NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nickelodeon has ordered a 20-episode second season of the new preschool hit Dora and Friends: Into the City!, featuring global phenomenon Dora in all-new adventures, with new friends and a new curriculum. The newly imagined Latina heroine launched on TV Aug. 18 and is now set to make her debut in the 88th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®. Dora will make the journey to the Big Apple on Thursday, Nov. 27, with some of her new friends, Kate and Pablo, to sing and dance along the parade route on a brand-new float inspired by the series.
The Dora and Friends float, “Aventuras Fantasticas,” appearing in the 88th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® brings Dora’s new home of Playa Verde to life with out-of-this-world landscapes and vibrant colors, capturing the excitement and adventure found in the new series. The float will take spectators on a tour of one of the new series’ landmark locations, the Arco Iris Café, and showcase some of her new enchanted surroundings. Additionally, it features Dora’s magical charm bracelet that helps her navigate the city and overcome any obstacle.
Since its launch this summer, Dora and Friends has already nestled into the top five preschool programs on all television, and it’s the number-one show with kids 2-5 in its timeslot. With a new curriculum emphasizing community service and emotional skills, the new series has reached 13 million total viewers since its August 18 debut and already has spawned the hit Dora and Friends App which debuted as the number-one Kids and Education app, and the #2 overall paid app on iPad across all categories.
“Dora and her new friends have been met with huge enthusiasm from preschoolers who are embracing their camaraderie and community spirit, and we look forward to bringing kids along on even more adventures in season two,” said Teri Weiss, Executive Vice President, Nickelodeon Preschool. “It was an enormous honor to have Dora as the first Latina character balloon in the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade back in 2005, and we’re even more proud today that our new Dora float is able to continue that tradition in this year’s parade.”
"Dora has been an integral part of the Macy's Parade family for more than a decade," said Amy Kule, Executive Producer of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "Inspiring millions of fans with her annual adventure in the Big Apple, we are thrilled this year to feature the next evolution of this classic character on a remarkable new float that transports spectators to Dora's vibrant new home at Playa Verde, a magical place that will capture and delight the imagination of children everywhere."
Dora made her first appearance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2005 as the first Latina character balloon. Nickelodeon has participated in the Parade since 1997, with balloons and floats inspired by Rugrats, Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Dora and Friends: Into the City! is a half-hour educational preschool series featuring the iconic character Dora living in a city, attending school and at the center of a peer group that works together to give back to the community — having both real-life and magical adventures along the way. Developed with the support of educational experts and tested by preschoolers themselves, Dora and Friends is set to a contemporary soundtrack of Latin-influenced pop music and features an interactive curriculum focusing on community service, problem solving, emotional skills, Spanish language and Latino culture. Created by Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes (Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!), the series airs weekdays at 10 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
With more than 50 million viewers across the country and more than 3.5 million spectators that line up along the streets of New York City each year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a world-famous holiday event. For more than 85 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has marked the official start of the holiday season. Growing in size and scale, the Parade proudly marches down a more than 2-mile route in New York City with more than 8,000 participants in tow including Macy’s employees, their families, celebrities, athletes, clowns and dance groups spreading holiday cheer. The Parade also features America’s best marching bands, fabulous floats and Macy’s signature giant helium character balloons. For more information on the Macy’s Parade please visit www.macys.com/parade or call the Parade hotline at 212.494.4495.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationwide on NBC-TV on Thursday, November 27, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. until noon, in all time zones.
About Macy’s Parade & Entertainment Group
Macy’s Parade & Entertainment Group, a dedicated staff at Macy’s, Inc. are the creative, marketing, design and logistics organization behind world-famous events including Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® and Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks®. The group also oversees the creation and production of local in-store and significant community events in cities across the nation. Its partnership marketing team is responsible for creating strategic alliances with companies that will add value to Macy’s retail and shopping experience. From celebrity appearances and flower shows to extravagant fashion events, tree lightings and parades; Macy’s Parade & Entertainment Group is charged with bringing the magic of Macy’s to millions of people from coast-to-coast.
Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 19 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).
