Dora The Explorer Grows Up? Just a little

[MA-Caver]

After Dora uproar, Nick and Mattel soothe moms

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Ap Music Writer – 1 hr 14 mins agohttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090316/ap_en_ot/dora_for_tweens

NEW YORK – 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 overwhelming ... 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.

I've a couple of nieces that absolutely ADORE Dora (yeah, rhymes) and so how this change to keep that little explorer up to date is going to affect them ... largely depends upon how she is written out... not by how she looks. Yeah that dress (see pic below) is "short" but she IS wearing spandex below all that. Lots of girls including my nieces like to wear the spandex... and often times it's a one piece.
:idunno: how do you moms here view it?
Below the Old Dora and the New Dora... you be the judge.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Looks like a standard anime/manga style bit.

 

[exile]

Definitely, at least semi Barbified. But follow the money and it all makes sense.

The demographic they're appealing to increasingly has disposable income of its own to dispose of, as vs. the original Dora fan circle, whose age range bottoms out amongst those who aren't 100% certain to cross a room on two legs.

In contrast, a lot of 10-12 year olds seem to have bigger yearly allowances than my first teaching job salary. Never overlook an opportunity to appeal to those with fat wallets, even if they haven't quite made it through middle school!

 

[Gordon Nore]

She doesn't look like she's dressed for explorin'.

 

[MA-Caver]

Definitely, at least semi Barbified. But follow the money and it all makes sense.

The demographic they're appealing to increasingly has disposable income of its own to dispose of, as vs. the original Dora fan circle, whose age range bottoms out amongst those who aren't 100% certain to cross a room on two legs.

In contrast, a lot of 10-12 year olds seem to have bigger yearly allowances than my first teaching job salary. Never overlook an opportunity to appeal to those with fat wallets, even if they haven't quite made it through middle school!

Right...

(from the article)
"What we learned from this is people really cherish and value what Dora represents, and if you start trying to license that out or extend that brand, this is a really risky thing to do," he says.
"We could certainly make a case that the public is overreacting and that they're drawing conclusions that aren't there, but there's some important information there, and that is, 'Don't mess with this brand unless you're very careful.'"

 

[bluekey88]

She doesn't look like she's dressed for explorin'.

Doesn't look like she's hookin' either.

Sounds like much ado about nuthin' to me.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Steve]

I've a couple of nieces that absolutely ADORE Dora (yeah, rhymes) and so how this change to keep that little explorer up to date is going to affect them ... largely depends upon how she is written out... not by how she looks. Yeah that dress (see pic below) is "short" but she IS wearing spandex below all that. Lots of girls including my nieces like to wear the spandex... and often times it's a one piece.
:idunno: how do you moms here view it?
Below the Old Dora and the New Dora... you be the judge.

Oh man... much ado about nothing, as far as I'm concerned. She doesn't look like a tomboy, but I don't see anything "sexed up" about it at all. My daughter's almost 12 and that's about what she looks like... and I'm very conservative about what my daughter wears.

Aren't there real issues that people can get worked up about?

 

[theletch1]

Amen, brother on the real issues to get worked up over.

I don't see anything to get worked up over. She is slimmed down a bit which should be seen as motivating the target to avoid obesity. She certainly doesn't look trampy.

 

[Gordon Nore]

I don't think she looks trampy either -- she looks like the way tween girls want to look. But she isn't dressed for an archaelogical dig.

When I teach phys ed, sometimes I have a real struggle with girls who show up at school with the tightish pants and skirts, heels or boots, and no running shoes. I explain to them that they can wear this stuff elsewhere, parents willing, but for gym, they need to have suitable attire. There's this odd disconnect, where it seems to them like I'm taking something from them.

Yes, girls can do all the things boys can do, but they can't do them all in heels and a tight skirt. Taking away the heels and the tight skirt and replacing it with clothing for the task doesn't rob young girls of their femininity or their girl-power, etc, but they think it does.

What I'm seeing here in the Tween Dora -- and perhaps I'm reading too much into it -- is the pressure on girls to girlie and pretty all the time, according to some external standard. Girls don't stop being girls because they put on jeans and hiking boots, or a gym uniform and runners.

 

[terryl965]

Dora is dressed better than 50 percent of the school that I teach at and we have a dress code.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

As long as it isn't those 'Bratz' dolls. As far as I'm concerned, those monstrosities should have been called 'Trampz' or 'Slutz'. Evil, evil, evil.