Mattel gives Dora the Explorer a trampy make-over?

Nickelodeon and Mattel, makers of Barbie, are putting a new spin on the Dora the Explorer consumer products. The “problem” with the Dora franchise is that its geared towards preschoolers. This usually means that by around age 8, children lose interest entirely. Mattel, in an effort to extend the character’s shelf life, have decided age Dora in some consumer products to re-capture the girls from 8 to tweens. The new Dora will only exist in the toy-line and not on television, but the new look still has parents outraged.

Bloggers on the Huffington Post are calling the new Dora a “tramp” based the teaser silhouette of the character released last week. The silhouette left parents to believe that Dora’s long top would be a mini-skirt. After yesterday’s big reveal (she has leggings), many parents have calmed down, yet, still remained concerned. The president of Nickelodeon Viacom consumer products, Leigh Anne Brodsky, even spoke to the press to reassure the public that Dora isn’t going to change. The new look is for an interactive doll that plugs into your computer and aimed at tweens (think Teddy Ruxpin 2.0).

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