Melissa Napolitano September 21, 2012

Com 410 Assignment #3

As of late, television producers have invested both time and attention to the development

of educational children’s series. During the production of new children’s media, experts have

been able to maintain many of the traditional aspects and tactics of interactive learning via

television. Throughout this tedious process, they have also successfully revolutionized,

expanded and challenged the minds of children worldwide with the airing of new children’s

programming. Though they were aired essentially during the same time period, Franklin the

Turtle and Dora the Explorer are the series I have chosen to demonstrate the aforementioned

transition of children’s media. Franklin the Turtle will represent the earlier, more traditional

portrayal of children’s programming, and Dora the Explorer, the new and improved innovative

series. Along with the parallels that can be drawn between the two series, a handful of

differences exist as well.

In November of 1997, Nick Jr. aired the first episode of Franklin the Turtle in the United

States. Prior to its debut in the U.S., the series was featured in Canada and successfully reached

and taught approximately 79% of the country’s preschool population traditional moral and

family values. Kurt Lehner tactfully transformed Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois’

children’s book series into an animated television series for boys and girls between the ages of 2-

5. Each episode depicts the innocent and vibrant main character, Franklin the turtle, going about

his daily routines of playing with friends, attending school and interacting with his close knit

family. Along the way, Franklin experiences conflicts in regards to morality, family values and

just about every challenge associated with growing up. With the help of his insightful parents,

grandparents and teachers, Franklin is able to overcome the obstacles he is faced with and

understand the lessons behind each situation. In each episode Franklin learns how to deal with

real life situations, when it comes to communicating with friends, family and teachers. Franklin

is presented with a problem and is taught how to work through it in the most effective way

possible. He not only learns the lessons himself, but teaches his viewers how to be a better

friend, child or student. The episodes follow a pattern of two back to back 11 minute stories told

from Franklin’s point of view. This presentation is ideal for the age range of the target audience

because the short time span allows children of the younger portion of the age spectrum to

maintain full attention and grasp the lessons being taught. Being that the stories are told from the

main character’s point of view, they are simplified and presented in a relatable fashion because

Franklin portrays your average young boy.

In my opinion, the creators of this series successfully constructed a fun and entertaining

environment for learning. Though the focus of the series is based on life lessons as opposed to

academics, the teachings it has to offer are vital in the difficult process of growing up. In today’s

world, many families struggle to ingrain favorable morals and appropriate reactions to situations

children are bound to be faced with. This is likely to be a result of our fast paced and highly

technological society. Franklin steps up to the plate and not only demonstrates conflicts among

friends in the classroom, on the playground and after school but also depicts how to make new

friends, experience failures, etc. Franklin teaches children that it is normal to possess the

dreaded feelings of disappointment, guilt, betrayal and more. The contents of each episode are

realistic and relatable for children in the target audience, making the series as a whole an

ultimate success.

The contemporary children’s media artifact of discussion is the ever popular children’s

program, Dora the Explorer. The program was aired on Nick Jr. in the year 2000 and has since

created hype among parents and children alike. The creators, Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh, and

Eric Weiner, successfully paired educational appeal and the factor of entertainment in this series.

The plot of the show is revolved around the adventures of an eight year old Latina girl named

Dora Marquez. With the help of her friend Boots, the guidance provided by Map and the handy

contents of Backpack, Dora must reach a destination and avoid the team’s arch enemy, Swiper

the fox. The creators of the program present Dora as a positive role model for children. Despite

the fact that Dora is a child herself, she is independent, athletic, family oriented and bilingual.

Dora’s fun-loving personality makes it easy for children to relate to her, and provides a safe

place for learning. In each episode, she subtly teaches viewers about her heritage and traditional

values in addition to counting, spelling, and reading in both English and Spanish. Being that the

episodes are repetitive in terms of the progression of each journey, the audience has the

opportunity to actively participate in the program and feel a stronger connection to the

characters. Each episode is highly interactive, as Dora encourages her viewers to follow along

and repeat certain phrases, allowing for a greater retention rate of the information being

presented.

