Dora the Explorer Grows Up and Gets a Makeover

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts) Feb 17th 2009 11:00AM

Dora the Explorer is a spunky, kind-hearted, bilingual kid who spends all of her time outdoors having adventures with her dearly loved friends. Until she grows up, that is. Nickelodeon and Mattel announced their new Dora Explorer Girls line yesterday, marketed to kids 5 and way over. That's right...Dora is now a a tween.

The new Dora, who will be revealed in the fall, lives in the big city and goes to middle school. She still solves mysteries but she's abandoned outdoor adventure for shopping, jewelry and fashion. She's also computer savvy; her new fans -- other tween girls -- will be able to plug into virtual Dora playtime on a new site.

"(The Dora's Explorer Girls brand) empowers girls to influence and change the lives of Dora and her new friends," says a press release from Mattel and Nickelodeon. What I wish that doll makers understood is that power shopping is not empowering. We've got a market full of Barbie, Bratz and Polly Pockets that already do a fine job of teaching girls about lip gloss, heels and consumerism.

Bad Kid-Habits and How You Can Fix Them

Whining

TRY: "I can't understand you when you're talking in that whiny voice. Can you ask again in a different way?" (You have to say this at least 10,000 times before it works.) Hold firm with: "I'm sorry you're upset but the answer is still no."

Zela on SXC

Bad Kid-Habit: Screen-obsession

TRY: "Hey kids, new rule: You can only watch TV [say your rules here]." Follow by posting the new rules on the fridge, which will give you the opportunity tosimply point rather than repeat the rule 100x per day.

TIP: Refer to the Tips on the Bad Kid-Habit Whining slide to cope with what happens immediately after you say this and for the 7-10 days that follow.

Annalog85 on SXC

Bad Kid-Habit: Won't Eat Anything

TRY: "If you eat that broccoli, I will cry! I'll do it! No! Don't eat it!" Follow with hysterical pretend-crying. For some reason our children love to watch us sob over veggies.

TIP: You have to really pour on the drama for this to work.

justinhenry on Flickr

Bad Kid-Habit: Won't Get Ready

TRY: We put a sticker chart by the door, and give stickers (princesses for our Little Princess, smiley faces for our Prince) every time they are ready at the door by 7:45.

TIP: Give a small prize when the chart has 25 stickers on it. Something small. Like stickers.

merfam on Flickr

Bad Kid-Habit: Ignores your requests

TRY: Wait until your child needs something (hungry, thirsty, help with a project) then say, "Sure-could you please just put your clothes in the hamper first? Thanks!"

TIP: Don't repeat requests a million times, because that turns your voice into Background Noise.

Johan Larsson on flickr

Bad Kid-Habit: Won't Go to Bed

TRY: Routine, routine, routine. After reading 1,000 books about this, routine is the common advice-thread. Figure out the sequence of events that works best for
your family and do their bedtime routine the same way at the same time every night. (If you have a great routine that works, will you post it in the comments?)

TIP: If you can incorporate things you say or sing into the routine every night, that's even better (like singing the same songs in the same order). Remember Pavlov?

Robert Crum on flickr

Bad Kid-Habit: Sibling fighting

TRY: "Okay you two are not allowed to play with each other for the next 5 minutes. Please find separate things to do." (Follow up with suggestions so they don't just stare helplessly into the middle distance).

TIP: This tends to make siblings unite against you in their desperate desire to play together. Really make them wait it out.

hyperboreal on flickr

Bad Kid-Habit: Dawdling

TRY: When you need your kids to walk along say "Green Light!" and when you need them to stop say "Red Light!" Add in fun by saying "Purple Light!" and explaining what that means (skipping, hopping, or kids' favorite method of forward-motion: the Gallop).

TIP: This comes in super-handy when kids are about to run too far down the block and you shout RED LIGHT!

bjearwicke on SXC

Bad Kid-Habit: Hitting

TRY: When she gets that "I'm going to hit you" look, prevent her from hitting by saying "no hitting that hurts" and moving out of reach or holding her hands.

TIP: Preventing hitting takes more vigilance but if you can do it, it's easier to correct the behavior rather than reacting once you have been hit and part of you is in parenting mode while part of you is distracted by: "Ow, my eye!"

jmcknight on flickr

Bad Kid-Habit: Clinging

TRY: Cling back. This sounds crazy but worked for me-I tell my 4 year old "Oh my gosh, you are stuck to my butt! Please hang on! Don't fall off!" She laughs like crazy while I try to get dressed and put my makeup on with her hanging on. After a few minutes she's had enough and lets go.

TIP: Finish your coffee first.

Sarah Serendipity on flickr

Dora has always offered girls something different. I hope that tween Dora is still brave, active and doesn't mind setting herself apart from the crowd. I mean, her best friend is (or was -- no word on what's happening to Boots) a talking monkey. Can Barbie say that?

