Flap Over "Dora" Exploring Tween Years

Many Parents Upset Over Plans For 10-Year-Old Version Of Cartoon Character; Is She Too Sexy?

(CBS/ AP)  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 and Nickelodeon 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.

"When we heard about the change online," on mother told ,b>CBSD News. "We were pretty disappointed."

Another mother remarked to CBS News, "It's a shame that they had to change it."

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.

"People care so deeply about this brand and this character," Leigh Anne Brodsky, president of Nickelodeon Viacom Consumer Products, says. "The Dora that we all know and love is not going away."

"I think there was just a misconception in terms of where we were going with this," Gina Sirard, vice president of marketing at Mattel, says. "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.

Psychologist Sharon Lamb, author of "Packaging Girlhood," tells CBS News she worries that the wholesome Dora image is being compromised, saying, "Dora's one of the only clear alternatives to these preteen and teenage dolls, and we just want to preserve that alternative for girls."

Nickelodeon and Mattel say that, as part of unrelated research, they found parents wanted a way to keep Dora in their children's lives and have their daughters move on to a toy that was age-appropriate.

"The idea is Dora for more girls," Brodsky says. "The whole point was this was created because moms said help us."

Sirard told CBS News, "The moms who are talking about it are exactly like the moms we researched. ... These are the moms who asked for an alternative for their older girl to stay in the Dora franchise longer.

"What we're doing is extending the existing Dora property. Dora as every mom knows her and loves her right now will continue on Nickelodeon as a preschool show. ... This new property ... will live solely on the Internet. We're not making her anything more than she already is -- an aspirational icon."

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 and first grade remain connected to the new character, who has a new group of girlfriends to go exploring with (Sorry, but 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."

"What would Dora be if she grew up? You'd have what you'd have before you: a very sweet, wholesome adventurous. ... She's a perfect role model in that regard."

But as Coca-Cola infamously discovered when it trotted out "new Coke" almost 25 years ago and Tropicana recently found out when it changed - then reverted to - its famous cover design after public confusion and outcry, making any changes, or even additions, to a famous brand can upset consumers.

In this case, Dora is more than a just a cartoon character. The bilingual adventurer, praised for encouraging kids to explore and use their imaginations, is a 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.

"A lot of people think of Dora as something for their small kids. And part of the reason people like Dora is because it teaches their kids to be inquisitive and curious in an educational way, because no one wants their kids to grow up fast," says Jean-Pierre Dube, professor of marketing at the University of Chicago's graduate school of business.

Dube says it's not uncommon for children's characters or products to evolve and mature with their age group, but Mattel and Nickelodeon may have complicated matters because instead of aging the actual character, they are introducing an extension of it.

"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."'

[Karamom]

Um, Sharon, I appreciate your concern, however, as a Latina woman, I think you need to realize that we come in more varieties than brown hair and brown eyes. Latin people have all different colors and shades of eyes, hair and skin. Your comment was a bit of a "slap in the face" to me. In addition, "thick around the middle" is not healthy, no matter how many children are on their way to adulthood obesity. I hope that this doll will present a healthy, balanced body image, one that is neither too skinny, nor too pudgy.

[DanielleQ]

A big thank you to Sharon Lamb & Lyn Mikel Brown who do the work they do! I wonder how Sharon has been one of very few readers who have commented in the outraged way I was expecting many others (mothers, daughters, women, girls, heck even men and boys should care enough to comment about this!) to. What an absolute shock - it reminds me of the purely business mindset of marketers and how we should never actually trust that they're doing something for the sake of doing it. I can't help but be reminded of Dove's campaign for real beauty... put out by the makers of Axe products and their misogynistic commercials. They'll do anything that suckers us in.

[Christy_Ford]

The tween Dora will not be an air head obsessed with shopping, makeup and boys.

She will be socially aware and responsible, helping out in her community and solving mysteries that relate to the environment and such.

Surely that's nothing to complain about.

