# for those who avoid licensed characters, how do you rank Dora?



## indigosky (Sep 4, 2007)

We pretty much avoid all licensed characters in our household. (I realize I won't be able to get away with that forever, but we've lasted to age 3, and survived most of a year of preschool, and DD still doesn't seem to recognize most of them, which I see as victory!) A babysitter recently showed DD to a Dora video, and I'm deciding how to respond. If we agree that a 20 minute video on a day when it's too cold to play outside is OK, is it worth steering them away from Dora?

Having never seen a Dora video myself, how would you compare her to other licensed characters? Better? Worse?


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## woodchick (Jan 5, 2007)

Personally, I'd avoid Dora. As a treat with a babysitter I think it is fine, but there are far better kids shows to watch on a rainy/cold day. I'd choose anything on PBS over Dora.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

i dislike most of them mainly because they just seem...tacky...and i don't want the toys in the house. if somebody can give me more concrete reasons to hate them i'll gladly do it! (but i've really never watched any of those shows)

but nothing stirs up feelings of hatred in me like elmo. seriously, what is it about him that makes him addictive like crack? that a kid who's never watched tv can spot him on another kid's diaper and the obsession begins????


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## physmom (Jun 15, 2009)

I think it really depends why you don't let your kids watch these shows.

If it's because you don't like all the extras they generate (dolls, toys, books etc) than Dora is definitely up there with one of the worst offenders.

If you don't like them because they are mainstream Dora's also not a good one (they've had an episodes about shots, her baby siblings are given bottles, and she goes to school).

If you don't like them because you are worried its too fast passed/confusing for a young child here's where Dora DOES excel. It's slow, they're always moving in the same direction on the screen, there's never any fighting, and the characters treat each other with kindness. There's also a very minimal introduction to Spanish.

We let DD watch TV and the shows she gets to watch (obviously not all on the same day!!!) are Dora, Diego, Kai Lan, Team Umizoomi, Blue's Clues, Word World, The Cat in the Hat Knows A lot About That, and Super Why.

She's seen a few others on rare occasions but we normally choose one of those above. We pick shows that are not scary for her, ones where the characters are helpful, and ones that don't annoy me too much (cough-YoGabagaba or Thomas the Train-cough). She definitely gets the most out of the Nick Jr. shows simply because they are more at her level and easier to follow (stuff like WordWorld/Super Why/Cat in the Hat don't get watched nearly as often because they involve more complex ideas that she doesn't always get but the Nick Jr ones she'll relate the whole episode to me after watching it and discuss it with me).


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## Comtessa (Sep 16, 2008)

Quote:
Originally Posted by *physmom* 

If it's because you don't like all the extras they generate (dolls, toys, books etc) than Dora is definitely up there with one of the worst offenders.

For us, this is the biggest issue with Dora, and is the reason we are limiting her exposure to the videos.

We actually like Elmo videos at our house -- I find the Sesame Street world in general to be less annoying than most children's programming, and the Elmo's World videos are divided into 15-minute increments which is usually just enough time for me to get a load of laundry in, or start dinner, and then I can say "it's over! Time to turn it off!"

The branding, however, is dreadful. My daughter is 22 months old and can identify every Sesame Street character, Dora, and any Disney princess (though she calls them all "princess" -- they don't have names yet). She has never seen a Dora video; the attraction to Dora is solely from a couple of books she received as a gift. The branding and marketing to toddlers is intense, and it is deliberate. Elmo and Dora are the worst, in my experience. It seems like lately we have a fight in every single supermarket aisle over Elmo or Dora-branded toothpaste, sugary processed foods, diapers, toys, ice cream, etc. I hate it. If I could go back in time and keep her from ever being exposed to those brands, even in book form, I probably would.


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## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

Dreadful branding, among the worst. Even if you don't mind the shows you are going to be smacked in the face with her everytime you go anywhere. And of course your LO will have a connection and want all of the low quality MIC junk with dubious plastics, paint, lead exposure. Sesame Street is just as bad. I've never seen the show, I have no idea how it rates on the character scale, but I loathe seeing that face everywhere.

We don't do tv, but if we did, the very last time I would allow is with a paid caregiver. Seriously, I pay you, play with my kids. If I am going to allow tv it will be used so I can shower or be sick in peace.