Maybe I'm judging the new Dora too quickly. After all, all we've only seen her silhouette. But that flowing hair and those long, skinny legs give me great pause. My three-year-old adores Dora just the way she is. But she also loves "big girls." The minute she sees Tween Dora, will her devotion to that spunky little adventurer fade for a fashionista middle schooler?

It's like this: When Dora first showed up on the scene, she was an adventurer. But then her cousin Diego came along and suddenly Dora's toys were offering girls two options: princess or babysitter (to Dora's twin baby brother and sister). My hope for Dora's Explorer Girls is that they open up a whole new world of choices for girls 5 and up, not box them in even further.

Are you excited that your big girls will now have their own Dora to play with, or do you wish that Mattel and Nickelodeon had just left Dora alone?

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Comments (200)

Reader Comments (Page 2 of 10)

Riss 4-03-2009 @ 8:42PM

I just think it is sad that one more time girls are being turned upside down. Dora was a wonderful role model for girls. Girls are smart and talented, they deserve the opportunity to be represented as such. Turning her into another brainless shopping girl, makes me sad for the future of our girls. We need our children to be doctors and scientists, not more mindless consumers. I am sure Matel will make a tun of money, because all we do as parents is buy stuff for our children to make up for the time we aren't with them. But how sad to make our litlle ones grow up to fast. Because the age they are targeting won't watch the new Dora, the younger kids will and then we'll have even younger children growing up too fast. Too much, we need to stop pushing our children to grow up so fast. And we need to show our children they can be more than mindless consumers.

D 3-27-2009 @ 8:31PM

Thats not DOWA

anne 3-28-2009 @ 5:36PM

I do not see what people are upset about I think she looks like a very beautiful respectible girl of around 10. I do not see any resemblance to the trash that some of the dolls.

JP 3-28-2009 @ 3:07PM

I read that little kids see Dora as a role model. What kind of parent allows their kids to wander the neighborhood all day alone. We all joke that Dora and Diego are crossing the border, is that the kind of role model for our children?

Kneisha 3-27-2009 @ 10:03PM

i am 13 years old and i enjoy watching the young Dora. she is wvery intelligent and i think if she grows up that our young children (my little cousins) will grow up to be fake and think they can have what ever they want in other words.. spoiled brats. just like the bratz. me and my little cousins sit down and watch Dora everytime it comes on. i think if she gets older i won't want my cousins ewatching her, and i won't be intrested in dora anymore.

why 3-27-2009 @ 10:08PM

why do yall have to sex up cartoons? Look at all of teens having babies. It like the new fad is a pregant belly!

Myrna 3-27-2009 @ 10:18PM

I think you're stupid you're just a hater cuz you didn't come up with the idea and if you think that little girls are going to want to look older than you one perverted jerk cuz you're looking at little girls that way. Maybe you need to get a life and stop looking at everything in your life in a negative way. Go talk to a therapist!!!!!!!

LS 3-27-2009 @ 10:20PM

PLEASE STOP REPLYING TO LS. GO TO THE BOTTOM OF ALL OF THE COMMENTS AND PUT YOUR REPLY THERE!! YOU ARE CLOGGING MY E-MAIL WITH ALL THIS INANE CHATTER!!!

THANK YOU.

Kelly 3-27-2009 @ 10:40PM

Has anyone seen Dora Live and her half shirt belly showing overweight self? I am looking forward to mini skirts, at least they will cover essential parts!!

Leanne 3-27-2009 @ 11:21PM

I think the difference of opinion stems from the premise of why someone approved of the doll/character/cartoon in the first place. If people were only following the trends, then of course they have no problem with the new changes. This will just be another new trend for them to mindlessly throw their money and children at.

But if the reason you approved of this doll/character/cartoon was because of the character, individuality, and intelligent behavior it exhibited, then you would be just as disappointed as many of us are. It's disheartening to lose such an age appropriate role model.

I don't understand why they don't expand on the Alicia character for the tweens and leave Dora untouched. I already refuse to buy my daughter anything to do with the Bratz and as for Hannah Montana? No way would I or will I feed that marketing monster.

An observation from reading the other responses, I can't help but notice that the people "endorsing" the change are NOT parents. I can't help but feel this will be a very unwise financial decision for Mattel and Nickelodeon.

Sheryl 3-28-2009 @ 11:11PM

My granddaughter (8 years old) is with me this evening and she said, "no way to the make over". She asked about "Boots" ~ did I read correctly that he won't be a part of the "new" Dora?

I'm not for the upgrade at all...

