History of the Stage
Dora and Boots had hardly escaped the clutches of Swiper before they were stopped in their tracks by the Grumpy Old Troll, who lived under the bridge that led to our protagonists’ destination. Stroking his long beard, the Troll proposed a compromise to allow the pair to cross his property to get to their destination - they would have to solve a riddle of his. Will you help them solve the Grumpy Old Troll's riddle?
Dora The Explorer is an educational television program that teaches young children light problem solving skills, empathy, and Spanish vocabulary. Starring the titular Dora and her sidekick Boots the monkey, the show received worldwide praise and was extremely successful commercially. It spawned toys, video games, spin-off shows, and even a recent live-action film. The show is extremely interactive, with Dora often speaking directly to the viewer.
In the show, Dora and Boots usually have a set amount of three or so locations that they must reach before arriving at the goal of the episode. A very recurring location is Troll Bridge, where the aptly-named Grumpy Old Troll lives. He'll conjure up a riddle for Dora and Boots, and will let them pass if they answer correctly.
In Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Currently, there exists no leak for NASB's future DLC concerning Dora or Troll Bridge specifically (and if there was, I wouldn't list it here in the main article). While live-action Dora was speculated to be a silhouette in the non-final version of Nick All-Star Brawl’s box art, this was later revealed as April O' Neil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Hope is not lost however - with a curious lack of Nick Jr. icons, Dora seems like the most obvious inclusion, and Troll Bridge would be a likely stage pick with how often it reappears in the main Dora cartoon series. But all of that is just speculation while we wait for DLC news. In the meantime, grab your backpack and let's go check out the layout of Troll Bridge!The Layout
Sorry for the choppiness this time around. Much harder to make a stage for Dora than what I’ve done previously… 
Troll Bridge adds a much-needed "small walk-off" to NASB. Along with that, if hazards are on, the Grumpy Old Troll will come out from hiding, jump onto the stage and activate a riddle. An example of a possible riddle to solve would be Grumpy Old Troll getting mad at one player specifically, puffing steam from his ears while he stomps and points at them, and whoever racks up the most damage on that player in a certain amount of time will get a stat boost (not quite a riddle, more similar to a microgame on Warioware than anything). If hazards are off, the Grumpy Old Troll just peeks out from the terrain underneath his bridge sometimes.
While they may seem unsuspecting, the stars at the top actually count as a platform! This is a great place to be if you’re a character with good downward reach like Leonardo. You can also stay up here and spam Down B with Reptar if you are against the idea of fun.
The Appearance
The Troll Bridge stage takes place during twilight in episode 19 of season 1 of the original show, where Dora and Boots are helping a wishing star get back up to the sky. Thus, it's a really pretty stage! The stars at the top are also a reference to the wishing star episode, when Grumpy Old Troll made Dora and Boots count the stars in the sky. Occasionally, certain characters will make cameo appearances by poking out of background elements such as bushes or trees. While that may seem tacky, it is actually a reference to the Character Find segments at the end of Dora The Explorer episodes, where a mouse would hover over a character from the show playing hide-and-seek, and try to click on them. Notable cameos from this stage are Tico the Squirrel, Isa the Iguana, and Benny Cow. (Not Dora, Boots, Diego, or Swiper though, as all four are reasonable predictions to be in the game at some point).
The Song
I'm not much of a music guy at all, so it’s a bit tough for me to come up with an original song idea rather than write up a list of pre-existing tracks. But for Troll Bridge, I think the sound team should take the instrumental of Grumpy Old Troll's theme song and flesh it out by adding more Latin instruments and making it longer - but keeping the tempo the same, as it fits the evening aesthetic of this stage quite well. I'd like for it to go for a vibe similar to Rayman Legends' Mariachi Madness, personally.
Closing
I hope you guys enjoyed this Sliming The Stage article, which has definitely always been the title of this thing since the very beginning! Dora was a pretty sizable part of my childhood entertainment, so I experienced quite a bit of nostalgia at the stiffly animated characters and 2000's internet aesthetics. See you next time on Sliming The Stage, where next time, we'll be covering a stage that's a real head-Turner…
Author's Note: Truth be told, I wasn't expecting this article to recieve as much positive feedback as it did. Thank you guys so much! This won't be the last time you see a NASB stage talked about on Setting/Sliming The Stage. What kinds of Nick stages would you like to see in the future? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
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