The Dora actually laughs because we recently visited some friends in another city and we've discussed childrearing many times by phone. And every time I go there think, um? what?, like mother is breastfeeding without problems but there is a LOT of formula in the house, or "she only watches tv with the nanny" and the house is FILLED with licensed junk.

Hate Elmo too. He is baby crack. We have one story someone gave me and both my kids latched on to him. We have nothing else but for some reason they think there is an Elmo in Goodnight Moon and they both came to that conclusion independently.


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## physmom (Jun 15, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Comtessa*
> 
> The branding, however, is dreadful. My daughter is 22 months old and can identify every Sesame Street character, Dora, and any Disney princess (though she calls them all "princess" -- they don't have names yet). She has never seen a Dora video; the attraction to Dora is solely from a couple of books she received as a gift. The branding and marketing to toddlers is intense, and it is deliberate. Elmo and Dora are the worst, in my experience. It seems like lately we have a fight in every single supermarket aisle over Elmo or Dora-branded toothpaste, sugary processed foods, diapers, toys, ice cream, etc. I hate it. If I could go back in time and keep her from ever being exposed to those brands, even in book form, I probably would.


FWIW, DD's never seen anything Disney (it just bothers me somehow) but she still knows all about the princesses. Plus she's CONSTANTLY given Disney stuff. Ironically, she's going through a stage where she hates all things princess and won't even wear dresses much at all anymore because she doesn't want to be a princess!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

If your kind wants branded (read: expensive) things after seeing a show, go to the show's website and print out some coloring pages. A number of the shows have quasi-interactive versions where the kid can pick the character, scene, something the character is holding--that kind of thing.

That said we've got a dora plate/bowl/cup set that dd pick out from the set of 3 that her great grandma had (so far, used entirely for playing with playdough, the cup is a great rolling pin), a disney princesses shirt from a neighbor (dd's never seen the related movies, but <3s her some princesses (didja know that princesses are friends with pirates and can turn people into butterflies?)), a box of Cars bandaids, a Wall-E toothbrush, and a Pororo fork and spoon that I want to get the chopsticks to match.

And y'know, when you don't have a house full of the same character, and the character stuff you do have is tucked away, it's actually pretty useful. DD is saying she doesn't want to brush teeth, I ask if Wall-E can count her buggies, she'll happily eat her dinner if she gets a Pororo fork, etc. But it does also work with other stuff, e.g. "do you want monkey socks or butterfly socks?" is generally more effective with dd than "do you want blue or pink?"

Oh! forgot about the stuffed animals, we've also got a Pigeon, Knuffle Bunny, a Baby Owl and Owly, and a classic Pooh chosen by a friend's dd when she was 3 "all babies need a ted bear!".

edited yet again: we've also got Makona and P-chan, and had Pip and Pop from Bear in the Big Blue House, but they're in the donation bag now. (didn't think of those right away because they were/are mine, and dd doesn't pay them much attention.)


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## StoriesInTheSoil (May 8, 2008)

I have thus far forbidden Dora because I find her irritating AND the branded stuff is everywhere and I don't want to argue with my kid every time we go to the store. He's the kind to get very sucked in by seeing the character everywhere.

He watches Charlie and Lola and Sesame Street mostly. Sometimes Caillou, Kipper, or Dinosaur Train. We always have him watch either DVDs or Netflix (we don't have a television anyway) so as to avoid commercials because they are the worst. I really like Charlie and Lola. They talk about interesting things, it moves at a nice slow pace, and it is a brother and sister who love and respect each other. I find Caillou and Kipper both irritating and I (somewhat jokingly) maintain that DS didn't start whining till he watched Caillou


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## frugalmum (Nov 5, 2009)

I do let my kids watch TV-- not a lot but they watch. All kids cartoons are mind numbing eye candy, and the multicultural/ bilingual stuff is misleading. My kids learned maybe three words of spanish from Dora. I am fluent in spanish and am teaching them now in homeschool. They thought vamanos meant "hurry up" from diego. ugh! If you want to teach your kids spanish there are infinitely better ways. But if you just want them to have some entertainment for a while, I don't think much of it is any different from the rest as long as it is age appropriate.