In my opinion, the progression of the series has enhanced interaction and learning for

children in a unique way. The introduction of a second language to children at a young age is

necessary in today’s society, especially Spanish. Dora was Nick Jr.’s first bilingual character,

her success and appeal to children and parents alike sparked the idea for a spin off series,

featuring Dora’s cousin, Diego. His show is called Go, Diego, Go!, following a similar plot as

Dora’s series. Though Dora had both male and female fans, it is safe to say that children tend to

desire to watch programs that feature characters of the same sex as themselves. Diego’s debut

gained the attention of young boys, widening the reach and the target audience. Now, the

dynamic duo continue to enhance the growing minds of boys AND girls worldwide.

Many parallels can be draw between Dora the Explorer and the age old favorite,

Franklin. Both Nick Jr. series provide an environment for learning. Like Dora, Franklin is a

friendly, playful, smart young cartoon character. He provides a great environment for learning

and can be classified as a perfect role model because of his motivation to be successful and share

his big heart with everyone he meets. Another similarity is that both series are told through the

eyes of the main character. For children, this is an effective way to engage and interpret

information as it is presented to them because it is coming from a character they know, trust and

relate to on multiple levels.

The major differences between the two series lie within the characterization and the types

of experiences and lessons being taught. Franklin’s series aims to teach children the skills they

need to be emotionally stable as they enter pre-k and kindergarten; meaning the creators target

developmental lessons as opposed to the educational ones we see in Dora. This is the main

variation I see when comparing the two hit series. Franklin focuses on life skills and

development, whereas Dora concentrates more on education that would occur in a classroom.

Some other differences are that Dora is a human and Franklin a turtle. Similarly, Dora represents

a child as an adult figure. This tactic is used in many children’s series to create a role model

relationship between viewer and character. Franklin is a mere boy trying his best to get through

each of the struggles life throws his way. He is heavily dependent on his family and constantly

looks to his elders for guidance, something Dora has never done. Despite this they are both

strong, well developed characters with a large fan population. The final variation between the

series is that Dora is much more interactive. She constantly asks her viewers to repeat and get

involved in each episode. This is something that Franklin lacks. The reasoning behind that is

likely to be attributed to the shorter segments of Franklin’s episodes, and the fact that his

teachings are developmental, not academic. Like many other Nick Jr. series, these two were a

huge success and have changed learning for the youthful generations to come. With each

passing year, the ability to provide interactive learning through media is improving, expanding

the minds of children to a limit that once seemed surreal.

In today’s world, children of all ages are exposed to many forms of media each and every

day. Our technological society offers a wide variety of interactive media to an extent that was

seemingly impossible years ago. In recent years, children’s media specialists have placed a

strong focus on cultivating products that benefit children both educationally and

developmentally. This concentration is due to the rapidly increasing amount of exposure

children have to technology, television and the media as a whole. Parents, child specialists,

researchers and doctors have collaborated and debated the effects of media on the world’s youth.

After extensive studies, the results remain varied, along with personal opinions about the effects

of screen time on youngsters. Despite the negative stigma associated with screen time, Disney

channel, Nickelodeon, PBS and many others continue to create programming for children. I

think the vast variety of programming available to children today is for the most part, seen as an

advantageous in the eyes of parents. What may be lacking in the home is easily compensated

through the experiences children view on television. Every parent wants their child to develop

and grow to their full potential; programming plays a large role in that department and offers

mind expanding challenges for children everywhere.

Works Cited

(2007). In http://franklin.treehousetv.com/. Retrieved October 19, 2012

Franklin (2012). In http://koba-entertainment.com/franklin-bio.php. Retrieved October 19, 2012

Dora The Explorer (2012). In http://www.nickjr.com/games/dora-the-explorer/all-themes/all-

ages/index.jhtml. Retrieved October 19, 2012