Dora’s Explorer Girls
© 2009 Mattel, Inc.
Can a popular preschool idol age up, in way that your middle schooler won't think is dorky? Mattel and Nickelodeon think so, pointing to Sesame Street's Elmo as an example. This fall, Mattel will launch a new line of Dora the Explorer products with a new look to the outgoing bilingual Latino girl. The idea is to empower girls to influence and change the lives of Dora and her new friends. Now 12-ish (aka "tweenage"), Dora finds herself in middle school and is thinking a lot about friends and fashion. Fortunately, her school is now a virtual world, with games and puzzles. From Mattel's view, the main product is a "Dora Links" fashion doll, a $60 battery-operated toy (three AAAs) that comes with a USB port which provides two-way communication with Dora's virtual world. (The most innovative part.) If you change Dora’s hair length on the screen, her "real" hair will also change length, right before your eyes. LEDs in the doll also let you change the color of her jewelry and eyes, again both on the screen an in the doll. Once online, you can chat to the characters, earn money, shop, and solve mysteries. The doll’s speech also acts as an alert system, telling girls when new mysteries are available on the web site. So even when the doll isn't connected, it can tell you that you need to go online to check out some new content, possibly making this the first doll that doubles as a talking RSS reader. Additional $35 themed playsets unlock additional online content, including a classroom, the seaside, a library, cafeteria, art room and music room. Additional dolls, or BFFs, will also be released, each with their own rooms, and themed toys and fashion packs will feature accompanying online content. For example, the Pet Salon pack uploads a virtual puppy and pet salon, giving Dora her own virtual pet that will follow her around. Coming Fall 2009.
$60, Windows, Mac OSX, Internet Site, Smart Toy
Teaches: creativity, roll play, virtual worlds