Nickelodeon scrubbed its social media media profiles of a video featuring the character Dora the Explorer after parents and viewers complained about her usage of a word typically reserved for adults.
Reportedly published earlier this month to the Official Dora Instagram page and the “Dora the Explorer” Facebook page, the video showed Dora, an animated young girl, explaining what the word “sigma” means.
While the official social media accounts have since deleted the video, internet users were able to save and post it. It can be viewed below:
Dora explains “Sigma” pic.twitter.com/kd2ZPiVlqg
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) May 6, 2025
“Hola grown-ups. Today, I have a super cool word for you: sigma,” Dora said in Nickelodeon’s since-deleted video. “Can you say sigma? Muy bien. Sigma is a word for someone who’s confident, independent, and does things their own way. Think of it as someone who’s a leader and a trendsetter.”
“Let’s say your friend is doing their own thing, focusing on their goals, and not worrying about what others think. You can say, ‘You’re such a sigma.’ It means they’re strong and cool just being themselves. Next time you see someone doing something totally independent and cool, you can say, ‘That’s so sigma.’”
Dora concluded the video by urging her audience to call themselves “sigma.”
“Now it’s your turn,” she said. “On the count of three, let’s all say, ‘I’m a sigma.’ Ready? Uno, dos, tres, I’m a sigma! Fanastico. You’re all such confident sigmas. See you next time! Adios.”
Should this kind of content be put in front of children?
The problem, critics alleged, was that while the official definition of “sigma” as defined by Dora is not negative, the word is linked with the “manosphere,” an online group of men who dabble in misogynistic theories and behaviors.
Nickelodeon has deleted their Dora The Explorer post of Dora explaining the word ‘Sigma’ following backlash. pic.twitter.com/LQvKVmnAU2
— ToonHive (@ToonHive) May 7, 2025
Even though the video has been deleted from Nickelodeon’s social media profiles, backlash continued to mount on social media platforms like X.
“This message was brought to you by Andrew Tate,” one critic posted, referencing a notorious misogynist and accused violent pornographer known for frequently using terms like “sigma.”
“What kind of children’s content is that???” another critic asked with confusion.
“I don’t want to live in a world where Backpack’s giving redpill takes,” a third critic wrote on X, making mention of the “redpill” ideology that comprises much of the “manosphere’s” belief system.
“We’re teaching kids brain rot words nice,” a fourth critic posted.
This is the second time in weeks that Nickelodeon has found itself mired in controversy. The first time was when the children’s channel published a video in late April showing Dora teaching her audience the meaning of the word “slay.”
However, for reasons that remain unclear, Nickelodeon clearly never deleted the “slay” video despite it also attracting backlash.
It’s also not clear why Nickelodeon keeps publishing videos of a child character teaching people, potentially including children, the meaning of adult words.
In 2010, ABC News reported that “Dora the Explorer,” the official Nickelodeon show that birthed Dora the character, had already by then “been the ratings favorite of the pre-school crowd” for 10 years.
The show continued airing for nine more years, during which time its audience of young children grew even further.
“Dora has been preparing kids for a multicultural society in which the Spanish language is ever present and as necessary as math, music and physical coordination,” ABC News noted.
And now, over a decade later, Dora is teaching children about “sigmas” and “slaying” — much, it would appear, to the chagrin of parents across the country.
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