We co-reported a few weeks ago, along with everyone else on the planet, that Dora the Explorer would be growing up a bit this fall, and shared our thoughts on Mattel's plans for her. Well, they pushed up their reveal date a bit and decided to show us all what she will look like after a significant number of parents called them out as traitors. Here she is, folks:


Turns out what looked like a very short skirt in Dora's new silhouette was actually a tunic shirt. With leggings. Surprise! Daddytypes thinks parents were baited, but I'm not sure this wouldn't have gotten just as much PR without the backlash. - Jeremiah

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

First, a video version of Changes, Changes, a wonderful book by British illustrator and children's book author Pat Hutchins. The wordless story is great in book form for kids 2-4 in book form.



I can't find the video available for sale... the clip that ends as this one begins is the end credit from Jack Kent's Joey Runs Away (yep, I'm that steeped in this stuff...), which has been re-released along with Laurie Keller's Open Wide, Tooth School Inside (read our interview with Laurie Keller here). We'll save the amazing Jack Kent for another day. This post is supposed to be about blocks.



I actually remember making things based on what I saw in this next one. In a way, it's a quick instructional course on building with blocks.



Blocks are a great starting point for doing stop-motion animation with your kids. They are easier to manipulate than working with clay figures or any others with moving parts - just shift the block a bit and take another photo from a fixed position, then use some image-splicing software to stitch a movie together. This little video might give you some ideas.



I've wanted to make stop-motion films with Z for a long time, and at four years old I think she's just about ready. Has anyone seen a good stop-motion tutorial that takes basic software tools into account? - Jeremiah