Tween Dora - Coming Your Way

Parents upset over tween Dora the Explorer

If you have young children, there's no doubt you're aware of Dora the Explorer.

Kids love her cartoons and moms and dads love the character's bilingual lessons.

But toy-maker Mattel is upsetting some parents, who say Dora is growing up too fast.

Mattel plans to unveil a new, more grown-up Dora "tween" doll this fall. The toymaker gave parents a hint at what she'll look like in a press release, which featured a silhouette with long flowing hair and long legs.

Mattel also says the tweenaged Dora doll has "moved to the big city" and "has a...new fashionable look."

That worries some bloggers who say Dora will soon be "bratzed" out, sexualized like the Bratz dolls and become "obsessed with boys" like Barbie.

Others are organizing petition drives urging "no makeover for Dora."

The St. Petersburg Times' parenting blog, whoamomma, is demanding Mattel listen to their concerns. They they want a doll that isn't concerned about physical beauty. Some of the concerns folks have always had about Barbie.

Mattel and Nickelodeon are listening and want to assure parents that tween Dora does not remotely resemble Barbie. Instead, Mattel and Nickelodeon say she's the anti-Barbie.

Gina Sirard with Mattel says, "The reason we did this is to offer an alternative doll to moms who want their little girls to stay younger longer."

Mattel says tween Dora will still use her brains, but as an older girl. She'll use her adventurous spirit to solve mysteries with her new friends.

Sirard says, "It's not about the fashionista Dora, instead it's about Dora being able to go incognito so she can solve mysteries."

Mattel say children can hook up the Dora tween doll to a computer and take her into a virtual world where she can change her appearance to solve those mysteries.

The doll will be unveiled this fall.