It's hard to judge a kid's show as an adult. To do so requires getting in touch with your wants and desires as a kid, and trying to transplant them into reviews of modern shows.
With that in mind, I have to say that I find it unlikely that I would have enjoyed Dora if it were on during my time growing up. The biggest problem with this show is its condescending nature and the way it hits kids over the head with forcing them to imagine. As a young child, I enjoyed imagining that I was part of the shows I watched, but only after the shows were over! I knew (even at a young age) that I couldn't really interact with a television program. Dora insults its young audience by asking it for "help" identifying objects, and even worse, physical activities like catching a ball bouncing "through" the screen.
I grew up watching a lot of "Sesame Street". While this was also an educational show, it was much more straightforward in its goals. I knew I was learning about letters and numbers, and they did it in a fun way. I never was led to believe that I was helping Big Bird learn the alphabet. I knew that he was the one helping me.
Sadly, many adults today believe that all kids are extremely simple-minded, and are incapable of any critical thought. While "Dora" may appeal to some children, I believe that its degrading manner will serve to insult others. In fact, it may even confuse children, as Dora congratulates kids for "choosing" the right answer to questions, even if the kid watching got the question wrong (or didn't answer at all). Think that all children are too stupid to notice this? Think again.
