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
Contests, Giveaways, & Freebies!, Shopping | Heather May 8, 2009 | 
Comments (3) 