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## sky_and_lavender (Jul 31, 2007)

Aside from the commercialization and consumerism point (we avoid all licensed characters), another reason I want to avoid Dora is that the new, older-aged version of Dora is not nearly as in line with our values as the original. The tween Dora is more into shopping and looking pretty than into exploring. See the following piece from Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.


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## readermaid (Jan 12, 2009)

We do let DD watch Dora, but we really try to encourage her to watch other things. We like Yo Gabba Gabba, but we're a music-oriented family, so it fits well with us. We also like lots of the PBS Kids shows. It just depends what you like.

Dora is good for teaching sequence of events, and it moves at just the right pace. Those are the good points.

The bad: She's always yelling "Louder!" It's a silly thing, but it drives me nuts.  DH gets irritated with Dora because he says she often mocks things/people that are different. Obviously this isn't what we want to teach DD.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

Ds doesn't get to watch anything we can't stand to listen to/watch. Dora is high on the list. We actually pvr 3 shows for him & he gets to pick from those: chuggington (very cute & just starting to have a lot of branded items here) bob (not popular here right now so not much available as far as junk) & roary the racing car (haven't seen anything on sale for this one).

So far ds doesn't know any of the names of popular kids characters. I've found people have been really respectful when they realize we are not into it. For example at the end of his gymnastics class the instructor gave each kid a Tigger sticker. I said "oh look, a tiger". No one corrected me & ds enjoy the tiger. For now at least this is working for us.


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

My kids sometimes watch Dora. I don't like it, but don't ban it either. The problem I have isn't with the show as much as with the mega branding and dora crap everywhere. As far as licensed characters go, I don't think they are too bad. My kids are really only into preschool shows though, and I think most of them are annoying but okay.


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## earthworm (May 15, 2010)

I find Dora irritating because it's loud, but my son does watch it sometimes. He doesn't really care about wanting products with characters on it though. I too think that would be the biggest reason to avoid it. I'm pretty sure I saw Dora paper bags not too long ago, gah.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lifeguard*
> 
> Ds doesn't get to watch anything we can't stand to listen to/watch. Dora is high on the list. We actually pvr 3 shows for him & he gets to pick from those: chuggington (very cute & just starting to have a lot of branded items here) bob (not popular here right now so not much available as far as junk) & roary the racing car (haven't seen anything on sale for this one).
> 
> So far ds doesn't know any of the names of popular kids characters. I've found people have been really respectful when they realize we are not into it. For example at the end of his gymnastics class the instructor gave each kid a Tigger sticker. I said "oh look, a tiger". No one corrected me & ds enjoy the tiger. For now at least this is working for us.


i've been trying to so the same thing with elmo (who dd has never seen in action but is all over). so far calling him "monkey" has worked but she's only 18 months so i know it's only a matter of time....


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## dalia (Sep 3, 2007)

Dora is always yelling. It hurts my brain.

I let DS watch a few minutes of Calliou when he is getting dressed to go out. I really like Calliou. It's cute and slow paced and the story lines are so simple.


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## grethel (Mar 14, 2009)

I agree with pp about the branding on Dora, sesame street, Disney, etc. It's everywhere, and preschoolers love nothing better than repetition and familiarity so if they're introduced to the characters regularly, it's likely they'll get very attached, and then it can be difficult to avoid the consumer products and marketing.

As far as quiet, slow-paced shows... when DD1 was that age she loved Little Bear. Very calm, slow-paced, and he lives in a more natural environment. Of course it's not perfect, but it was as good as it got.


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## syn_ack89 (Oct 1, 2007)

We like Little Bear. It's slow, sweet and simple. And the only branding I've found for it is toddler toothpaste...


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## kindchen (Dec 8, 2008)

I kept Dora out of our house for a long time, but when we were moving last November, I let them see one episode, and my two-year-old LOVED it. I find Dora irritating, mostly because she yells everything she says. My kids have become really interested in Spanish (which is kind of ironic, because we already speak two languages at home, and I have a hard time getting them to speak German). They ask me how to say different things in Spanish all the time, and they sing a Spanish lullaby and know lots of Spanish words from Dora and Diego. Personally, I think Diego is the better show.

My kids know that we don't buy anything with Dora on it. They have asked before, but seem to accept that I just won't do it. I explain that the toy is not more fun just because Dora's face is on it.


