Dora the Explorer grows up -- but where's Boots?

FEBRUARY 13, 2009

It was just back in 1999 when Dora the Explorer hit the airwaves. The little Spanish girl and her monkey friend Boots would go on myriad adventures and takes kids along for the ride. While doing so, they taught them about computers and threw in a little Spanish lesson.

Now, after being 5 years old for nearly 10 years and fresh off winning an NAACP Image Award, Dora is growing up. Although her new look won't be officially unveiled until fall, here is a silhouette of the tweenager.

The M-shaped hair and round face are gone! And she's got legs. According to Nickelodeon and Mattel, tweenage Dora has moved to the big city, attends middle school and has a new fashionable look. Do you think there will be Dora clothes and a cartoon for girls ages 5 and up, the target group for this new line? You betcha!

Dora's Explorer Girls, as the new line will be known, will have fashion dolls and an interactive component so that her fans can continue to learn more about computers. By plugging the doll into a computer, girls can explore, play games, customize and solve mysteries with Dora and her new friends.

Here's the first mystery new Dora and her new friends can solve: Where's Boots? Has he been kicked to the curb in Dora's move to the big city? Stay tuned.

-- Sherry Robinson

Posted by Tracey Henry at 5:33:08 pm on February 13, 2009 in

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Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.

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After six long years of trying to have a baby, Kate Brassfield was finally able to have one. And then, two minutes later, another one. Suddenly the lady who had never been around babies before was juggling two! Just as Kate felt she was getting pretty good with babies, the girls became toddlers, and now Kate is back to Square One, learning about the care and feeding of these strange, wonderful creatures. She spends her days working part-time from home and trying to keep up with the Twinosaurus Wrecks.

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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at courtneyblogs@gmail.com.

Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, ZannaLand.com , and she's a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel in addition to being addicted to Twitter, iced coffee, and watching way too much Yo, Gabba Gabba.

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