Have you been following the hubbub surrounding Dora the Explorer 2.0? Mattel and Nickolodeon recently announced that they are introducing a tween Dora. From the press release:
The cornerstone of the entire line is the Dora Links fashion doll. By plugging the doll into the computer, girls can a
ccess Dora’s brand-new interactive online world. This exciting innovation in computer-connected play offers girls a unique interactive experience: as girls are playing online they can customize their doll and watch as she magically transforms right before their eyes. For example, by changing Dora’s hair length, jewelry, and eye color on screen, the Dora doll magically changes as well.
The online world will include descriptions and biographies of Dora’s Explorer Girls™ and an immersive online world that will be tied into the complete collection of toys. Online, girls can explore Dora’s world, talk to the characters, earn currency, and help Dora solve mysteries which will be uploaded on a regular basis. As girls explore and solve mysteries online, the doll’s speech will change to correspond with their play. In addition, Dora Links features a magical alert system that lets the doll know when new mysteries are being uploaded to the Dora site. Even when the child is away from the computer playing with the doll, she will let girls know what new things are happening in the online world.
Adding to the play value of the line will be a wide range of accessories (sold separately) as well as the Dora’s Seaside School playset that will work with Dora Links to expand traditional offline fashion doll play as well as to expand the online experience. Girls can download new speech, music, and mysteries into the locker, and also will enter a huge new portion of the online world, which is Dora’s school. Read more…
This announcement, which was accompanied by a mysterious silhouette of the made-over character sparked a furor among those worried that Mattel and Nickolodeon would, at worse, ”sex up” the beloved bilingual adventurer, and at best, turn what is an empowering character for young girls into a stereotypical hearts, ponies and lipstick gender stereotype. (Here’s a good overview of the concerns about new Dora)
Now that new Dora has been revealed. What do you think?
I very much dislike new Dora. I think they completely took the “Explorer” away. How is she going to go on adventures with ballet slippers and no back pack. If they had made Dora grown up, but kept her as an explorer it would have been great, but I think that Nick and Mattel f’d this one up.
The issue here is less about the new Dora and more about why they would change the original Dora. She is perfect now. Why change her?
Dora is a preschool icon. She is adored by so many little children and their mothers for the complete mix of positive attributes.
When Nickelodeon wanted a boy brand they developed Diego. Why wouldn’t they just develop this Tween brand as a cousin or a friend?
When we saw a need for role models for our Tween daughters and developed the Hip Chicas inspired by Dora and other Latina preschool brands.
This option would give girls that grow out of Dora a new set of multicultural role models that are hip, smart, fashionable, yet socially conscious. The result was the five characters we developed and have been hailed for in the press [google: Hip Chicas].
We built an interactive virtual world where the characters guide girls’ activities in order to be where Tweens are today. We changed the concept of “HIP”, redefining it as to “Help Improve the Planet”.
So when heard Nickelodeon say that Dora would be the new “City Dora” with “adventures in the mall”, we became very concerned with the confusion this would cause our daughters, who are more than just shoppers.
We would prefer that they had left Dora alone, but wish the people at Nickelodeon the best. Hopefully they will do a better job on this going forward.
Hey, maybe one day Dora and her new “four friends” can leave the mall for a while and visit the Hip Chicas at http://www.HipChicas.com, so that they can learn how they too can Be Hip!
She looks like a pretty 11-year-old dressed in a fairly typical, fashionable outfit for middle-school girls. I don’t see much wrong with it. I assume they’ll still continue to use the preschool character as well, but are just trying to branch out to the middle school market that grew up with Dora and are too old for the preschool version now.
The actual look of the doll doesn’t bother me but the apparent emphasis on clothing is distressing. There are so many options for girls who are fashion conscious. My daughter is still a bit away from being a tween but I want her to have lots of different options and this Dora seems like the same old same old.
So … now kids can make Dora blonde and blue-eyed. Swell.
I agree with Whoopi when they talked about this on The View. Get her some boots! You can’t go explorin’ in ballet flats!!!
With her easily tear-able outfit, stick-arms, stick-legs, lack of socks, dressy shoes that won’t last 10 minutes on a hike, and giant hoop earrings, the new Dora looks more ready for a life in suburbia than a life exploring anything interesting, much less going on any hikes or anything athletic at all.
What, is Dora going to help people out from the safety of her home pc?
That is, she will have hoop earrings. Every earring wearing cartoon character eventually will. Especially brown ones.
I see that at least they didn’t “sex up” the Dora doll. That has to be a positive.
However, to move Dora into shopping adventures seems a bit lame considering her outdoor adventures with animals that could talk.
Will she run into strange moll cops?
What exactly will her adventures be? That will be the true test of the characters success. I’m not hopeful, but maybe I should wait and see what else happens.