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## HikeMama (Feb 12, 2009)

I would also rank Dora among the worst, especially among non-Disney. She's EVERYWHERE. We used to be more lax about characters and TV, but when they started creeping in to too much of our lives, we scaled it back a lot. Our daughter is 3 and she can watch one program a day of her choosing (with my guidance of course). We let her have a licensed product here and there within reason. She loves Berenstain Bears and so do I. We have always read the books and she's now into the show. The morals of the stories are almost always spot on and there isn't too much licensed product out there for them nowadays. So, yeah, I think it would be worth steering clear of Dora, and I wouldn't make a big deal about it but I'd just tell her babysitter what she is allowed to watch instead. My daughter occasionally watches the older Thomas episodes too, the ones where they actually used a real model train set, because I think they're neat and they are also only 18 minutes long so when we're pressed for time or I am in a "no-tv" mood I suggest one of those. Other favorites are Zaboomafoo, Barney, Dinosaur Train, and Curious George, (PBS much?!) but they don't get too much play over the Bears lately.


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## Laur318 (Nov 25, 2008)

anti nick here with the exception of yo gabba gabba. you know what? i like that show myself.

anti disney. dora gives me nightmares!

i put on sesame street sometimes, but he just isn't a TV kid. elmo IS like baby crack. my son could be fast asleep, hear elmo voice and wake up and yell ELMO! lots of earth's best organics are now branded with elmo (sesame street)

we also like fraggle rock  it's on HUB now! that's a rare saturday morning with mom and dad activity.


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## crunchy_mommy (Mar 29, 2009)

Yes, we avoid Dora, I have no idea what the show is like but I see that character on everything so it would be on the top of my 'avoid' list.... but DS doesn't watch TV and we don't have cable or anything anyway so that skews my response. He does have a couple books with Classic Pooh and a couple with Sesame Street characters (but he thinks they are just 'monsters') and he has a couple Eric Carle books which are leaning toward 'licensed characters' IMO (at least around here, that caterpillar is EVERYWHERE) but that's about it and that's all I'm really comfortable with... We have gone so far as to return/donate gifts with Spongebob or Cars or whatever other characters on them... but we kept the Nemo ball (since it just looks like generic fish) and the Cookie Monster [just 'Monster' to him] toothbrush since it's practically impossible to find a character-free toothbrush. It's hard to find a balance & hard to figure out where (or IF) to draw the line.


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## marispel (May 27, 2008)

We let DS watch Dora at night after supper. IDK - I thought the show was sorta cute, but then I don't tend to read alot into the character. I enjoyed Disney growing up and I liked Sesame Street too. I liked Barbies and always wanted all the Barbie clothes, but we never got them. IDK - I guess I just don't mind my LO enjoying some of these characters. It seems fun for him and the stories try to teach a little something. DS has picked up a couple spanish words from it and he likes to read her books. My house has toys with the characters that he likes and other toys as well. We got the Dora plate and an ABC plate for him - he gets to choose which plate he wants to eat off at night. I don't take DS shopping with me too often so I haven't had the problem of him begging for certain items - he gets what I buy him. It's just not a big deal for us right now. That could change in the future, but for now we like it.


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## Mosaic (Jun 20, 2005)

Dora is the one character we let into the house, though it wasn't really by choice: we speak Spanish in the home, so Dora was my ****** family's way of trying to respect that.







We record the episodes off of the Spanish channel so they're all Spanish with a few English words thrown in; and the vocabulary and grammar are actually quite good compared to others we've seen. DD doesn't know many bilingual children, so Dora helps a bit in that respect, too.

I agree the branding is ridiculous, RIDICULOUS; that said, we haven't bought ANYTHING Dora-branded other than pull-ups when traveling (we CD otherwise), though my family continues to get Dora stuff for DD. For Christmas she got the Dora Links doll, which is the tween version mentioned by a pp: while she is into trying on different clothes, etc., all of the adventures in the game are for charity: animal rights, recycling, community development, environmental protection, etc., Even dressing up is less "fashion" and more "disguises" to help her solve "mysteries."

In other words, it could be worse, imo.


