Blogs » Pop Goes the Culture » Tween Dora has moms still seeing red

Subscribe


 
Tween Dora has moms still seeing red
By AprillBrandon in Pop Goes the Culture
March 18, 2009

Image

When my brother was a toddler, he could not get enough of "Dora the Explorer." Considering I was a teenager at the time, that same show made me want to permanently damage my ear drums so I wouldn't have to hear that stupid map song one more time.

But at least the kid wasn't watching Barney.

Now my brother is 10 and curiously enough, so is Dora.

For those who haven't heard, Mattel and Nickelodeon teamed up to produce a new tween Dora doll, much to the angst of mothers around the globe. I believe words like "tramp" and "Dora the Street Walker" were thrown around out there in cyberspace.

But now the two companies are trying to soothe moms over by explaining the reasons behind the new doll, according to Yahoo News. Both say there are two major misconceptions about the new Dora, which is not replacing the younger Dora cartoon, and is only a new interactive doll aimed at 5-to-8-year-olds. The doll was created as a way to keep children interested in Dora as they outgrew the show.

But people hate change. And even though the older Dora wears a tunic and leggings and has no makeup on, parents are still irate. Especially since one of the first images of the new Dora had her looking more Lindsay Lohan than a cute, bilingual explorer who hangs out with maps.

In my opinion, it's too early to tell how this will all play out yet. But at least parents can take solace that there isn't a new "grown up" Barney doll being released wearing a man-kini. Shudder