The Lost City

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The Lost City
Airdate	Monday, February 24, 2003 (Nickelodeon) Tuesday, June 3, 2003 (VHS, DVD, Nick Jr.) Monday, October 13, 2003 (First use of Season 3-4 intro)
U.S. Premiere Time (est.)	{{{premiere}}}
Season	2
Episode	Earlier Airings: 19 Current Airings: 26
Written by	Chris Gifford
Previous	Earlier Airings: Dora, La Música Current Airings: Whose Birthday is It?
Next	Earlier Airings: Egg Hunt Current Airings: León, the Circus Lion

The Lost City (also known as Dora's Search for the City of Lost Toys) is the 26^th episode (19^th in earlier airings) of Dora the Explorer from Season 2.

Characters

• Dora
• Boots
• Backpack (We Did It! only)
• Map
• Swiper
• Fiesta Trio
• Benny
• Isa
• Tico
• Azul
• Baby Red Fish (cameo)
• Woo-Hoo Star (debut)
• Red Star (debut)
• Blue Star (debut)
• Yellow Star (debut)
• Screen (debut)
• Mami (mentioned)
• Papi (mentioned)

Summary

Dora lost her favorite teddy bear named Osito that she had since she was a toddler, so she and Boots have to go to the Lost City in order to retrieve him, along with other items that her friends lost. 

Plot

The episode starts with Dora and Boots putting up a poster of a teddy bear wearing a vest up against a tree. They use four pieces of sticky tape to hold each corner. Dora explained that she lost her teddy bear named Osito that she had since she was a toddler. But now he's lost and she really needs to find him because she misses him so much. Suddenly, Swiper was nearby. He saw the poster and asks "What's this? You lost your teddy bear?!". Dora said yes and she couldn't find it anywhere. Swiper honestly said he didn't swipe him. Dora understands. Swiper hopes Dora finds it. Luckily, Map knows where to find Dora's teddy bear. He said that he's at the lost city. He explains to Dora and Boots that the lost city is a place filled with all toys and treasures that everyone has ever lost. So, Dora and Boots decided to take Map's advice and go to the lost city. They ask him for the directions and he tells them that they have to go through the number pyramid and find a shortcut to the mixed-up jungle before they can get to the lost city. He also mentions that they can even catch stars along the way. Dora and Boots were ready to go to the lost city. Suddenly, they hear stars. There was even an explorer star that went "Woo-Hoo". His name is Woo-Hoo, who is a hide-and-seek explorer star. Dora and Boots looked around and wondered where Woo-Hoo went. He comes out of hiding behind a rock. Soon after, Dora and Boots catch the stars. Dora catches the regular stars while Boots caught Woo-Hoo. They put the stars into the star pocket. After that, they see Azul the blue train. He was upset because he lost his whistle. Dora and Boots told him not to worry because they were on their way to the lost city to find Dora's teddy bear. They thought Azul's whistle might be there too. Azul offered them a ride to the number pyramid and they accepted it. So, they climbed aboard Azul and off they went. Along the way, some of Dora and Boots' friends lost something too. Benny had a baseball and glove and lost his baseball bat. Isa lost both wheels from her scooter. Tico lost his keys for his little yellow car and Swiper somehow lost one of his blue gloves. Dora and Boots told them all not to worry and said they will find their lost things at the lost city. In no time, Dora and Boots reach the number pyramid. They thank Azul for the ride. As Dora and Boots entered the pyramid, they saw 10 different lifts numbered 1-10. They weren't sure which lift to use. Dora touches a blue screen and it says "To know which lift you have to take, count all the way to number 8". Dora and Boots did so and counted up to 8. Then, the 8^th lift rises up and they reach a series of vines. Dora and Boots saw another screen, Dora taps it and it tells them "To know which vine is right for you, first count 5 and then add 2". Boots pictures the clue very carefully. Dora and Boots counted 5 vines and then they counted 2 more vines. Now, they had to use mathematics by counting 5 and adding 2. They counted up to 7 because 5 + 2 = 7. Dora and Boots use the 7^th vine and swung around and around the number pyramid. Dora and Boots land on solid ground. They saw trapdoors numbered 1-4. Another screen comes up. Boots touches it this time and the blue screen said "You'll find the way out if you choose the right door, it's the number that comes between 2 and 4". Dora and Boots took the clues into pieces. Boots stands in front of trapdoor #2 while Dora stands in front of trapdoor #4. The blue cursor clicks on trapdoor #3. Dora and Boots stand on it and fall through and then they slide down a long red slide and exit out the number pyramid. Dora and Boots bounced on a blue pillow at the bottom. Dora and Boots made it through the number pyramid and now they had to go through the mixed-up jungle. It was far away. Suddenly, Map pops out of Backpack and yells out "shortcut, shortcut, shortcut!". So Dora and Boots need to find the shortcut. They ask Map for assistance. Map tells them to find the door to the shortcut, all they had to do is jump up and down on a blue triangle. Map does a demo then encourages the viewer to tell Dora and Boots what he said. The viewer did so and Dora and Boots try jumping up and down on the blue triangle. A couple bushes separates and a blue door flips up as it opens. Dora and Boots go through and it took them straight to the mixed-up jungle. The mixed-up jungle got mixed-up. Clouds were on the ground, a red fish was in the nest and a tree was upside down. The clouds got put back in the sky, the tree turned right side up, and the red fish was put back in the water and a bird is what lives in the nest. After fixing the mixed-up jungle, Dora and Boots go through. So far, they went through the Number Pyramid and fixed the mixed-up jungle. They were getting close to finding the lost city. Dora and Boots saw something that was blocking their way. It was a curtain. Dora and Boots had to raise it up to make the lost city appear behind it. Boots tries saying "up, up" but nothing happened. Dora tries saying "arriba, arriba" and the curtain briefly rises up. Dora figured out the curtain understands Spanish, so Dora and Boots had to say arriba to get the curtain to go up. After saying "arriba" a couple times, the curtain completely lifts up and reveals the lost city. Dora had to find her teddy bear. Suddenly, Woo-Hoo comes out of the star pocket and goes hiding. Dora thought Woo-Hoo can help find her teddy bear by finding him. So, Woo-Hoo hides behind several toys and spreads out his arms to uncover something. As Woo-Hoo knocks away a party hat, Dora's teddy bear was found. Dora was so happy to get her teddy bear back. And then, something amazing happened. All the lost toys and treasures are going back to its rightful owners. Benny gets his baseball bat back; Isa gets her wheels back for her scooter; Azul gets his whistle back; Tico gets his keys back so he can drive his car and even Swiper gets his missing glove back. Everybody was happy to get their lost items back and they all gave the viewer a "thank you". Boots thought maybe his blanket was at the lost city. Sure enough, Boots' blanket hovers over a fountain. Boots gets his blanket back and explains to the viewers that he hasn't had it since he was a baby monkey. The Fiesta Trio play a fanfare on a fountain. And then, Dora and Boots celebrate.