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## sunflwrmoonbeam (Oct 9, 2006)

I avoid licensed characters because I don't want my daughter developing any attachments to a marketing ploy. For that reason, Dora is about the 2nd worst (Elmo "wins" by a landslide). She's seen a few books with Dora in it, similarly Elmo, and probably Barbie, but they aren't allowed in my house, and I'm never going to make a point of showing them to her. I'm not offended by the content of either Dora or Elmo (Barbie, Disney Princesses of course I am), but I don't want it to be a big deal. Ever.


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## indigosky (Sep 4, 2007)

Quote:


> the Cookie Monster [just 'Monster' to him] toothbrush since it's practically impossible to find a character-free toothbrush.


Agreed -- it is ridiculous how hard it is to find kids' toothbrushes without characters! (That and kids' sunglasses -- grrrr.) I did find a nice pack of toothbrushes in fun colors for kids, no characters, at Target.


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## physmom (Jun 15, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *indigosky*
> 
> Agreed -- it is ridiculous how hard it is to find kids' toothbrushes without characters! (That and kids' sunglasses -- grrrr.) I did find a nice pack of toothbrushes in fun colors for kids, no characters, at Target.


We've never had problems finding non-character toothbrushes/sunglasses. Well, better put DD's first toothbrush was some random fairy toothbrush (but not associated with anything) and all the consignment shops I know sell millions of non-character glasses (I have yet to see character ones?).


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## Bokonon (Aug 29, 2009)

My daughter loves Dora, but I don't buy anything with Dora on it. We have a couple of Dora books that were gifts, and I don't have a problem with them (well, one I donated because it was about her twin siblings and had bottles in it, LOL).

I get that some parents want to avoid the pervasiveness of children's characters, but I don't find it difficult to just say no. My almost 6 year old rarely if ever asks for a toy or clothing item just because it has a character he likes on it. He'd just as soon play basketball or build with Legos as play with his Cars cars.


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## Carma (Feb 10, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *marispel*
> 
> We let DS watch Dora at night after supper. IDK - I thought the show was sorta cute, but then I don't tend to read alot into the character. I enjoyed Disney growing up and I liked Sesame Street too. I liked Barbies and always wanted all the Barbie clothes, but we never got them. IDK - I guess I just don't mind my LO enjoying some of these characters. It seems fun for him and the stories try to teach a little something. DS has picked up a couple spanish words from it and he likes to read her books. My house has toys with the characters that he likes and other toys as well. We got the Dora plate and an ABC plate for him - he gets to choose which plate he wants to eat off at night. I don't take DS shopping with me too often so I haven't had the problem of him begging for certain items - he gets what I buy him. It's just not a big deal for us right now. That could change in the future, but for now we like it.


Same here. Don't mind that the kids become fans of a character, it gives them joy. The Dora episodes don't do any harm IMO. No problems with buying stuff (yet), good way to teach them about not being able to get everything they want. I find Yo-Gaba Gaba anoying for some reason  I currently like the Fresh Beat Band, kids also like it and get inspired to play music and dance, which I like.

Carmen


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## kcparker (Apr 6, 2008)

We don't do branded characters either. Dora was playing once on video day at my son's daycare (they get one afternoon a week when they have a video from 3-5 p.m.), and I found it to be terribly cacaphonous (emphasis on the caca part, frankly) - it was really loud with a music track, a sound effects track, the voices of all these kid-characters, all going at once. My DS wasn't even in the room. Plus, Dora offends my eyes. It's ugly. If we let DS watch anything, it's usually nature DVDs. We checked one out about wolverines from the library recently that he loved, things about earth sciences or the planets or musical performances. If I were going for more entertainment type stuff, I'd go for musicals: Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Wizard of Oz (if your LO isn't afraid of witches of flying monkeys like I was as a kid)...


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

like i had already posted, my main problem with most characters is that they just seem tacky to me. but i got some domo stuff almost 10 years ago in japan and we saw a domo hat at walmart (i guess he's in the US now?) and we snatched it up for dd. so i guess for me, characters are ok if they have some sort of aesthetic appeal (at my discretion!  ) i mean, disregarding the fact that it is waaaaaay more pervasive and annoying today, doesn't anyone have fond character memories from being a kid themselves? i loooved star wars, adored my pac-man tee-shirt and my strawberry shortcake underwear and all the lunchboxes...all back from the late 70's. in fact, i still remember the tantrum i had when my mom wouldn't buy me the yoda underoos because they were for boys (and the girls were just yicky barbie and wonder woman) so it's not like this is an entirely new thing.


