Whatever happened to Dora the Explorer ?

[CadburyGuinness]

When DC1 was little, Dora was (a cartoon small girl) only ever seen in shorts and rucksack who spent her days rescuing puppies and having solo adventures in a quite acceptable feminism-for-preschoolers manner.
Now that DC2 is a similar age I have returned to the world of Nick Jr , to discover that Dora now swans about in Fairy Frocks and tutus being all pink and girly while her (male) cousin Diego now has all the animal-saving adventures.
I'm appalled.
Am I over thinking it?

[CadburyGuinness]

Thanks, UMS, I'll order that book

[CRIKRI]

Yes, it's depressing. Original Dora and "Tweenager" Dora

It's goodbye practical trainers, shorts, tee shirt, back back, haircut and adventures and hello tight leggings, floral dress, jewellery, waxed eyebrows, lipstick, long flowing hair, thinness and pre-occupation with fashion and appearance.

It actually started a couple of years ago in the US but has taken awhile to percolate elsewhere.

[CRIKRI]

Make that back pack please!

[ExitPursuedByATroll]

WHAT!!!!! Dora was one of the few progammes I could stomach when DD was little. She has lost the shorts and the pith helmet? That is just astounding.

[MissTinaTeaspoon]

at new Dora...please don't tell me she's on her way over here? Dd loves Dora above all else, I really want to avoid all the Bratz-y crap stuff, and if she discovers this makeover I'll stand no chance at all

[CadburyGuinness]

Shit, I'm scared for our daughters at times

[CadburyGuinness]

I think its just that she seemed a beacon of sense amid the Disney Princess Sparkly Pinkness, so I'm now more upset than ever that she's gone over to the pink and fluffy side, and donated her personality to her male cousin

Yes I do Know she's not real!

[WhollyGhost]

I let my DD watch her on the basis of reccomendations on here - she looked more like the old Dora, but it was Deigo who did the cool stuff.

[SpringHeeledJack]

def not overthinking

message seems to be "we can't have girls going around exploring! Get the sparkle out, quick, and get her in front of a mirror instead"

[LilBB]

We watch a lot of Dora. Have DVDs and watch it on Nick Jr. I'm yet to see a princess one although I have seen the toys. They look odd and DD doesn't recognise her as Dora. Diego turns up every now and then with baby Jaguar but in the ones I've seen he does so for Doras help. They don't make Go Diego Go anymore so clearly Dora is better. I think if a princess one comes on I will turn over.

[LilBB]

FGS just seen an advert for pretty sparkle sunshine princess Dora or something similar.

[Insomnia11]

Lost in the Andes I hope. :)

The original programme was nice and had such laudable aims, but COULD THEY HAVE FOUND ANYONE WITH A MORE ANNOYING VOICE? Argh.

[Bitdifferent]

Just watched it Dora dressed in shorts & t shirt having an adventure. All is not lost!

[LilBB]

I must admit I do wish Dora was dubbed English. DD now says 'Oh maaaan' and 'we did it' in an American accent. There's nothing wrong with an American accent on American children but it gives me away as a mother who is relaxed with the amount of tv we watch.

[WakeMeUpWhenSeptemberEnds]

Whatever you do, don't buy the magazine. We had only seen the original type episodes and I was horrified at the magazine content.

[TheFeministsWife]

This is sad. When dd1 was little she loved Dora (as did I TBH) it was the pretty much the one show I could stomach and I loved the fact that she wasn't all simpering and sparkly. DD1 is very much like (the old) Dora hates anything sparkly, is very very far from simpering loves getting dirty, loves science (that's my girl ), loves experiments and ninjas and lego and spies and secret agents, and has refused to wear skirts or dresses since she was 4.

Now dd2 is at the age dd1 was when she loved Dora and she mostly doesn't watch it as dd1 controls the remote during the daytime, (Digimon, Lilo and Stitch, Gigglebiz) but she does watch the occasional Dora when dd1 is in school. It's sad that they made her all bloody bimbo. DD2 is into sparkly and disney princess but also loves all the things above that dd1 loves oh and she wants to be a builder when she grows up.

[Ephiny]

It seems a shame to me. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with sparkles and pretty princesses, plenty of children like that stuff, which is fine. But why does everything aimed at girls have to be like that? Isn't it boring for everything to be generic and the same?

[MissTinaTeaspoon]

I'm also disappointed to have just noticed that the new version of the Backpack toy comes with a hairbrush and bracelet instead of video camera and telescope like our original version . What's more useful when exploring? A compass or a hairbrush?

[KRICRI]

Slight tangent here, but since Dora seems to have gone off the rails, can anyone suggest any other cartoons/children's programmes that arent riddled with sexist stereotypes - ones that would be particularly good for boys or girls sort of 3 to 6? Thanks.

[TheOldestCat]

Just showed this to DH, who is appalled, as am I. Nick Jr now banned in twhis house. Apart from Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom. And peppa pig.

[lovecat]

We watch very little Dora in this house (mainly because it's too slow and I hate the Map "say it with me!" more than words can adequately convey), but to be fair to the show, I thought that the 'tween' Dora was only ever in one feature-length episode, the one at Christmas where she goes to Christmas future (to find that everyone's scared of Swiper and there are never any presents because the 3 x 'no swiping' thing doesn't work anymore) and meets her future self...?

Am perfectly prepared to be corrected and, yes, the Dora the Princess feature-length episode (and others like them) is awful, but I don't think the 'regular' cartoon has changed that much, has it?

(agree in general that there aren't many children's programmes that aren't riddled with sexism out there - much as I love Ben & Holly and think it's v.v. funny and piss-taking, DD treats it like a documentary - "fairies are always pretty clean and neat, with perfect hair" - boak)