SpringfieldNewsSun.com

Dora the Explorer is leaving behind the real jungle and all its travels and education for the urban jungle as the wildly popular animated character is going to be aged and turned into a long-haired, short-skirt-wearing fashionista tween.

A new Dora doll will be unveiled this fall by Mattel. No pictures have been released, but company officials have revealed a very slim silhouette.

The business point is so Mattel can sell an online game involving Dora in which her clothing and accessories can be changed. Sort of like Webkinz in the City. The Web site will not be entirely shallow, as there will be exploring and mystery-solving games. It is expected to cost $59.95.

But many parents are not taking it well, with one group forming a petition against the change. "Let's Go: No Makeover for Dora" is an online petition created by Lyn Mikel Brown, Ed.D and Sharon Lamb, Ed.D. for angry parents who insist that the creators of Dora are selling out to Mattel just to make a profit.

"On TV she wears shorts. She has a sidekick monkey. She has a map and a compass and a backpack! She solves problems and explores the world in Spanish and English," says the online petition's text. "(With the new doll) girls are told to forget the outdoors and adventure into the same old same old: shopping, fashion, makeovers and jewelry... if the original Dora grew up, she wouldn't be a fashion icon or a shopaholic ... Maybe she'd become a world-class runner or follow her love of animals and become a wildlife preservationist or biologist."

Mattel, on the other hand, says Dora is simply growing up, just like the kids who watch her. The parents say she's selling out, turning into little more than a dubious, bilingual Bratz doll, giving the youngest children a bad role model and taking away a very good one.

Moms, what do you think? Share your comments on grown-up Dora.