More Cowbell – you do realize there are blonde-haired, blue-eyed Latino people, correct?
It is the same theme all dolls for that age bracket who are popular have: the mall. She is pretty, looks like a typical 11 year old but that is the issue here. Let’s show girls that age that there are other things besides fashion and the mall. Let’s give her explorer outfits, new adventures besides the sale at Gap.
I don’t think yall understand. This Dora is not replacing the Dora on the tv show. She will continue to be little mismatched chubby Dora. This Dora is going to be a Doll and a computer game etc. Something that parents can buy for their kids who might have liked Dora as a child but has grown up. I think its a good idea.
It’s all about $$ for Matt%el. It’s too bad, if they were going to make her a tween, she has to be just like all the other tween icons. Like the other commenters said, they should have kept her same “explorer” type persona.
Well, knowing nothing at all about the new Dora, my 9.5 yo just the other day said, “I wish Dora was older because I still like her.”
Poof! She’s older-looks as much like my DD as she did as a little Dora. My DD ahs an outfit or 5 almost exactly like the one the new Dora has up above. Ballet flats are the “in” shoes-she wears them pretty much every day unless the class is going on an outdoor field trip.
While the mall and fashion is kind of limited as far as imagination goes, kids this age often WANT to play “mall” and still love dressing up, so I can see how this would really appeal to them.
As for being able to change hair color, eye color, etc. We know a blond, blue-eyed little boy who is biracial AA and White. Or there’s always the possibility that a WHITE Dora fan might want to make her computerized Dora look like her, no? Is that any different from our kids of color wanting to see dolls and characters look like THEM?
I think it’s fine. As girls get older, they won’t want to play with the preschool version of Dora anymore. In a world of Bratz and Barbies, this preteen Dora seems like a great option.
@ Kristen & Agibean: Yes, POCs of course cover a wide spectrum, appearance-wise. My own kids are biracial and are spread out fairly wide on that spectrum themselves. And yes, a White Dora fan might like to have a Dora who looks likes her.
I’m certainly not arguing any of that – I guess my feeling is that White girls have PLENTY of role models who look like them, Dora is fantastic the way she is, why change her so fundamentally? Clothes are one thing, but hair and eye color? To me that just smacks too much of giving over to the screwed up standards of beauty in this society. My daughters had enough problems with that, coming up, without Dora going blonde.
My personal reaction upon hearing that Dora, a healthy role model who is a female of color, can now be changed to appear White, was one of disappointment. When my kids were little, it was so hard to find dolls, characters, toys, who reflected them — I’d have loved for Dora, explorer extraordinaire, to be around when they were that young. Being able to change her core identity now to appear more like the majority … I feel like it’s a loss, and it makes a statement. Maybe I’m doing the mountain out of a molehill thing, but that was just my personal reaction.
As for the comments about kids getting older and wanting to take Dora with them, that is a good point, I think it makes sense. I’d still like to see her keep more of an explorer personality rather than this mall chick theme, but that’s just me.
I am relieved that they didn’t try to make the new Dora all “sexy” like some other dolls… Bratz, for example. She looks like a pretty young lady who enjoys taking some time with her appearance… not like sex-object dressing only to attract attention from boys.
I don’t see anything inherently wrong with the new Dora but I agree… there are already plenty of preteen-targeted products/characters focused mostly on clothes and fashion. A little balance would be nice.
I do not buy the company’s explanation at all. Dora’s fans do not “grow with her”: there will always be a new crop of preschoolers who like (and need) the “old” Dora just fine. *Those* kids will be Dora’s new fans.
What they are doing, IMO, is cashing in on the age creep that has younger and younger girls being targeted for older characters–such as the High School Musical and Hannah Montana franchises. They are also taking advantage of an opportunity to make her more “princess-y” to compete with the Disney franchise–something that they started a while back with the longer-haired Dora princess.
If they really wanted a character that older children could relate to they could have easily created…(surprise!) a new, older female character. Or, just use Diego’s sister Alicia.
@ more cowbell: Yes, this is exactly my take. There are plenty of dolls that are blond and blue-eyed out there, just as there are plenty of dolls that focus on fashion. Dora should not try to be just another version of those dolls.
Dora is also supposed to be a character, and as such she has specific visual traits, like her skin, eye and hair color. To me, changing those doesn’t give you a “blond Dora” it gives you a not-Dora. My daughter does not look typically Latina, but I like that Dora does so that she can see that part of her heritage reflected in a positive role model.
I don’t know if you all follow Viva La Feminista, but both she (http://www.vivalafeminista.com/) and I (http://www.canow.org/canoworg/2009/03/dont-let-mattels-makeover-destroy-dora.html) have done posts around the issue of Dora’s changing appearance.
