Dora the Explorer greatest adventure is perhaps her continuing mission to introduce young fans to cultural diversity, an element that's as rare as magic coins on grown-up TV.

She's had some help. The presence of minorities in preschool programming dates back to the late '60s, when Gordon and Maria took up residence on "Sesame Street." Roughly half of the most popular shows among 2- to 5-year-olds today feature black, Hispanic or Asian characters in starring roles, including the "Dora" spinoff "Go, Diego, Go,"Handy Manny" and "Little Einsteins."Ni Hao, Kai-lan," debuting next year on Nick Jr., will mix in Mandarin words and phrases throughout tales about Chinese culture.

That representation is in sharp contrast to prime time, in which minorities have the lead roles in only four prime-time series: "The Unit," K-Ville,"Ugly Betty" and "Cane."

In some ways, the increase of minority role models just makes good business sense, particularly when it comes to representing Hispanics. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one of out every five preschoolers nationwide today is Latino.

But social responsibility also played a role in the development of TV trailblazer "Dora." The character was being shaped nine years ago as a Caucasian girl starring in a game show when Brown Johnson, executive vice president of Nickelodeon Preschool, attended a conference on children's media. She was struck by a study that concluded that no people from diverse backgrounds had leading roles in anything.

When she returned to the office, "Dora" began her transformation. By the time she hit the air in 2000, not only was the star Hispanic, but she routinely slipped into her native language, urging viewers to repeat common Spanish words and tag along with her on adventures rooted in Latino lore.

The show was an instant smash.

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Dora the Explorer