Much has been made in the media of the fact that Bratz knocked Barbie off their long-held pedestal as the bestselling fashion dolls in the world. Those of you who were discouraged by this news will be pleased to know that Mattel is preparing a counter-attack, and she goes by the name of Dora the Explorer.
Wait, Dora? You mean the mushroom-shaped little bilingual girl who urges you to jump up and down until you wish she'd shove that monkey sidekick down her throat? No. Tween Dora.
Unfortunately, we have no photos of Tween Dora, because photography was expressly forbidden in the Dora zone. When we arrived at the Fisher Price/Mattel galleria, we were immediately ushered into a tiny room furnished with fuzzy hot pink butterfly chairs. We were told that what we were about to see would “revolutionize the way girls play with dolls.” And then they unveiled her.
The good news is that Tween Dora is actually quite cute. Our photo editor Lauren saw a resemblance to America Ferrara. She is, yes, somewhat Bratz-like, especially in head-to-body ratio. However, unlike the Bratz, she wears charm bracelets, ruffly tunic tops, embroidered pants , with no Lycra, platform boots or liquid eyeliner in site. Even Dora’s bathing suits look like something totally appropriate for a middle school kid.
And that’s what Tween Dora is – a middle school kid, of ambiguous age and ethnicity, who lives in the ambiguous “city by the sea” with a gaggle of racially diverse gal pals named Alana, Naiya, Kate and Emma, a.k.a. the “Explorer Girls.”
After all these characters were introduced, the Dora rep told us that Dora Explorer Girl now solves mysteries instead of going exploring. How does she do this?
First, you plug her in.
Dora, while she looks like a normal fashion doll, is actually wired into an online world that your kid accesses via USB port. We watched the PR lady bring the Dora avatar up onscreen, then walk her into the first place we saw: a beauty salon. “Now she can get a makeover!” PR lady chirped. (Not sure what happened to solving mysteries.) Then she selected a new, longer haircut for Onscreen Dora – and in real-life, two inches of hair mechanically descended from the Dora doll’s head.
Lauren and I, simultaneously, let out an alarmed shriek. Which may or may not have been the reaction they were looking for.
The PR lady then proceeded to change the color of the Dora doll’s lips, eyes, and cheeks via the online beauty salon. Then we entered a boutique, where we could switch up Dora’s light-up necklace and earrings. (Which are not unlike Jem’s blinking earrings, if you’ll allow me a moment of nostalgia...)
At this point, Dora had still solved no mysteries.
The PR lady showed us an assortment of fashion and accessory sets, each of which unlocks a new location for Virtual Dora to explore. And playing with her earns you points, which you can use, in turn, to shop for new stuff online.
“Does she do things besides shop?” I asked.
Why, yes. She plays electric guitar at a charity show (there’s a cute little guitar). And goes to art class (there’s a cute little art room with paints). And solves mysteries… allegedly.
Tween Dora will be unveiled to the public (in August, I believe) and retail for around $60. Her friends and accessories, which don’t plug in, will be notably cheaper.
Up next on our Toy Fair liveblog: a toy truck you'll have to see to believe... -- Gwynne Watkins
See all of Babble's Toy Fair 2009 Coverage.
All photos and video copyright Lauren De Luca and Babble.com. Please contact laurend@babble.com for permissions.
