Nickelodeon Fires Back At 'Dora the Explorer' teen Caitlin Sanchez Lawsuit

As if puberty weren't tough enough, it also may have cost a New Jersey teen her gig as the voice of "Dora the Explorer."

Nickelodeon, which Caitlin Sanchez contends in a lawsuit "swindled" her out of millions of dollars, fired back Thursday that the 14-year-old girl's pay was fine, but that her voice was not.

"Unfortunately, Caitlin's voice changed and she was no longer able to portray the Dora character, as happened with the actress who originated the role," the kids cable network said in a statement.

 The Daily News early Thursday broke the story of Sanchez's stinging claims against Nickelodeon, which she says duped her into inking a "bizarre, impenetrable, unconscionable" contract that left her overworked and underpaid.

The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, accuses Nickelodeon and corporate parents Viacom and MTV Networks, of stiffing the teen on residuals and merchandising in a 2007 contract that failed to "adequately" compensate the girl who gave voice to the adorable, Spanish-speaking Dora.

In a 41-page complaint, Caitlin contends she worked more than 100 "Dora the Explorer" promotional events for free, and traveled around the country while getting a mere $40 per-diem.

A Nickelodeon source countered that she and her parents were treated to first-class hotels on the road, had their air and ground transportation paid for by the cable network and that the $40 was for incidental expenses.

"She was well-compensated for her work and for personal appearances," Nickelodeon said in a statement.

Her lawyer, John Balestriere, countered   that the teen's family often lost money on the trips because they had to spend more money on food and airline baggage charges than the "meager $40 stipend."

"We are not suing because they claim her voice changed," Balestriere said. "She is not suing to stay on as Dora.

"She is suing because they paid her nothing for residuals, a few thousand dollars for merchandising and ended up making her spend most of her time - uncompensated - promoting the $11 billion Dora brand rather than performing as a paid actress."