Dora the Explorer Illegal Immigrant

The animated character Dora the Explorer is making headlines because of her mugshot that surfaced around the internet.

This picture of Nickelodeon character Dora the explorer is created by Debbie Groben for a contest in FreakingNews.com last year. On the picture, Dora the Explorer has a black eye, bruised lip and bloody nose. And there it says she committed the crime “Illegal Border Crossing Resisting Arrest.”

Dora’s mugshot is just one of the photos that can be connected to Arizona’s new controversial Immigration law. The picture may seem funny and harmless, but experts are seeing a different light. They say pictures like this reveal some Americans’ attitudes about race, immigrants and where some of immigration reform debate may be headed.

Erynn Masi de Casanova, a sociology professor at the University of Cincinnati said, “Dora is kind of like a blank screen onto which people can project their thoughts and feelings about Latinos. They feel like they can say negative things because she’s only a cartoon character.”

This is not the first time a children’s character has been dragged into a serious debate. Tinky Winky the Teletubby and Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie are also dragged into a gay issue.