Save Dora!

I'm not really one for children's shows, but I do love me some Dora the Explorer. I was disheartened (as apparently a lot of folks were) when I learned that my girl with the backpack is likely going to be subject to an extreme makeover of sorts, due to her corporate owners' needs to sell more Dora. Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown explain the "terms and conditions," so to speak, of Dora's makeover fate on their blog Packaging Girlhood (sound familiar? it's also the title of their co-authored book), and also provide a nice critique of the move to make Dora in the image of the 'tween' set. Also linked on the blog is a petition that you can sign to protest the transformation.

This should be an interesting case study (although extremely limited) in Internet activism and girl culture. I do encourage petition-signing!