Dora Reunites With Boots, Backpack & Her Rainforest Friends in a Special Episode on Nickelodeon

It was a little disheartening last year to see Dora the Explorer grow up after all of the hours our family had spent watching her adventures on television as our kids grew through their preschool years.  Just as our kids grew up and moved on through life, Nickelodeon decided it was time to expand upon Dora's adventures through a spin-off television series called Dora & Friends: Into the City.  In this new series Dora gave her best friend Boots the boot and left the rain forest to embark on new adventures in the big city with a brand new group of friends.  Instead of her dependable Backpack and paper Map, Dora now uses a magical charm bracelet and a smartphone to solve puzzles and get out of jams during her adventures.  Instead of cartoonish animal sidekicks like Benny, Isa and Tico, Dora has some human counterparts from her Playa Verde school that include Kate who is fond of drama, music loving Emma, bookworm Naiya, and soccer playing Pablo.  Kids grow up and I can see how it was time for Dora to move on.

As Dora and Friends: Into the City begins its second season, Nickelodeon is incorporating into the show that Dora hasn't forgotten about her old amigos.  Our family had a chance to pre-screen the first of three special episodes that will air throughout the season which reunite Dora with Boots, Backpack and her rainforest friends from Dora the Explorer within the new show before the episode was broadcast on Nickelodeon.  In the episode "Return to the Rainforest", Boots arrives at Dora's new home for a visit.  Unfortunately, he lost Backpack and Map on the way -- so Dora and her new gang of friends head to the rainforest with Boots to search for them.  Turns out Swiper swiped them and it takes Dora's new friends working with Benny, Isa and Tico to get them back.

It was a bit nostalgic watching this episode with my twins that are now first graders who like Dora have grown up and moved past Dora the Explorer but still have cherished memories of enjoying that show during their preschool years.  Our family really enjoyed taking a half hour to go back in time and enjoy an adventure with these beloved characters and see how they've fared as Dora has moved on with her life in the big city.  If your kids grew up watching Dora the Explorer this is a fun episode that provides a nice connection bridging the two series together and to be honest provides some closure to move on from the original show.  You could almost treat this episode as a nice series finale to Dora the Explorer if you wanted to look at it that way.

The problem with Dora & Friends: Into the City is that it doesn't realize who its audience is so in trying to appeal to children from preschool through elementary school it really isn't that appealing to any of these kids. My kids will watch part of a Dora & Friends episode but lose interest because they say it is too babyish while some of the content is obviously too advanced and has too mature of of a pre-teen twist to it to be a good fit for younger preschool viewers.  I've found the last few years from monitoring my children's television viewing that there really is a real gap in quality programming for the kindergarten to third grade age group that Dora & Friends could really fill and be successful with. The brand already has a base of preschoolers and their parents who would readily transition to the show.  Yet the show seems to want to replace Dora the Explorer catering to a preschool audience  trying to hold onto that demographic for as long as they can rather than expand to cater to a new age group.  To be honest, as a parent I just haven't been that impressed with this new series and Dora & Friends isn't a show that my 6 year old twins normally request to see.  It will be interesting to see if this new series follows the lead of its main character and begins to develop into a mature product for a slightly older children's audience or it continues to flounder hanging onto the brand's former glory with the preschool crowd.

Despite my overall criticism of the new Dora series, "Return to the Rainforest" was well done in meshing the two cast of characters together.  My kids enjoyed seeing Boots, Benny, Isa and Tico again and watching them interact with a grown up version of Dora.  They also really enjoyed singing along with Kate, Emma, Naiya, and Pablo.  My daughter also thought it was awesome that one of Dora's new schoolmates was able to sew and used that skill to repair a damaged Backpack with no help from a parent.  So my kids laughed, they sang, they thanked me for sharing this episode of Dora & Friends with them.