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## olien (Apr 21, 2008)

Don't do TV a lot, but current faves are Fresh Beat Band, Imagination Movers & Kipper. He used to like Hi-5, but thats not on any more dince Discovery Kids became the Hub ( I used to like Wilbur too). I prefer shows with real people if possible. It seems less confusing.


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## indigosky (Sep 4, 2007)

Quote:


> We've never had problems finding non-character toothbrushes/sunglasses. Well, better put DD's first toothbrush was some random fairy toothbrush (but not associated with anything) and all the consignment shops I know sell millions of non-character glasses (I have yet to see character ones?).


That's incredible! I have to check so many stores just to find a single kind of kids' toothbrush or kids' sunglasses without characters (or at least I used to, until I figured out where to look). What stores do you find kids' toothbrushes without characters? When you say "consignment shops," are you buying used sunglasses? Are they kids' ones, or sunglasses designed for adults? I haven't noticed sunglasses at the kids' consignment sales I go to.


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## physmom (Jun 15, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *indigosky*
> 
> That's incredible! I have to check so many stores just to find a single kind of kids' toothbrush or kids' sunglasses without characters (or at least I used to, until I figured out where to look). What stores do you find kids' toothbrushes without characters? When you say "consignment shops," are you buying used sunglasses? Are they kids' ones, or sunglasses designed for adults? I haven't noticed sunglasses at the kids' consignment sales I go to.


The toothbrushes were just at the pharmacy that was on the same block as our apt (it wasn't a chain so not much help there  ). As for the sunglasses they are always kids sunglasses and the consignment shops have a huge selection (DD's current favorite are a white pair with purple polka dots on them). The sunglasses were always on the counter where you check-out (we've been to a number of consignment shops and they were always there for some reason?).


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## crunchy_mommy (Mar 29, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tzs*
> 
> i mean, disregarding the fact that it is waaaaaay more pervasive and annoying today, doesn't anyone have fond character memories from being a kid themselves? i loooved star wars, adored my pac-man tee-shirt and my strawberry shortcake underwear and all the lunchboxes...all back from the late 70's. in fact, i still remember the tantrum i had when my mom wouldn't buy me the yoda underoos because they were for boys (and the girls were just yicky barbie and wonder woman) so it's not like this is an entirely new thing.


I don't remember having any branded stuff as a kid (mostly generic lunch boxes, homemade or simple second-hand clothing, etc.) Growing up, I always had this impression that the character items were...

1. ridiculously expensive, when you could get the exact same thing much cheaper (now it's the opposite, you often have to pay more for character-free!)
2. only for people that were trying to 'be cool' and 'fit in'... now I understand that many -- maybe most -- kids just like the character itself, which was a shock to me
3. ugly... which still holds true in most cases, IMO... I don't like the bright colors and cartoonish drawings and all...

So I guess I never felt the 'joy of character items' at all. I also didn't watch any of the shows the characters were based on so they just made no sense to me. People tell me I grew up in a box though, very sheltered. I've been talking to DH about characters and he does seem to have fond memories of various characters & character items, so maybe I really was an anomaly.


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## Bokonon (Aug 29, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *indigosky*
> 
> That's incredible! I have to check so many stores just to find a single kind of kids' toothbrush or kids' sunglasses without characters (or at least I used to, until I figured out where to look). What stores do you find kids' toothbrushes without characters? When you say "consignment shops," are you buying used sunglasses? Are they kids' ones, or sunglasses designed for adults? I haven't noticed sunglasses at the kids' consignment sales I go to.


I've never had a problem finding non-character sunglasses. My youngest has a super cute pair that I got in the dollar bin at Target, and it just has little hearts on it. Carter's also has cute character-free sunglasses.

My son has a power toothbrush with a generic astronaut on it. I've also seen Crayola toothbrushes.


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## dalia (Sep 3, 2007)

I do remember loving some characters when I was a kid and I think balance is really the key. I wish that dora didn't shout everything because I am really glad to see a Hispanic female character that kids love. Why does she have to shout everything???

Anyway if someone let my son watch dora I would not make any kind of a deal out of it. Now, spongebob is another story!!!


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## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

We usually get our kid's nonbranded toothbrushes at Target as well. Also a source for plain kid's neon and glitter bandaids.


