Will Dora Grow Up?

That was the question posed last week by the Financial Times. Evidently some people at Nick are going over the numbers and trying to think of ways to retain Dora's viewers--who are legion and extremely loyal but who tend to eventually grow out of it--as they enter elementary school and beyond. In other words, if Dora could keep up with the Montanas, so to speak, then that would mean a whole lot more licensing and other revenues for Nickelodeon. The solution: redesign the precocious preschooler so that she's a little older, a little cooler, and perhaps with a bit smaller head. 

So she'd go from looking like this:

To something more like this:

The sexualization of second graders? Perhaps. That's the minefield Nick is left to negotiate.

I think the idea is intriguing and see nothing wrong with Dora getting a bit older and wiser, embarking on a bit more complex adventures (heaven knows one of the greatest needs in television is for productions with curriculum for children over the age of four). But I am, as a father, put off by the Bratz dolls and would steer Loretta clear of Dora if she adopted something of that look. The odds are against it going that far, but we'll see where the design winds up.

Of course, no plans or decisions have moved beyond the brainstorming stage at this point, but you can read all about the current prospectus here.