This first special, “Return to the Rainforest,” premieres Friday, Sept. 18, at 12:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon with the remaining episodes rolling out later this year. In the later specials, Dora treks to Rainbow Rock with Boots; saves the show at an enchanted night circus; and even comes to Swiper’s rescue.  It will be interesting to see if the Dora the Explorer characters continue to be charming in the future episodes as they interact with Dora's more mature new friends or if this meshing of the two shows just becomes a bit tired making viewers weary of them. 

It does appear as if the producers at Nickelodeon are tilting the new series towards being geared now towards preschool audiences as Dora and Friends: Into the City! specials will each feature exclusive multiplatform content which includes a big focus on using the NickJr website and the launch of a brand-new Dora app specifically for preschoolers. The Dora Back to the Rainforest app will allow kids to play and learn as they travel to the rainforest to help Dora and Boots find Backpack and return him safely home. Along the way, kids will encounter story elements and characters from all three of the special episodes, earn and collect charms for Dora’s bracelet and play min-games that help Dora and her friends complete their journey. The app will be available soon on iOS and Android.

For more information, visit nickjr.com/dora-and-friends

Enjoy some Jurassic World gear for your next adventure

  ** This post was made possible by Universal Pictures #TeamJurassic.  I was provided the featured products for free but all opinions expressed are honest and my own **

We had a fun family movie night watching the original Jurassic Park movie to get hyped about seeing the upcoming Jurassic World sequel which will be roaring into theaters on June 12, 2015.  NBC broadcast Jurassic Park and we showed our #TeamJurassic spirit while we enjoyed watching the movie on television. The only downside of the night was we just couldn't keep those darn velociraptors out of the popcorn!

Jurassic Park fell apart before it could ever be opened to the public, but John Hammond's dream didn't die. Twenty-two years after the events that transpired in the original movie, the park is now open for business! The theme park known as JURASSIC WORLD is owned by a huge business conglomerate called Masrani Corporation which bought Isla Nublar and the technology to create the dinosaurs when John Hammond's business went defunct after the events in Jurassic Park.  The initial public hype for Jurassic World is beginning to wane and Masrani Corporation is looking for a way to renew the popularity and profitability of the theme park.  When the park's operations manager takes some risks to increase its profitability by creating a hybrid dinosaur called Indominus Rex you just know that is going to lead to trouble!  

Enjoy an inside look at JURASSIC WORLD from our friends at Universal Pictures:



Plus thanks to Universal Pictures you can show some #TeamJurassic spirit during your next family adventure.  For a chance to win a JURASSIC WORLD backpack, cap, t-shirt, and key chain  you must be a US or Canadian resident over 18 years old and submit one or both of the following entry methods to earn up to 2 entries prior to 11:59 pm EST on Monday June 8, 2015:

Congrats to Olivia from Atwater CA who won the Jurassic Swag!

FACEBOOK (1 Entry) Visit our Facebook page and on the contest post submit a comment sharing where you would wear this Jurassic World gear.

EMAIL (1 Entry)  E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address. Email subject line should be JURASSIC SWAG. 

All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order they are received and one number will be  selected to determine the winner using random.org.  E-mails will only be used to contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.

Rated PG-13, JURASSIC WORLD will roar into theaters on June 12, 2015. In addition to standard theaters, it will also be available Real D 3D and IMAX 3D.  Don't worry about annoying lines or the show you want to go to being sold out, buy your tickets online in advance today: unvrs.al/JWtix

Disclaimer & Rules:

A Geek Daddy Blog will select a random winner on  Tuesday, June 9, 2015 ( 1 winner will be selected from a random draw of all eligible entries - each submitted entry will be assigned a number and a random number will be drawn to select a winner based upon total entries ).  By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.  A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this giveaway as a benefit to our readers.  Information for this post was provided by Universal Pictures.  A Geek Daddy Blog did receive items  of value in exchange for writing this blog post.  While some of the promotional information was provided by Universal Pictures the views and opinions expressed are my own. Universal Pictures is responsible for the delivery of the prizes in this promotion. 

