When toy maker Mattel, working with Nickelodeon, announced earlier this month that a “tween” version of Nick’s beloved Dora the Explorer cartoon character would be unveiled in the fall, the response was overwhelmingly negative.
Dora the streetwalker. A sexed-up version of a children’s icon. A poor example for kids.
Those were just some of the terms tossed around the blogosphere after Mattel released a silhouette of the “new” Dora, whose image was drastically changed from the endearing tomboy look Dora fans grew to love, with her bowl-cut hairdo, T-shirt and red shorts. This new Dora appeared to have long flowing hair and was wearing what seemed a scanty skirt, emphasizing her long, shapely legs.
“Did Mattel turn Dora the Explorer into a Tramp?” read one headline from The Huffington Post. But not so fast.
Mattel and Nickelodeon both say there are two major misconceptions about the new Dora, which is not replacing the Dora the Explorer cartoon, but will be a new interactive doll aimed at the five- to eight-year-old, or tween market.
“The Dora that we all know and love is not going away,” said Leigh Anne Brodsky, president of Nickelodeon Viacom Consumer Products.
“I think there was just a misconception in terms of where we were going with this,” added Gina Sirard, vice-president of marketing at Mattel. “Pretty much the moms who are petitioning aging Dora up certainly don’t understand… I think they’re going to be pleasantly happy once this is available in October, and once they understand this certainly isn’t what they are conjuring up.”
Part of the confusion stemmed from the silhouette that was released, which made Dora look more like a Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan than a young girl. For the record, the doll does not wear a short dress, but a tunic and leggings. And while she looks older (she’s supposed to be about 10), with longer jewelry and longer hair, she doesn’t have makeup and seems pretty much like a 10-year-old girl.
But the new version is a significant switch from the Dora many preschoolers have known, aging her so the kids who tend to drop Dora once they hit kindergarten remain connected to the new character, who has a new group of girlfriends. (Boots, the Map, Swiper and other characters from the show didn’t make the transition).
The doll, which comes with a USB port and is compatible with online story lines that take Dora and four friends on new adventures involving the environment, social action and more, still has, as Sirard called it, the “Dora DNA.”
Dora is not only a TV sensation, but a global brand that attracts millions of kids through dolls, clothes, touring shows, DVDs and other merchandising and events.
