Just one year ago, in April 2009, one of the world’s biggest celebrities performed at Radio City Music Hall for thousands of screaming and adoring fans. The Latina superstar sang and danced on the same stage as other famous leading ladies had before her, the likes of Alicia Keys, Bette Midler, and Mary J. Blige. But she wasn’t glitz and glam like you might expect. This heroine pranced around in unflattering orange shorts, pink t-shirt, yellow laced socks, and white sneakers to the intoxication of a pint-sized audience.

Kid-friendly Dora the Explorer is to preschool girls what pop celebrity Miley Cyrus is to their older sisters. Except in this popularity contest Dora is the unmistakable victor. The cartoon has been syndicated in 140 markets worldwide, translated into 33 languages, and watched by 2.7 million viewers each month. The live action stage performance grossed $85 million in its first year—exceeding the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds concert tour by more than $30 million. The bi-lingual character is the #1 preschool license across almost every category, with over $11 billion amassed in retail sales worldwide.

Dora has been the untouchable leader in preschool entertainment since she trounced Barney in 2000. The purple dinosaur shared Dora’s optimism, but couldn’t compete in terms of palatability—parents just couldn’t stand the mind-numbing t-rex. Hungry for an entertainment alternative, Dora the Explorer was quick to take over airwaves and store shelves.

The great thing about fictional characters is that they never have to grow up. Real-life pop princess Miley Cyrus will battle with balancing her emerging sexuality and girl-next-door image, but animated Dora won’t ever have to reveal womanly curves. She can imperviously continue to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles in a happy-go-lucky fabricated world.

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