'Dora's Pirate Adventure' Sails in as Highest-Rated Dora the Explorer Special Ever

'Dora's Pirate Adventure' Sails in as Highest-Rated Dora the Explorer Special Ever Hour-Long Special Lands Record Numbers; Ratings Lodge Musical Adventure Among Nick Jr.'s All-Time Top Three Preschool Specials NEW YORK, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Nick Jr.'s Dora the Explorer, the number-one preschool show on commercial television, hit a milestone this week when "Dora's Pirate Adventure" became the series' highest-rated special ever (The show launched in August 2000 and has aired 10 specials to date). "Dora's Pirate Adventure," which aired Monday, Jan. 17, from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. (all times ET/PT), averaged a 12.5/1.5 million kids 2-5, up +42% over last year's like time period. With total viewers, "Dora's Pirate Adventure" averaged 3.4 million persons 2+, up +15% from last year. The record ratings for "Dora's Pirate Adventure" make this special the third highest-rated Nick Jr. special ever to air, ranking behind two top-rated Blue's Clues: "Meet Joe," which introduced the show's new host in 2002; and "Blue's Big Pajama Party" in 1999. In "Dora's Pirate Adventure," Dora, Boots, Diego and the rest of their pals are planning to put on a big musical pirate show for an audience of their family and friends. Just as the play is about to start, the Pirate Piggies sail in and take their treasure chest filled with costumes. Dora and her friends then set off on an adventure to get their pirate costumes back so the show can go on. They sail across the Seven Seas and through the Singing Gate on their way to Treasure Island, all the while singing catchy tunes that kids will love. The "Dora's Pirate Adventure" storyline also will be the basis of the brand-new version of the theatrical presentation Dora the Explorer Live!, a co-production between Nickelodeon and Clear Channel Entertainment. Hitting the road in Jan. '05, Dora the Explorer Live! is entering its third touring season. The show is scheduled to travel to more than 40 cities, including a return engagement at New York City's legendary Radio City Music Hall, where it was the highest-grossing family show in the history of family attractions at the venue. Dora the Explorer, which airs at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. weekdays on Nick Jr. and weekends on CBS (check local listings), is a play-along, animated adventure series starring Dora, a seven-year-old Latina heroine whose adventures take place in an imaginative, tropical world filled with jungles, beaches and rainforests. Dora explores her world just as preschoolers do everyday, and the show is designed to actively engage its audience in an interactive quest using a variety of learning techniques. Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. (ET/PT) and weekends on CBS (check local listings). Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.'s Emmy, Peabody and Parents' Choice Award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them. Nickelodeon, now in its 26th 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, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in 88 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for nine consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Source: Nickelodeon CONTACT: Lauren Sklar, +1-212-846-7653, or lauren.sklar@nick.com, or David Bittler, +1-212-846-4082, or david.bittler@mtvstaff.com, both for Nickelodeon Web site: http://www.nick.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment