What does Sigma mean? Nickelodeon sparks outrage with video of Dora The Explorer explaining slang word

Daily Mail​

14-05-2025

Esteemed children's channel Nickelodeon has deleted a bizarre video from across its social media after sparking widespread outrage.
A new CGI version of the beloved character Dora The Explorer returned to screens last year.
And in the latest attempt to appeal to younger audiences, the protagonist features in a baffling clip - where she explains to her viewers what the slang word 'Sigma' means.
The bilingual character, fluent in both English and Spanish, is best known for teaching children new words in each language while they watch along at home.
But the internet was bewildered when the channel extended her language lessons to include nonsensical slang words used by kids on TikTok.
In a video most viewers thought was a parody, Dora says : 'Hola, grown-ups! Today I have a super cool word for you: Sigma! Can you say Sigma?'
'Sigma is a word for someone who is confident, independent and does things their own way,' she continued. 'Think of it as someone who's a leader and a trendsetter.'
The video was torn to shreds by incredulous viewers stunned at the legitimate entertainment company's venture into the world of 'brain rot'.
The term is typically used to describe internet content of such low quality it causes brain power to decline, colloquially speaking.
And 'Sigma' is one of many hard-to-define nonsense words used by children and teenagers online.
In this case, it fits into the characterisation of certain types of men - such as 'alpha male' and 'beta male' - by using letters of the Greek alphabet.
A Sigma male is a quiet, 'lone wolf' type character who gains his social status by being self-reliant and coolly distant.
The word is generally considered a compliment among its demographic, but it also has a nonsensical hold.
For example, the term 'what the Sigma?' - meaning something akin to 'what the hell?' - is also widely used and has no apparent connection to the word's definition.
Dora continued: '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!"
Encouraging watchers to speak along, Dora says: 'One the count of three let's all say "I'm a Sigma",' before she concludes: 'You're all such confident Sigmas.'
Parents and internet users alike were shocked by Dora's 'unhinged' rebrand.
One person wrote online: 'Seriously, why do companies always add brainrot when rebooting popular shows?'
'No, Dora, this means they are brainrotted and watch TikTok 24/7', another said.
'I'm actually about to cry, this is heartbreaking,' one commenter wrote. 'This turned from nostalgia to fricking content farms.'
And one person said: 'Whoever thought of this should be behind bars.'
Many internet users were convinced the video was a joke from a parody account until the channel took it down. People were also shocked at the introduction of 'brainrot' words to mainstream children's media
After the original video was removed from Nickelodeon's social media, it dawned on many that it was not intended as a joke nor released by a parody account.
'That was real?! This whole time, I thought it was AI-generated slop,' said one person.
Others chimed in with similar sentiments, writing: 'I can't believe this is real' and 'Wait, this was REAL?'
'Nickelodeon teaching children brainrot was not on my 2025 bingo card,' another said.
Many pointed to the slippery slope of introducing nonsense slang terms to mainstream children's content.
And others noted that the term 'Sigma' forms part of the dialogue surrounding the toxic online 'manosphere' which seeks to validate male experiences by villainizing women.
'Keep Dora away from manosphere slang, oh my gosh, stop feeding her brainrot,' said one person.
Another comment read: 'I never thought Dora the Explorer would become a manosphere influencer.'
Some online were quick to label the widespread shock as 'sensitive', arguing that the word has indeed made its way into the vocabulary of children and therefore deserves to feature in children's entertainment.
But the overwhelming feeling is one of surreal bemusement, with one user writing: 'I hope somebody got fired for this blunder.'
And internet users have unanimously agreed that Nickelodeon was correct to remove the video.