Dora the Explorer: Now Packing Lipstick
Travel Blog • Eva Holland • 03.18.09 | 11:09 AM ET
Yup, one of our favorite fictional travelers is all grown up. A “teaser silhouette” of the new Dora, released a couple weeks back, stirred up controversy, with parents worrying about the “sexy” image being projected to their children. Now the final image has been made public—and yes, as we suspected, Dora is now clearly packing makeup, accessories, and some serious hair product for her travels. “If the Dora we knew grew up,” laments one parent’s petition, “she wouldn’t be a fashion icon or a shopaholic. She’d develop her map reading skills and imagine the places she could go.”
What do you think? Is the new Dora too sexy, or is this a tempest in a talking backpack?
Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.
Related on World Hum:
-
A Sort of Homecoming
Travel Stories: Ivana Waz left Serbia for America when she was 14. She returned to her homeland with her son to answer the question: Was she more Serbian or American?
-
Riding the Slot
Travel Stories: As she struggled to make sense of her father's final days, Lenore Greiner sailed across a treacherous patch of San Francisco Bay
-
How Korean Karaoke Changed My Life
Travel Stories: After being turned away from the school choir, Lavinia Spalding lost her love of public singing. Then she moved to South Korea.
-
Back to The Beach: A Lost Interview with Alex Garland
Travel Interviews: Twenty years ago, Frank Bures chatted with a young Alex Garland about his travel novel, The Beach. Bures recently unearthed the interview--a time capsule from the dawn of global backpacking.
Email to friend
Twitter
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! Buzz
Jennifer 03.18.09 | 11:32 AM ET
I’m not sure Dora will be doing much “true” exploring looking like that! Will she be exploring shopping malls now instead? She looks like a standard Barbie cartoon image!!
Eva Holland 03.18.09 | 11:58 AM ET
Jennifer, agreed. I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to the (infamous) Bratz dolls, too. She doesn’t really look ready for much rugged travel anymore, does she? (She doesn’t even have a backpack anymore!)
Jim Benning 03.18.09 | 12:29 PM ET
Oh no they didn’t!
As a Dora-watching father, I like the old Dora. Why did she need a makeover? Her utility ‘do and rugged boots allowed her to easily befriend crocodiles and traipsed through the jungle—and kids loved that. How is she going to rescue crocodiles in those little shoes, with her hair in her eyes? I hope they’ve invested in some serious health insurance for Dora, because I predict serious injuries.