We don't usually excerpt at length from press releases, but this is just too weird: Dora is going to become a "tween," with a new line anchored by a doll that can be physically modified by your computer, and offers Dora addicts age 5 and up access to an online world with its own currency and online mysteries to solve, which will be released with morphine-drip-like consistency. Here's the really weird part: Dora will tell your kid about this new content, even when she's offline. Based on what I've seen in other online worlds for kids, this will include informing young consumers of new and exciting ways to spend their in-world, or real, currency by dropping by Dora's Place.

Despite a weird Bride of Chucky vibe we're getting, I am genuinely looking forward to seeing this toy roll out, because it is the most thought-out implementation of the Toy-Leads-To-Online-World idea, which we've seen implemented in so many tiresome, gimmicky formats. We have been waiting for a toy in this market to bridge the world of the physical doll and the online environment in a compelling way, and this is the best chance anyone's had so far. Please join us in welcoming our new doll overlords!

This from the PR flacks:

Dora Magically Transforms Before Girls’ Eyes

The cornerstone of the entire line is the Dora Links fashion doll. By plugging the doll into the computer, girls can access Dora’s brand-new interactive online world. This exciting innovation in computer-connected play offers girls a unique interactive experience: as girls are playing online they can customize their doll and watch as she magically transforms right before their eyes. For example, by changing Dora’s hair length, jewelry, and eye color on screen, the Dora doll magically changes as well.

The online world will include descriptions and biographies of Dora’s Explorer Girls™ and an immersive online world that will be tied into the complete collection of toys. Online, girls can explore Dora’s world, talk to the characters, earn currency, and help Dora solve mysteries which will be uploaded on a regular basis. As girls explore and solve mysteries online, the doll’s speech will change to correspond with their play. In addition, Dora Links features a magical alert system that lets the doll know when new mysteries are being uploaded to the Dora site. Even when the child is away from the computer playing with the doll, she will let girls know what new things are happening in the online world.

Adding to the play value of the line will be a wide range of accessories (sold separately) as well as the Dora’s Seaside School playset that will work with Dora Links to expand traditional offline fashion doll play as well as to expand the online experience. Girls can download new speech, music, and mysteries into the locker, and also will enter a huge new portion of the online world, which is Dora’s school.

“Typically, children ‘grow out’ of favorite characters,” says Chris Byrne, content director for TimetoPlayMag.com aka The Toy Guy®. “Now Dora has been designed to grow up with her fans, opening the door to extended play that is age appropriate, allowing kids to stay involved with a favorite character and maintaining the core values of Dora the Explorer that children love.”

New Look To Be Revealed in Fall

The marketing teams conducted an unprecedented amount of focus-group research and found that girls love the mystery aspect, the technology of the doll, and above all, were very excited to see what a more grown up Dora would look like. In keeping with this excitement, Nickelodeon and Mattel plan to keep Dora’s new look a secret until the brand launch in Fall 2009.

“The doll really taps into a tween’s love of fashion and empowers girls to influence and change the ‘lives’ of Dora and her friends,” explains Ms. Sirard. “The instant gratification that girls receive as they change Dora online and watch as the doll magically transforms right before their eyes is groundbreaking in today’s toy market. What’s more, parents can feel comfortable knowing that Dora’s online world provides a safe and wholesome play experience for their children.”

What do you think of this brave new world of Doradom? - Jeremiah

Dave Banks has a great review up on GeekDad of Disney's Pixie Hollow, a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) that takes off from the company's surprisingly palatable Tinker Bell movie. (Seriously, it's not bad.) Our family's sole exposure to Pixie Hollow was my own - I joined the network, created a character myself, and tested out the service while Z was sleeping next to me on the couch. I was testing it to see if I even wanted to let Z know it existed, and quickly decided it wasn't worth it; I'd rather spend our time together on the computer doing different things, and at four she isn't self-sufficient enough to master its tasks herself. Banks' criticisms (consumption-driven, dearth of different activities, not well-designed for interaction/chatting between users) are all spot on; as for the community aspect, even Club Penguin does more to foster interactions between users. (And yes, I have also played Club Penguin by myself, and enjoyed beating pre-adolescents at virtual Mancala more than is proper.) But Banks also pointed out one very interesting aspect of Pixie Hollow that I wasn't aware of:

But the toys that intrigued me were jewelry items called Clickables. These bracelets and necklaces allow users to trade virtual goods and add online friends during their time in the real world. It works like this: Let's say two kids run into each other at recess and both have their own Clickables bracelet. By simply clicking the bracelets together on the playground (and later uploading via USB cable), they become friends online and are able to share virtual goods. It's an interesting idea, to say the least. [Link]

You can check out the full GeekDad review here. - Jeremiah