An open letter to Mattel
Dear Mattel,
I have been a loyal fan and customer of your company for many years. I played with Uno and Matchbox and View Master and Magic 8 Ball and Little People as a child. I still have my Hot Wheels City, which my daughters now enjoy. I never gave up my love for Little People, and I have one of the most extensive collections in existence today. Given the ever-climbing prices, I’m sure your company has made at least a year’s salary off of me, let alone what I’ve purchased for my children and their friends.
And speaking of purchases for my children, we have a Power Wheels (check!), Loving Family Twin Time dollhouse with every. single. add-on (check!). We’ve got the Learn Through Music system, two PowerTouch systems, 30+ Barbies, assorted Polly Pockets, the entire series of Snap N Styles (both dolls and clothes). We had Fisher Price baby gear from swings to bouncers to jumparoos, and the entire aquarium and rainforest collections.
And of course there is American Girl. Many claim that your takeover of the company resulted in inferior products, and they proudly advertise their pre-Mattel wares, but not me. I loved them as Pleasant Company pre-and post-Mattel, and with each new catalog we find more to love. You had me at first glance.
Another of our loves has always been Dora. The adorable, spunky, adventuresome little Dora, who taught my girls some of their first Spanish words and whose CDs have changed the way I hear The Rhythm is Gonna Get’cha forever. (it’s kind of creepy when Swiper sings it) Dora has been a part of our lives for the past 5+ years. We have the Dora house, again with every accessory ever made. We have the Dora castle, with every accessory ever made. (See a theme here?) We have Dora books, DVDs, CDs, computer games, board games, clothing, pajamas, toys… I have hosted three separate Dora birthday parties, own two Dora Knows Your Name dolls, and have even made my children more than one outfit with Dora fabric. Suffice it to say, we’re fans.
Which brings me to ask…what are you thinking? A new Dora? Because the old one wasn’t successful enough?
I understand that you’re having some issues. Fourth quarter sales of the Barbie flagship were down 21 percent. It stings. I understand. But what you are doing to Dora will not help that situation. And dare I even say it, I don’t believe it will work.
I’m a mom. I’m your target audience. If you think my children are, you are wrong. I control what my children watch and play with. I am the one spending the money – and I know you want my money – which means you need to make me happy. Tweenage Dora will not do that.
I have read the reviews. Her technology sounds very cool. I’m sure she’ll start a new trend, and I’m sure many moms will buy her. But I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that she doesn’t have staying power. She has the initial cool factor and that’s it. The original Dora, The Dora, has staying power because she is different. Tweenage Dora is just another flibbertigibbet in a long line of foolish girl dolls. If we want fluff we’ll buy Barbie. Dora gives us substance. Dora’s story has always been exactly what the other dolls are not. Her appeal lies in her very different-ness, which you now want to take away.
We love that she goes on adventures and solves problems and isn’t afraid to get dirty. We love that she is a tomboy and a princess both. We love that she values her family and learns new things and conquers her fears. We love that Dora is smart and unique and unlike all the other girls. But this?
This is not unique. Tweenage Dora who lives in the big city, loves fashion, and comes with lip gloss, is, well…exactly the same as all the other options out there. I don’t want the other options. I want Dora.
She has to grow up you say? Fine, let her grow up. But let her grow up being true to herself, rather than conforming to society’s stereotype of what a girl should be. Tween Dora could still be a soccer star, making chocolate with Abuela and showing girls that fashion is not always where it’s at. She could be a role model for all the girls who don’t care about lip gloss, and would rather ride a skateboard in sneaks than wear a miniskirt and ballet flats. She could be real, like she always has been, and instead you are making her phony. If you want my dollar, Dora needs to be different.
Take a lesson from your American Girls. In an economic recession, when Mattel’s profits were down an abysmal 46 percent, American Girl was the only division that was up (sales rose 5%). For people to shell out $100 for a doll and $30 for an outfit during a recession, clearly something is very right over there. Are you examining that at all Mattel? Do you understand it? Because I do.
American Girls are different. I was one of those shoppers who helped your sales rise last quarter, because more than half of my three daughter’s Christmas presents were American Girl dolls, clothes, accessories, books, movies…you name it, we’ve got it. I can get an inexpensive look-alike at Target, but I am willing to pay 5 times more for an American Girl doll for two reasons. Quality and character.
I want the story lines that come with the American Girls. I am buying their story as much as I am their appearance. I like that they all have different looks and interests and character traits. I like that they teach my daughters that it’s ok to be different, that it’s important to be true to yourself, that standing up for what you believe, even when it is difficult, is admirable. Mattel, you have succeeded with American Girl. Please pay attention to that success. You can duplicate it at a lower price point. You can duplicate it with a tween Dora. But you can’t duplicate it with the mini-skirted fashionista you are proposing.
