help them. But first, they must hear the whole story so they can fully understand what is going on. He told them that Mariana discovered a magic crown put it on, made a wish and all the garbage disappeared and the kingdom sparkled. But, one day a giant wave swept the crown away and Mariana needed Dora and Boots' help because the octopus was back and the garbage was making the mermaids and mermen sad and sick. Mariana tells Dora and Boots that their Mermaid Kingdom is disappearing under all the dirty garbage and she needs their help.

Dora and Boots found the magic crown on the sand and Dora picked it up. Now they have to find the way to the Mermaid Kingdom. They check Map for help. He says that they had to go over Sea Shell Bridge, across Pirate Island, and past the Silly Sea to get there. Once they arrived at the Sea Shell Bridge, they saw that the sea shells had numbers on them Boots stepped on a sea shell with the number 5 on it and moved away from it before it fell into the water. The Sea Shell Bridge said they had to follow the shells from 1 to 6 but then the mean octopus arrived and saw that Dora and Boots had found the magic crown but he made sure those two would never get to the mermaid kingdom so he dumps dirt on the bridge so they can't see the numbers. Luckily, Dora had a vacuum in Backpack which she uses to vacuum up all the garbage. Along with Boots, they manage to find the numbers 1 to 6 and successfully cross the bridge.

En route to Pirate Island, Dora and Boots are suspicious when a rock follows after them, which turns out to be Swiper in disguise, who swipes the crown, but is forced to hand it back to them when they reveal how important it is to Mariana. Swiper is upset, because he likes swiping (This was the first time where he admitted it), but is glad they're helping the mermaids, because he really really likes them. Now Swiper returns the crown to Dora in order to save the Mermaid Kingdom and Dora said thank you to him. Suddenly, a whale appears, charging right for them, who cannot see because the octopus put garbage on the whale and covering her eyes. After Dora, Boots, and Swiper stop the whale just in time, they get an idea and ask Swiper to swipe the garbage from the whale, which has never happened before. After saving the whale, Dora and Boots continue on to Pirate Island, but are blocked by the coconut trees. Pirate Pig and the Pirate Piggies appear and tell them the only way to get the coconut trees to move is by doing the Coconut Conga: by wiggling their bodies to the beat and shouting "Conga!" which, in turn, makes them move.

They reach the end of the island, where Dora and Boots witness the octopus passing the Silly Sea, but the Pirate Piggies unfortunately cannot sail them there, because when they look all around the ship, they find out the sail is missing. Pirate Pig remembers an alternate solution that the dolphins of the sea can guide them there if they can find them. Dora calls her cousin Diego, who calls the dolphins to them with a dolphin noise, and they happily agree to give Dora and Boots a ride across the ocean. Dora and Boots hop aboard the dolphins and head to the Silly Sea, where they encounter the various silly sea creatures, with Mermaid Kingdom just up ahead. They eventually encounter the octopus dumping garbage in the water, thus making big waves, which proves danger for Benny and Tico who are water-skiing. Dora and Boots manage to tell them both to stop, and continue on to find Mariana.

Finally reaching the Mermaid Kingdom, Dora and Boots find Mariana sitting on a rock and present her the crown. But before Mariana could put it on and wish the garbage away, she is caught in a net by the octopus, who tries to take the crown from her. She tosses it to Dora and Boots, who safely catch it, before telling Dora she has to put the crown on herself, as it's the mermaid's only hope. Dora puts on the crown and it turns her into a mermaid, while simultaneously granting her one wish. Dora uses the wish to clean up the kingdom, and she manages to make most of the garbage in the kingdom disappear, but the magic was not enough to get rid of it all. So she calls all the friends in the ocean she made to help clean up -- the dolphins, the silly sea creatures, and the whale, and the Mermaid Kingdom is cleaned up in no time. She leads the merfolk back up to the surface where they manage to free Mariana from the net, while simultaneously trapping the octopus in it, who smells his own garbage for the first time, and it was awful. The octopus then promises to put all garbage in the garbage dump from then on instead of the Mermaid Kingdom, and joins in cleaning up with them.

After all has been taken care of, Mariana asks Dora if she'd like to stay and be a mermaid forever. Dora loves being a mermaid, but she turns down the favor as she must go home and give the crown back to Mariana for her to protect her kingdom, turning Dora back into a human upon removal. Mariana praises Dora and Boots for saving the Mermaid Kingdom and gives her a special mermaid necklace which she can use to visit them anytime. Dora knows she and Mariana will be friends forever, and everyone with Swiper celebrates Dora and Boots saving the kingdom.