Steph 3-28-2009 @ 2:18AM

GET OVER IT PARENTS! do you have nothing else better to do than write petitions regarding a cartoon character growing up? i think its a great idea from a marketing point of view and also it helps the girls who don't want to let go to Dora the explorer because they are "too old" grow up with her. Little girls Love playing dress up, shopping in games, changing hair color eye color, its basically making a doll yourself and most little girls or tween girls enjoy that. about 10 years ago the "Rugrats" grew up. no one complained about that! parents today are too protective of the political correctness, let your children be children and get over it...

not telling 3-31-2009 @ 1:11PM

YOU HAVE TO MAKE DORA A TWEEN! OLDER PEOPLE WILL STOP MAKING FUN OF HER! SHE'LL BE A HIT! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE NEW DORA! AFTER DORA IS A TWEEN, PEOPLE SHOULD MAKE HER A TEEN! THEN, AN ADULT! THEN, A TEEN AGAIN! THEN, A TWEEN! THEN, THE OLD DORA THATS MOST LIKELY A 5 YEAR OLD! THEN THEY SHOULD MAKE HER A BABY! THEN, WHEN SHE IS AN ADULT SHE CAN GET MARRIED, HAVE A KID, THEN HER KID WILL BE THE STAR!

ttupper 2-17-2009 @ 11:55AM

I would have to say I am glad. When there are characters out there like The Bratz for my daughters to latch on to it is nice there is something like Dora out there. My 5 year old loved Dora as a toddler and preschooler but as you can imagine she has outgrown it. I think she will be happy about the “New Dora”.

Barbara 3-09-2009 @ 10:07PM

So now that you little girl is "done" with the little Dora she should grow up? How about leaving her little so the rest of the little girls can enjoy her. My daughter is only 2 and really connects with Dora as she is. Geeze can't little kids be little kids anymore?

ttupper 3-10-2009 @ 6:18AM

For your information my daughter makes. Her own choice when she decides to move on with a character. I let my daufhters grow up at thier own pace. You know nothing about how I raise my children. Why ignorant people always have to attack other people is beyond me. This is a friendly blog site. Get off your high horse.

Sydd 2-17-2009 @ 12:30PM

Wow. Dora was the only vaguely cool figure in Americanized girl-cartoons.. and now she has to become a conformist twit like every other femme-aimed product?

You know what I think? I can't help but feel like the media supergeniuses that came up with this idea want to glorify stupidity in young American girls. It's bad enough that young women have to be faced with anorexic, stick-figured models and celebrities with completely unrealistic forms to aspire to, to role-model themselves after. Marketers continually barrage them with the idea that in order to be a "normal" little girl, you have to like makeup, fashion, and have an interest in the opposite sex -- anything that deviates from this is labeled "butch," or "tomboy," and is projected on them negatively, somehow puts them in the light of a future in lesbianism. WTF?

I have a little girl that's due in June. Now I have a mad desire to go out and buy the last remaining artifacts of young Dora before American media bastardizes her and sells her upriver to the fashionistas. I suppose the money still goes in their pockets.. capitalist penny-sharks.

What's next? Are they going to re-release My Little Pony to give them lipstick and eyeshadow and little pony-skirts? "My Little Pony Goes To The Mall"? "My Little Pony Wants Her Own Credit Card"? It's enough to make you sick.

One last thought: I always thought there was a little rhyme schematic that went along with Dora: "Dora the Explore-ah." Brings to mind that this rennovation of classic Dora represents a dawning of the new age: "Dora becomes a Whore-ah."

- Sydd

Mikhyel 2-17-2009 @ 8:35PM

Actually, they've already practically done that to My Little Pony. If you look at the current models, they're much different than the older ones. First off, they're much skinnier -- even the ponies have to be anorexic now! Plus, this year they all have (stupid) names branded on their legs, in order to cement them into their pre-defined roles. Also, instead of many different ponies, the last few years have seen only the same ponies repeated with slight changes in decoration and clothing. Yes, clothing, including really ugly pony mini-skirts. They come with pre-determined personalities and hobbies/jobs, and guess what? Not a scientist, mathematician, or in fact, ANY traditionally "male" pursuit among them. Not to mention, of course, that all the male ponies were phased out years ago. Because having boys involved in "girl" games is almost as bad as having intelligent, ambitious girls, don't you know?

Kim 2-17-2009 @ 9:07PM

Some things are better left as they are which is one reason Dennis the Menace is still a young boy. But if they wanted to market to a older demographic l wish they would have her doing more constructive "girl" things other than make-up ..jewelry .. and shopping.. keep her a explorer but have her discovering science .. politics and community building..and helping others.

Tracey 2-19-2009 @ 1:31PM

I love your post! Dora the whore-ah. So funny. Sad that it is true, but funny. And the My Little Pony thing... They do have that. They have skirts, tiaras, and even high heels to put on their hooves.Poor ponies. And our poor girls.