My daughters are bombarded with images of the girls they are expected to become, and the images are all frighteningly similar. Cute clothes, long hair, frivolous accessories. Where is the substance? Where is the intelligence, the savvy, the daring to be different? We don’t need another tween doll, we need something different. The way Dora used to be.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Mom
Tags: American Girl, Dora, mattel, tween
How I See the World, Shopping | Heather March 10, 2009
Facebook comments:
By Diane Campagna, March 10, 2009 @ 10:47 am
Well stated Heather. I agree 100%. If Dora needs to grow up, she should not grow into a knock-off Barbie type.
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By Lisa Rowe, March 10, 2009 @ 10:50 am
Oh Heather, what a perfect letter. I love you and I lover your letter. Way to go girl!!!!
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By Amanda, March 10, 2009 @ 12:35 pm
Kudos, Heather. Well-written. Perfect.
And I agree with you 100%.
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By Kate, March 10, 2009 @ 1:20 pm
Seriously?! What are they thinking!? That won’t fly here either. They are WAY off base. Wonderful, well-written, and intelligent letter, Heather!
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By Jodi, March 10, 2009 @ 2:44 pm
Heather – I agree 100%! I wrote about it too, but not as eloquently as you did!
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By Kim, March 10, 2009 @ 3:01 pm
I AGREE completely. Even my son was a huge Dora fan. We had the toys, videos, watched the show, etc. The new Dora would not have appealed to him. The Dora that we love is adventurous, smart and doesn’t need lip gloss!
After seeing the image of the new Dora, I am appalled.
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By Erin, March 10, 2009 @ 3:15 pm
You are absolutely right. My jaw just about hit the floor when I read about the change. So sad.
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By Darcie - Such The Spot, March 10, 2009 @ 3:52 pm
I’d not heard about the change until now. But oh my. How very sad. I sincerely hope that someone at Mattel is listening because your very well-written letter speaks volumes. You speak for so many of us. You hear that Mattel?! Listen up – she’s a smart mama!
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By mary b, March 11, 2009 @ 6:35 am
Kudos to you Heather!
I wholeheartedly agree that this new Dora is NOT the way to go.
I have no girls, but my two youngest boys loved Dora (and later Diego) but they surely would not have cared at all to see a tween fashionista Dora.
Mattel may think the original Dora may have run her course but I think they are sadly mistaken.
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By Jo Y, March 12, 2009 @ 11:35 am
Wow Heather I hadn’t even heard of those plans, maybe they haven’t made it to this side of the pond yet? Anyway fantastic letter and I totally agree, one thing I don’t agree with though is why does she have to grow up? Barbie is the same age now as she was 50 years ago, the muppets didn’t get old so why Dora?
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By Allison @ Slice of Heaven, March 12, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
What a great letter! I totally agree. Funny thing was that a friend of mine told me about this earlier that day, then I read your post! It’s like they want these girls to skip the innocent girly stage. Not my little girl!
Anyway, I appreciate your honesty. I left you an award over on my blog…I know that you probably don’t post about awards, but I just wanted you to know that I still look forward to your blog posts and really enjoy reading them. Keep up the good work. I hope you’ll stop by to pick it up or at least just see it!
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By Kimberly Berry, March 14, 2009 @ 7:19 am
Awesome letter Heather! I totally agree with your sentiment. As a mom of two girls, one all grown up and the other six, I have struggled with the thought of them growing up too fast, this doll only confirms my thoughts that the marketing of toy manufactures has so much to do with this no matter how hard we as mom’s try to fight them. I do not want to see another round of Brats type dolls aiming to encourage my little girl to be self adsorbed and striving only to be a make up wearing fashioniesta. Dora has taught my six year old so much, she loves her and wants to be like her. I fear that if they go ahead with this tween Dora she, at six, will want to be like her. I want her to be six and relate to normal Dora, not trying to be something she isn’t yet and frankly, hope she will never be, self absorbed.
I think your letter was so well written and states the feelings of many of us mom’s who want our little girls to be just that, little girls! I certainly hope that mattel listens and abandons this crazy idea.
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By Manuel Mtz, March 26, 2009 @ 6:50 pm
I can’t deny it, I’m a Dora fan (though not a die-hard one) and have been so since around 2004-2005, though I’m a guy and almost 21. Even one of my characters is called Dora because of her.
Undoubtedly, Dora has always seemed to stand beyond the other dolls like Bratz (RIP, hahaha) and so, who only teach girls about shopping and fashion and so. And her look seems to appeal boys too, I’m glad to read that other parents claim that their sons are Dora fans too.
As of the change, well… I was also appalled of her new look especially after reading reactions from other people at other blogs, who claimed that Dora would give up adventuring for shopping and fashion and so. But after looking at some final images that some folks didn’t hesitate to publish, it seems it isn’t bad at all. Though if I were behind this new design, I’d remove the lip gloss and make her feet a bit larger.
If this design is to COMPLEMENT and not to REPLACE Dora, OK, let’s give her a chance, as it happened with Dora Fairytale Princess and so, which had little to no impact on the parents’ attitude towards Dora.
Congratulations to the letter. Hope Mattel and Nick reconsider the proposal and while maybe we won’t stop them from releasing this doll, we can do prevent that it causes a negative image to the show.
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