Places in this episode[]

  1. The Sea Shell Bridge
  2. Pirate Island
  3. The Silly Sea
  4. The Mermaid Kingdom

Sub-places[]

  • The Beach
  • The Bridge to Pirate Island
  • Pirate Island’s shore
  • The Rocks above Mermaid Kingdom
  • The Garbage Dump (mentioned)

Items in Backpack (clockwise starting from the top right)[]

  • An Umbrella (third wrong item)
  • Dora's pink bathing suit
  • A Vacuum cleaner (correct item)
  • Sunglasses (second wrong item)
  • A Hat
  • A Crayon box (first wrong item)

Songs[]

Releases[]

This episode can be found on the DVD with the same name.

Trivia[]

  • The scene where Dora and Boots jump on seashell bridge counting the numbers was used in the Noggin/Nick Jr. It's Like Preschool on TV Promo from 2008-2012.
    • The Noggin version can be viewed here.
    • And the Nick Jr. Version can be viewed here.
  • This is the last episode to find Map, which means he is the last character to get Character Find (in production order).
  • This is the first double-length episode that was never seen on videocassette at all, due to the fact that major movie studios stop releasing VHS tapes in 2007, so it is only available on DVD.
  • This is the first double-length episode where Dora sings We Did It! and talks about favorite parts in her casual outfit.
  • The Season 7 episode "Dora's Rescue in Mermaid Kingdom" serves as the sequel of this episode.
  • This is the third episode to feature Map's standard season 3 onwards song with him singing "I'm the Map" four times followed by the Fiesta Trio singing "He's the Map" four times, following Louder! and Dora's Pirate Adventure.
  • Map's dancing is recycled from Dora's World Adventure!. It will be used for most of Season 5 until the Season 6 episode Baby Winky Comes Home.
  • This is both the first double-length episode (as well as the first episode in general) where the picture pop-up sequence permanently reverts back to how it was from the first 3 seasons of the show.
    • However, unlike how the picture pop-up sequence was used in the prior seasons, checkmarks are now placed on each square each time Dora tells the viewer what places have been passed (like the bonus Map segments throughout the season), and this was put to permanent use for the rest of the series.
  • This is the last episode in production order to feature the original cast: Kathleen Herles (as Dora), Harrison Chad (as Boots), Sasha Toro (as Backpack), Jake Burbage (as Benny), and Jose Zelaya (as Tico), before their departure due to puberty.
  • Swiper is technically on his good side in this episode when he gives Mariana's crown back.
  • While Diego is in his new outfit in this episode from his own show, he's wearing an actual lifejacket rather than his vest becoming one, like in both the episode Diego Saves Baby Humpback Whale and on the cover for the "Save the Day!" VHS and DVD.
  • This is the first episode where flashbacks are shown during "We Did It!".
  • Dora turns into a mermaid just as she puts on the mermaid crown, and when she takes it off, she turns back into her normal self.
  • This is the last episode in production order where the blue cursor clicks on Dora at the end of the episode. Beginning with Season 5, a fade-out effect will take its place for the rest of the series.
    • However, in airing order, the last episode where the blue cursor clicks on Dora at the end would be Swiper the Explorer.
  • This is the last episode for the Character Find during the end credits in production order.
  • This is the last episode of Season 4 in production order.
  • The 2005-2009 Nick Jr. Productions Puddle logo used the 1999-2005 Nick Jr. Productions audio, which was a mismatch. Just like in "Dora's World Adventure!".
  • Just like in "Dora's Dance to the Rescue" and "Dora's World Adventure!", the production and the premiere of this episode are the same, which, in this episode, is 2007, even though this is a double-length episode. This will happen again in Dora Saves the Snow Princess.
  • This is the final time the show uses the 2005-2009 Nick Jr. Productions Puddle logo while other shows like "Go, Diego, Go!" and "The Wonder Pets!" still use this logo.
  • Split screen airings of this episode use the 1999-2005 Nick Jr. Productions Logo at the end instead. 
  • This is the 5th double-length episode of the series.
  • This is the 95th episode of the show.
  • In this episode, there are four squares in the picture pop-up sequence instead of three.
  • The episode with the same name was released as a video game for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2. A Wii version was also planned to be released, but due to transfer issues with the system, it was cancelled.
  • Mariana the Mermaid later appeared in the Go, Diego, Go! episode Manatee's Mermaid Rescue! and the Dora and Friends episode Magical Mermaid Adventure.
  • The matured voices Dora and Boots had in Linda the Llama Saves Carnival, Dora's Dance to the Rescue, and Dora's World Adventure was also heard in this episode.
  • Dora, Backpack, and Map's season 5 designs appear in this episode.
  • The episode premiered exactly 5 years after Click! premiered on Nickelodeon and 2 years after Boots to the Rescue premiered in the UK.
  • This is the fourth episode to use the extended version of We Did It. The other three are Dora's Pirate Adventure, Dora's Dance to the Rescue, and Dora's World Adventure.
  • This is the final double-length episode to use the standard intro. Starting with Dora Saves the Snow Princess, each double-length episode now has its own custom opening, up until Dora Saves Fairytale Land.
  • During the Travel Song:
    • The line that goes "Come on, say it with us!" to begin the song is not included.
    • Dora and Boots list four places instead of three.
    • Due to Dora holding the crown, Boots is the only one who strikes various arm poses depending on which location was mentioned and claps three times after asking "Where are we going?".
    • The fourth "Where are we going?" is asked in Spanish.
  • When Dora and Boots are riding the dolphins, they do not wear any life jackets.
  • This is the last episode featuring a Character Find during the end credits in production order.
  • Isa, Alicia, Rescue Rope, Click, Rescue Pack, Baby Jaguar and Pirate Parrot don't appear in this episode.
  • This is the only episode in the series in which Dora and Boots explicitly asked Swiper to swipe as a great cheer. It was even mentioned in the "We Did It" song when Boots said it never happened before.
  • This marks the last episode to feature Explorer Stars in the intro and for the Explorer Stars in general. They are fully retired and will no longer appear in any episode from the next season on, not even at Dora's birthday party in Dora's Big Birthday Adventure.
  • This is the third and final (pre-Season 5) episode to use the Season 5/Go, Diego, Go! art style, first two being Dora's Dance to the Rescue and Dora's World Adventure!.
  • This is the final episode where Dora says "Thanks for helping!" during the Favorite Parts segment; starting with the next season, Boots (or another character) says it instead.
  • Swiper didn't say "You'll never find it now!" after saying "You're too late!" because Dora and Boots told him to wait and said that the crown belongs to Mariana. Additionally, he didn't snap his fingers in this episode either.
  • During the Coconut Conga song, Dora is the only dancer who does not move her arms back and forth due to holding the crown.
  • In this episode, Dora and Boots shout "Map!" (with the viewer after they say "Louder!") before Map's segment begins. This would be put to consistent use starting in Season 5 and to the 3rd season of Go, Diego, Go!.
    • Speaking of Diego's show, this is similar to how Diego says, "¡Activaté!" with the viewer to summon Rescue Pack after he says "Louder!".
    • Also, this was produced after the Season 2 finale of Diego's show, Diego's Safari Rescue.
  • Dora's top and tail in her mermaid form is the same as Mariana's top and tail with the exception her top and tail belt are colored differently.
  • Backpack's dancing animation is recycled from Dora's Dance to the Rescue.
  • This is the first episode to be uploaded to YouTube in 2024 before the official premiere of Dora '24. The YouTube version retains the 1999-2005 Nick Jr. Productions audio playing over the 2005-2009 logo, but due to the fast credits, the blue cursor and Map’s sound effects are off.