Get Out & Play before Summer Days have gone Bye Bye

Wow! once again summer is flying by faster than our family would like.  In just a few weeks our kids' school year will be beginning so I want to maximize their opportunities to get outside while the weather is warm and they have the time to play in the backyard or over at the neighborhood park.  A nice way to excite your kids about playing outside is to pick up a Get Out & Play! Essentials Pack from Imagine Toys.  In addition to providing some great items to keep your kids active and amused outdoors, purchasing this fun play kit helps with a larger societal goal of encouraging children across the country to play outdoors more by providing a donation to the charitable organization KaBoom!  Imagine Toys will donate a minimum of at least 8% of its sales from the Get Out & Play! Essentials Packs this year to support this national non-profit organization that works to bring balanced and active play into the daily lives of all children, particularly those growing up in poverty in America.

Imagine Toys generously provided a Get Out & Play! Essentials Pack for A GEEK DADDY blog to test out and review this summer.  I will be upfront and say that I was initially skeptical of this product being too "basic" to be of much usefulness...seemed like a bunch of "random" stuff just tossed in a bag... but upon receiving it have found it to be very convenient and have been very impressed.  The Get Out & Play! Essentials Pack gathers all sorts of child play items that you might have scattered all over your house, shed or garage and keeps them organized in a backpack that you can easily grab to take outside in the backyard or with you on a trip to the park.  If your kids whine that they don't know what to do outdoors for fun or complain playing outdoors is boring there are plenty of things you can pull out of the backpack to encourage them to play with.  Plus just pulling the items out of the backpack itself seems to add an aura of excitement for the kids.

Additionally, there is a Get Out & Play handbook that comes along with the Essentials Pack that is full of ideas for outdoor games if parents and children may be stumped for an interesting activity to do.  My kids have been asking this summer to play Hopscotch and I hate to admit I had no clue about the rules or how to play this game.  I pulled out the handy guide that came with this play set and there was a whole section that detailed everything I needed to know. So we are going to play Hopscotch this weekend!  Also included in the book are lots of suggestions for variations of tag, hide-and-go-seek, sidewalk, race, ball, and other types of games to capture children's attention and promote excitement with playing outdoors.  All of the "basic" play items that I initially though were "randomly" included actually tie into games suggested in the included Get Out & Play guidebook enhancing their value by being packaged together.  This really is a great play kit!

Along with the book, this play kit is packed with timeless playground essentials including two jump ropes, an 8" dodge ball (the rubbery type I remember from gym class), a flying disc and a few boxes of sidewalk chalk.  All thrown in a high quality backpack that can easily be slung over a shoulder to be carried to where you need to be.  Backpacks are an item that I often come across and am disappointed by flimsy or cheap construction, but I can legitimately say this backpack is really well made and very useful for packing your kids up for an afternoon outside.  The kick ball, jump rope and flying disc are also well constructed so they are sturdy enough to weather rough play and won't break after being used for five minutes by a kid.  In my opinion the Get Out & Play! Essentials Pack is ideal for use by children between the ages of 5 to 10 years old and if you have a kid in that age range I'd recommend you check it out.


The Go Out & Play! Essentials Pack retails for $59.95 at Imagine Toys.  You can select from an orange or purple colored backpack.  With hundreds of cable channels to watch and video games to play on your television, it can be easy for kids to waste away hours sitting on the couch indoors, it is so important as parents that we make an effort to get our children playing outdoors to promote exercise and health living.  This Go Out & Play! Essentials Pack is a great resource for busy parents, or babysitting grandparents like the ones my wife & I depend on when we are at work, to utilize to encourage your kids to engage in some athletic and creative play activities outdoors.

For more information on Imagine Toys:  www.imaginetoys.com
For more information on KaBoom!: www.kaboom.org

Disclaimer:  A GEEK DADDY BLOG received a complimentary Go Out & Play! Essentials Pack from Imagine Toys to review.