Original air date: 11/5/2007note
Character Find: Map
It's Clean-Up-The-Beach Day and Dora and Boots are picking up garbage when they hear a story about the Mermaid Kingdom, how a mean octopus dumped garbage all over the kingdom until a brave mermaid named Mariana finds a magic crown and wishes the garbage away. But she loses the crown and Dora finds it, and it's up to her and Boots to travel across land and sea — and become a mermaid herself — to bring Mariana her crown back and save Mermaid Kingdom!
Tropes:
- All Up to You: Once Dora and Boots reach Mariana and prepare to give her the crown, she gets netted by the octopus. Fortunately, she tosses the crown to Dora just in time, and Mariana told her the mermaids' only hope is if Dora turns into a mermaid and uses the crown herself to save the Mermaid Kingdom.
- Crown of Power: Mariana's crown, which she uses to wish away the garbage. She ends up losing it to a wave and Dora finds it, and she and Boots must return it to her.
- Damsel in Distress: Mariana becomes this in the climax, when the octopus traps her in a net leaving Dora to use the crown for her.
- End of an Age: This marks the final episode to feature the original voice cast for most of the main characters.
- Extra-Long Episode: The fifth in the series.
- Make a Wish: Wearing the magic crown allows Mariana to make a wish that the garbage would disappear. When Dora was granted the wish, it was not enough to make all the garbage go away, so she had to get help from all the sea creatures she met.
- Mermanity Ensues: Mariana urges Dora to put on the crown as it's the mermaids' only hope; when Dora puts the crown on it magically turns her into a mermaid so she can use it to clean the Mermaid Kingdom.
- Musical Chores: The "Clean-Up Song" plays as Dora, the mermaids, and the sea creatures clean up Mermaid Kingdom. It gets a Triumphant Reprise after the octopus has a Heel–Face Turn and helps out.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Subverted when Dora tells Swiper about Mermaid Kingdom being covered with garbage.
- Trailers Always Spoil: Pretty much every promo for the special spoils Dora turning into a mermaid to help Mariana.
- Transformation Sequence: One occurs for Dora when she transforms into a mermaid by Mariana's crown.
- Transformation Trinket:
- When Dora puts on Mariana's crown, it turns her into a mermaid so she can save Mermaid Kingdom. She reverts back to human form when the crown is removed.
- After saving Mermaid Kingdom, Mariana gives Dora a mermaid necklace she can use to turn into a mermaid anytime.