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## hakeber (Aug 3, 2005)

I don't avoid Dora, but I do direct DS towards Animal Planet, The travel channel or films before Dora, because she is annoying. But she is bilingual, which is good for us, and we have it in Spanish with only some English...but I only let him watch it when I am not around because her voice is like nails on a chalk board for me.

Nickelodeon is one of the most egregious offenders of childhood branding marketers...easily equal to Disney from what I can see.

We like Sid the Science Kid, Food Tech on Discovery, all cooking shows, and I also do like Yo-gabba-gabba. I love DJ Lance and the celebritiy guests they have on are awesome! The little songs have gotten us through many an odd phase, like "Bite bite bite? No no no. Chomp chomp chomp? On your food food food."


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## JessieJune (Apr 18, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bokonon*
> 
> I've never had a problem finding non-character sunglasses. My youngest has a super cute pair that I got in the dollar bin at Target, and it just has little hearts on it. Carter's also has cute character-free sunglasses.
> 
> My son has a power toothbrush with a generic astronaut on it. I've also seen Crayola toothbrushes.


We were given a pack of those Crayola Toothbrushes and DS, 22 months, became very upset later when I tried to give him one with past to brush and kept saying "paper only." He thought it was a real crayon and it has taken so long to get him to stop eating real crayons that we didn't want to confuse him. Haha


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

We don't have TV programming, only the shows we download via iTunes, so my exposure is pretty limited. DD likes Backyardigans and the Wonder Pets. We have a season of Blue's Clues and a few Sesame Street movies. They are character-y but you don't see their stuff EVERYWHERE like you do Elmo, Mickey Mouse, and Dora. I HATE Elmo's World and the Micky Mouse Clubhouse or whatever it's called. Curious George has been a big hit for us--DD likes the monkey and relates to him.

Toothbrush-wise, I just buy her whatever has a character that she's not familiar with, or the multi-pack of target brand neon ones.


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## vulnerable (Apr 21, 2009)

I hate dora as well. My daughter does not watch much tv unless its a baseball game or yo gabba gabba. At her dads he allows her to watch old cartoons from the 80's and yo gabba gabba as well.


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## Faither (Oct 27, 2009)

My husband has banded Dora because he feels the title is confusing for little mouths to pronounce (dorA the explorER). Personally I don't like DD watching too much TV at all. For the most part we stick to Kipper, Toot and Puddle, Franny's Feet and a couple of other PBS shows. Hubby recently also banned Thomas the Tank Engine because he felt it was sexist. He's the stay at home parent so I leave the TV choices to him, mostly. We refuse to buy DD any liscenced stuff and won't allow it in the house if someone else buys it.


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## HidaShara (Jan 7, 2008)

We try to avoid ANYTHING branded, but (shockingly, sadly) I've come to realize that absolutely everything is branded nowadays. Even our favourite books have whole product lines behind them (Marie-Louise Gay's Sam and Stella, Mo Willem's the Pigeon, Miffy, heck, even Where The Wild Things Are!) At the end of the day, we just try to avoid the consumer connection - we don't buy anything just because it has a "character" on it. Hopefully we can keep DD's interests to the source (book) and not the brand.

As for Dora, I have seen exactly one episode of it and it just seems brainless to me. Cheap production values and it seems too "dumb", even for my 2.5 y.o. Kids aren't stupid, and I'm a bit annoyed by shows like this that seem to assume they are. If DD is going to get attached to something, I'd prefer it were something with a little more substance, ykwim?


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## Turquesa (May 30, 2007)

We're really leery about bringing cartoon characters into the home, but I was excited when I first heard about Dora because I'm bilingual and would like to share that love with my LOs. Now that I've seen her, though, I find her squeaky voice and condescending demeanor pretty annoying. I'll take Handy Manny over her any day!


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## sarahmsquared (Jan 25, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mosaic*
> 
> Dora is the one character we let into the house, though it wasn't really by choice: we speak Spanish in the home, so Dora was my ****** family's way of trying to respect that.
> 
> ...


Have you seen Pocoyo? They air here in the US in English but they are from Spain so we sometimes watch them on YouTube in Spanish.