Song

• Lost City Travel Song

Places in this episode

1. Number Pyramid
2. Mixed-Up Jungle
3. Lost City

Sub-Places

• Shortcut to the Mixed-Up Jungle
• Secret Curtain to the Lost City

Items in Backpack

N/A; not used in this episode

Number of stars

4

Releases

This episode can be found in City of Lost Toys on VHS and DVD. It can also be found in Dora's Slumber Party and Nick Jr. Favorites Volume 1.

Trivia

• This episode is produced in Season 3. Although it's an aired Season 2 episode, it uses Season 3 concepts.
  • In the October 2003 version, this episode uses the Seasons 3-4 opening with Dora leaving the house and swinging on a vine instead of the Seasons 1-2 opening with 2 doors opening, entering a play room and zooming into a green computer (just like Whose Birthday is It? since June 14, 2004 and Super Spies since December 3, 2007).
  • This is the first episode where Map sings the I'm the Map song in the Season 3 onwards version, and the Fiesta Trio sing along with him. However, he only sings the last stanza until Por Favor (or To the South Pole due to it being shown on Meet Diego! VHS and DVD before it aired on TV)
  • After Map explains to the viewer about how to get to the Lost City and mentions about star catching, he does not say "So you tell Dora" like all other season 2 episodes, he instead says "so remember". However, he also says that in Whose Birthday is It?. The other 25 episodes of Season 2 have him saying "So you tell Dora".
  • Dora does not go over the places, she instead asks "Where do we go first?" after they all pop up. Speaking of the pictures popping up, she also doesn't list the places after they all do so, she lists each individual place after each square pops up.
  • This is the first episode where the Fiesta Trio plays an extended fanfare to start the We Did It! song.
  • This is the first episode where Dora and Boots count how many stars they caught after explaining what their favorite parts were.
  • This is the first episode (and the only Season 2 episode) featuring the Explorer Stars and a minigame for them at the end during the end credits instead of a Character Find.
  • After Valerie Walsh's Producer credit, Eric Weiner is credited as an Executive Story Editor/Producer. In the rest of season 2, he is credited as a Producer/Head Writer.
  • Unlike all other Season 2 episodes, the copyright year says "2002" at the end instead of "2001", meaning that this episode was produced in Season 3.
  • Streaming services, such as Amazon Prime and iTunes, list this episode and Best Friends as Season 3 episodes.
• Swiper does not do any swiping in this episode. And he honestly tells Dora that he did not swipe her teddy bear.
• This is the second episode where Map was checked twice, first being Beaches. The next time he will be asked more than once will be Dora's Fairytale Adventure.
  • Map shows a shortcut path in this episode. This will also happen in Rescue, Rescue, Rescue!.
• When Dora and Boots are about to check Map the second time, Dora does not ask the viewer "Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?". Instead, Boots asks it.
• When Map was checked the second time, the Fiesta Trio did not sing with him.
• This is the first appearance of the star pocket and the Explorer Stars.
• When Dora is telling the viewer to stand up to help them jump, she immediately says "Stand up please" and doesn’t say "You have to stand up to jump" before that.
• Aside from the credits of the previous episode Whose Birthday is It?,  this is the first episode where Phillip Miller voices Azul the Blue Train.
• Swiper is on his good side in this episode without any swiping because he's sad and disappointed that he lost his glove. He also feels bad for Dora for losing her teddy bear and hopes she finds it.
• Dora and Boots don't sing the original Travel Song, they instead sing the Lost City Travel Song.
• This is the first episode where Swiper is missing one glove.
  • However in a later episode, he is seen with no mask and both gloves are swiped when a robot butterfly swiped them.
  • This is also the third episode where Azul is seen without his whistle, first being Choo-Choo! and second being Doctor Dora.
• The scene where Dora and Boots slide down the Number Pyramid is seen in the Seasons 3-4 and 5-6 opening sequence.
• This is one of few episodes to premiere on Nick instead of Nick Jr.
• This is the first episode where Dora does not look inside Backpack because she did not need anything from her.
• This is the sixth and last Season 2 episode to use the Season 3 art style (because this is a produced Season 3 episode), the other five are Egg Hunt, Super Spies, School Pet, Quack! Quack!, and Whose Birthday is It?.
• This is the fourth instance for Isa and the second instance for Benny in which they both spoke Spanish. They said "¡Gracias!" in Spanish then "Thanks!" in English to thank the viewer for finding their lost items at the Lost City. This is also one of few episodes where Tico spoke English (when he said "Thanks").
• This episode was supposed to air after León, the Circus Lion, but it got aired out of order (which is why this is aired as a Season 2 episode instead of a Season 3 episode. It is also because it aired too early.)
• This is the 52^nd episode of the show (45^th in earlier airings).
• It is unknown how the Fiesta Trio got to the Lost City when they were seen playing their extended fanfare.
• A PC game of this episode was released on July 27, 2002 before it premiered on TV.
  • Coincidentally, both the episode's production and the game's release were both in the same year, 2002.
    • Unlike the episode, the Mixed-Up Jungle is not in the game. Instead, there was a Big Pond. Also, the Number Pyramid was the second location in the PC game, whereas the episode features it as the first location.
• A touring live show of the series based on this episode was staged in 2003. The tour began at the Palace Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky on April 4, 2003 and concluded at the Convention Center in Bakersfield, California on September 3 of the same year.
• Since this is the first episode featuring the Explorer Stars and star-catching, it is possible that it took place after Star Catcher.
  • Coincidentally, this episode the aforementioned one both feature Woo-Hoo.