Goofs/Errors[]

  • When Dora and Boots finished helping Swiper clean off the whale, they go the opposite direction to get to Pirate Island.
  • During the Busquen la Corona song, the octopus' boat is underwater. In real life, a boat like his can't be underwater. However, only submarines can go underwater.
  • Tico's eyes are more oval-shaped in this episode, rather than being round.
  • During the We Did It song, when Boots is recounting the Coconut Conga, the charm on Dora's mermaid necklace is missing.
  • When Dora transforms as a mermaid, Mariana's crown has a face on top of it for that scene, but when everybody clean the ocean during the clean up song, the crown has no face like eyes and mouth for the rest of the episode.

Character Find[]

Map

Dora the Explorer Season 4
Star Catcher | Dora's Fairytale Adventure | Daisy, La Quinceañera | Big Sister Dora | Super Babies | Catch the Babies | Dora's Got a Puppy | Dora and Diego to the Rescue! | A Crown for King Juan el Bobo | The Mixed-Up Seasons | Dora's Dance to the Rescue | Dora's First Trip | Baby Jaguar's Roar | Boots to the Rescue | Dora's World Adventure! | Star Mountain | Baby Crab | La Maestra de Música | Dora Saves the Mermaids | The Shy Rainbow| Super Spies 2: The Swiping Machine | We're a Team! | Save Diego! | Swiper the Explorer
* - Denotes held-up episode
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