[SharonLamb]

I'm Sharon Lamb, the "expert" interviewed for the segment on DORA on CBS. They only used one quote from my interview, the one about how Dora is the ONLY alternative left on a market that's full of tween/teen dolls. My C0-author, Lyn Mikel Brown and her organization Hardy Girls Healthy Women helped to create a petition to leave Dora the same -- OR, if they were going to make her over, to make her over into a different kind of pre-teen girl than what marketers think is popular. We have over 8000 signatures and urge you to read the comments from all the moms and dads on it ; http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Dora_Makeover/
Some of my remarks that weren't included in the segment were as follows:
What a slap in the face to Latina girls, to create a Latina doll and then say that online you can change her eye and hair color!
Hasn't Mattel seen 9 and 10 year old girls at recess? They still dress like the old Dora. Maybe one or two girls in a class are into fashion like Bratz dolls, but the vast majority do not dress like the new Dora and don't hyperaccessorize. (I think I counted 7 accessories.)
Why do marketers believe that growing up means caring about fashion and looking slim? We developmental psychologists have shown through many studies that exposure to this "thin ideal" is damaging to girls' self-esteem and body image. Why didn't they leave Dora thick around the middle (like many real girls)?
And why must every tween doll be into fashion, pet stores, or the mall? That's a stereotype. The tween girls we know care about the world and want to go exploring, much like preschool Dora.
And what happened to the developmental period between preschool and middle school? Why must a preschool doll suddenly develop into a pre-teen? What about ages 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10?
That's all. Please sign our petition and join us in standing up to marketers who really just want to expand a brand in order to make money. They don't care a fig about girls' "empowerment." Empowerment to them means the power to shop and flirt with cute boys!

[Diana_ex_Dora_fan]

This new Dora, is not representative of my values or those of many educated, caring moms. No, she's at least not sexualized like the Bratz dolls, but is that how low we're going to set the bar? Instead she gives up all of her intellectual and social pursuits for SHOPPING? Really? all young girls should waste their time on "fashion" and "slimming down", and hanging out at the mall". It's crass commercialism at best. It's demeaning, ignorant, stereotypical, and mind-numbing as well.

My latina 9 year old, still cares more about books, adventure, sports than fashion. She doesn't know about "dieting", only about good nutritious food. And she'd rather shop for books, or sports gear, than "leggings. She'd rather be outside than hanging out at the "mall". " I grew up in NYC, and as a "tween", I preferred to hangout in Central Park or Riverside, or the National Museum of Natural History.

And they've learned to value old friends, not to dump them for new ones.

Luckily, there shouldn't be too much peepr pressure around here, in a college community, we will all steer our daughters away from that mess.

[Starlighteve25]

I can not belive anyone would have a problem with the new Dora, I think she is a wonderful transition for girls today. The best thing is she is still a cartoon so she will always be able to hold good values. The will never be a bad photo going around about her, she will never be caught in a bad outfit, and best of all she wont get pregnant at 16! Thank you Mattel for giving us an alternative, and stil keeping old Dora.

[mosley1982]

The new Dora doll is pretty..She is fully clothed.No belly showing and wearing capris...so she is dressed as my daughter would dress...She is no tramp. She is adorable

[cvanoff]

I really don't understand why anyone would have an issue with the "tween" version of Dora. She looks a little bit like I used to look....at the age of 9!

Like houseof6, I DO have a problem with the Bratz dolls.

[hyacynth64]

I am a fan of the original Dora, However, I am pleased to see this this ten year old Dora as well. I can't wait to see how it is recieved when it comes in the stores. It represents little girls being little girls. It's better than those Bratz!

[houseof6]

When my daughter saw the new Dora she was very excited because she looked just like her. She even had me print out a picture to show her class for show and tell. I am excited she is very current and dresses like other children at my daughter's school. She looks like any typical 9 year old you see. I am sure the same values will continue. She is most certainly not a Bratz type girl.(which I do not agree with and don't let my daughter get) She sort of eminates Barbie's Kelly line which is nice.

[plutonia67]

New Dora looks good. Her clothes mirror today's fashion.

[fabrat1]

I think it's cute and the new Dora should replace the old one on the tv show as well.