Goofs/Errors

• Although this is a Season 2 episode, it featured the Seasons 3-4 opening sequence with the explorer stars, Diego, and Baby Jaguar instead of the Seasons 1-2 opening sequence with the two doors opening themselves entering a playroom. (the opening error also occurs with the previous episode, Whose Birthday is It?).
  • However, it did open with the Seasons 1-2 opening sequence when it first premiered on TV, and when it aired on TV until October 2003 when Star Catcher premiered. When this episode aired on October 13, 2003 during a Columbus Day marathon, it permanently uses the Seasons 3-4 intro due to all other star-catching episodes using that intro.
  • Also, the VHS and DVD version of this episode features it with the Seasons 1-2 opening sequence.
• On some websites with a list of episodes from each season, this episode was listed as Season 1, Episode 27 and "The Search for the City of Lost Toys", but this episode is actually a Season 2 (or 3 on streaming providers and its production) episode.
• When the Lost City first appears from the curtain, the same palms trees appear from the Season 4 episode Dora Saves the Mermaids and Season 5-present.
• When Swiper comes to see that Dora has lost her favorite teddy bear, he was wearing both of his gloves but somehow lost one glove, he was wearing both of his gloves so it's unknown how he just lost one glove and somehow just ends up at the Lost City.

Gallery

Dora's teddy bear is lost!

Osito

"What’s this?! You lost your teddy bear?"

Dora and Boots have to go through the Number Pyramid, then find a shortcut to the Mixed-Up Jungle, and that’s how they'll get to the Lost City!

Oh, stars! Try and catch stars along the way!

Oh no! Azul lost his whistle!

Come on, Vamanos! Let’s go to the Lost City!

Benny has a baseball and glove. But where is his bat?

How is Isa's scooter going to move if it doesn’t have wheels!

How can Tico start his cars if he doesn’t have his keys?

Uh-oh. Swiper lost one of his gloves!

Wheeeeeeee! This is fun!

Can you help Dora and Boots find out which trapdoor to take to exit the Number Pyramid? What number comes between 2 and 4?

The answer is 3! (Note: This is the second scene used in the seasons 3-6 intro, following (Stuck Truck in seasons 3-4 or Dora Saves the Snow Princess in seasons 5-6))

Map is back again! "To find the door to the shortcut, all Dora and Boots have to do is jump up and down on the blue triangle!"

The lost city is far away.

Hey! Where did the lost city go?

"You found it!"

There it is! Hiding from behind a curtain.

Woo-Hoo helped Dora find her teddy bear!

"Wow! What’s happening?!"

"Everything is going back to its owner!"

"Awesome!"

There they go!

Everyone is so happy to have their things back!

"¡Gracias! Thanks!"

VHS title

DVD title

PC game from 2002.

Explorer Star

Woo-Hoo