I think Dora’s move from the country to the big city coinciding with the switch to a “girlier” Dora is also relevant. Essentially, the tween Dora is becoming more mainstream in a lot of ways. More focussed on appearance, more urban, more typically girly, and the ability to change her appearance reads as a mainstreaming via whitening to me.
It isn’t just one factor in this that troubles me, it’s the whole package, and the message that we’re sending to little girls, and especially girls of color.
i hate the new dora please change it
This is what gives me pause:
“The online world will include descriptions and biographies of Dora’s Explorer Girls™ and an immersive online world that will be tied into the complete collection of toys. Online, girls can explore Dora’s world, talk to the characters, earn currency, and help Dora solve mysteries which will be uploaded on a regular basis. As girls explore and solve mysteries online, the doll’s speech will change to correspond with their play. In addition, Dora Links features a magical alert system that lets the doll know when new mysteries are being uploaded to the Dora site. Even when the child is away from the computer playing with the doll, she will let girls know what new things are happening in the online world.”
It sounds like she is a hook to get girls to want to spend more time on the Mattel site in order to spend more money. The doll is a walking advertisement. They are just trying to hold on to brand loyalty from all those toddlers growing up. I think it’s kind of creepy that the doll is going to have a magic alert alert system calling them back to the website.
I hate that they are going to change Dora. My daughter is 18 months old and absolutely adores Dora. There is nothing in this world that makes me happier than the look on her face when she see Dora. Even if they make Dora “grow up”, the kids that grew up with her are no longer interested in Dora. They now have Hannah Montana and High School Musicial. I don’t think the new Dora is going to do what they think it will do. I say dont fix what isn’t broke. Dora could not be more perfect the way she is.
The change should have been Dora + The Wild Thornberries.
More complex plots, but the same explorer outlook.
Keep the original Dora for the pre k set and use the new one for the tweens. Simple enough.
I’m with PPR_Scribe. If there motives were what they claimed, why NOT use Diego’s sister? They all ready have a pre-teen girl with big GREEN eyes there. Of course, she would have to carry a computer, as well as some other cool “science” gear. Ah yes, we won’t find that girl at the mall. The girl like that will be outside, so we won’t target market her….
I dont get why they had to go and mess her up. all the little kids loved her so why? I dont think as many kids will like her, Cus I KNOW teens are not going to watch her! i mean come on, Omg did you watch dora last night! I never would have thought she would have found that mall!! can you pitchure that???? I KNOW i cant. Every morning when i wake up and see dora on i say well you will not be there for so long. any way where is her back pack and what about boots?!?!?! and if she dont have map then she will get lost, she always does, entill map comes. maybe she has a G.P.S?? i dont know. i know lots for little girls will miss her.
actually she is the cutest girl i ever seen!
First of all dora does NOT look like a streetwalker or a tramp.
I, personally love the new dora and i belive it will help older kids to watch her show.
AND before her makeover her shirt didnt even cover her belly button- so by covering her up she is a street walker?
lastly little girls look up to older girls so she will still be an icon.
If you still dont belive me the change the F***ing channel, seriously!
i think that it is wonderful that dora is growing up because well she is growing up a lot of viewers are growing up together with dora.And also show them how they have to act in that age which teach’s them good lesson’s
I think this uproar is ridiculous! Okay big deal shes growing up. I’m not surprized that kids didnt notice that she isn’t getting older and they are. I know plenty of two year old that watch and luv hannah montanah and plenty other shows that 11 and 12 year olds watch. I mean some people love miley cyrus and shes had many of mistakes in the past that kids find out about. Kids know alot more than we think and Iv’e seen pre-schoolers have boyfriends and girlfriends and we are making a big deal over a cartoon.
i agree with rose this is a very lame excuse to freak out over. my cousin is in preschool and he already has a girlfriend and i know little kids are gonna notice that Dora and Diego aren’t getting any older. i honestly see nothing wrong… i am a tween myself and this doll hasn’t effected any little girls i babysit around my neighborhood. This new Dora is more for girls around 6 to 8 years old. Younger girls i think ignore her because they don’t recognize her but older girls understand that this is a new Dora so they look up to her. As long as Nickelodeon keeps her sex appeal down i won’t mind. Little girls aren’t gonna drop their toys and go shopping for stilettos or belly-shirts.
and plus when she was younger her shorts were short and her shirt was a belly shirt. she walked around with wild animals all alone and goes on adventures, takes care of little babies, where the crap is her parents?! she does have grandparents but when i was younger i saw them only in a few episodes so older Dora in the city in civilization is MUCH better.
i disagree with Honeybunches-of-oats
she gets lost because she doesn’t go with a guardian anywhere and teens of course aren’t gonna watch but a lot like me have babysitting jobs so they will most likely have Dora or something on while the kid falls asleep. maybe kids want to grow up with her so there is not anything wrong with new dora
i love the new tween dora doll shes cute