On point, we don't watch Dora or anything on Nickelodean, mostly because I loathe commercials and avoid them as much as I can. I think the Dora licensing is over the top as well. The shows we watch are Peep and the Big Wide World, Pocoyo and Thomas the Tank Engine. I really don't like Thomas but DS is a train fanatic so I know he loves it.


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## Bokonon (Aug 29, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HidaShara*
> 
> We try to avoid ANYTHING branded, but (shockingly, sadly) I've come to realize that absolutely everything is branded nowadays. Even our favourite books have whole product lines behind them (Marie-Louise Gay's Sam and Stella, Mo Willem's the Pigeon, Miffy, heck, even Where The Wild Things Are!) At the end of the day, we just try to avoid the consumer connection - we don't buy anything just because it has a "character" on it. Hopefully we can keep DD's interests to the source (book) and not the brand.
> 
> As for Dora, I have seen exactly one episode of it and it just seems brainless to me. Cheap production values and it seems too "dumb", even for my 2.5 y.o. Kids aren't stupid, and I'm a bit annoyed by shows like this that seem to assume they are. If DD is going to get attached to something, I'd prefer it were something with a little more substance, ykwim?


My kids aren't stupid but are attentively watching Dora at the moment. We are all home sick, but the 2 year old and the almost 6 year old are both enjoying the episode.

I don't like the shouting and how annoying the voices are, but from a preschooler's perspective, I can see how it has merit. There is a definitive sequence of events. A beginning, middle, and end. A goal or mission, and it elicits viewer interaction by asking questions. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan, but in moderation it's not the worst of the kids' shows I've seen. I don't see it as "dumb" at all, especially compared to shows like Spongebob Squarepants which have a lot of meanness and no real plot.

I guess I would say that my daughter is "attached" to it, in that she loves this show and points out Dora to me anywhere she sees Dora merchandise, but she has no Dora merchandise other than a couple of books. I won't be buying her any clothing with Dora on it because I don't think the character is aesthetically pleasing, with the big head and clashing outfit, LOL. But my daughter does have a Mickey Mouse shirt, because I think it's cute and DD likes Mickey Mouse. She'd still rather be read to, or play at a park, or see animals at the zoo, or go for a walk than watch any show on TV. When we happen to be home and having TV time like today when we are all sick, I don't mind my kids watching some Dora, Mickey Mouse, or Elmo. It's not going to turn them into character-obsessed zombies. My almost 6 year old is a good example of this. He just left the room to go play school instead of watching the rest of this Dora episode.

I don't really understand why some posters in this thread have such strong emotions towards certain characters. I don't see how "hating" a character just because you see it everywhere is any different than the similarly extreme emotion of loving a character because you see it all the time. I get not wanting one's child to be obsessed with merchandise, but having an affinity towards a character is not a new phenomenon and isn't in and of itself developmentally stunting. After all, one could argue that Jesus is a literary character (that was based on a real person).


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## physmom (Jun 15, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bokonon*
> 
> My kids aren't stupid but are attentively watching Dora at the moment. We are all home sick, but the 2 year old and the almost 6 year old are both enjoying the episode.
> 
> ...


Yep, I'm the same way and I think it's just more of a agree to disagree thing. It's pretty common for kids to get attached to characters/things/ideas (I'm reminded of the movie "A Christmas Story" where the kid HAS to have that BB gun!) and I can remember being obsessed with barbies as a kid too. Ironically, I'm not very materialistic at all as an adult so I figure I turned out ok.









I don't really see Dora as dumb either. It's simplistic in that the characters don't really fight and they have more of a mission than anything else but DD finds it very appealing and is thrilled to retell me all the stories. She also really enjoys "helping" Dora throughout the episode and we prefer letting her watch shows that are more interactive vs. something like Thomas that is more passive (and, well, I just can't stand Thomas the train for a myriad of reasons...). I don't really get why people keep saying that Dora is condescending either?


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## les_oiseau (Apr 9, 2010)

We screen very heavily. At first, when my kids saw Dora at their grandmothers, I was ok with it. Having seen more episodes now, I have changed my mind! While some episodes are fine, many of them are teaching things that I do not agree with. I guess that's the way it is with most cartoons. But, frankly, I will not let my kids watch something that teaches aspects of a worldview or frame of thought that I think is wrong. And I have noticed kids develop loyalties pretty quickly to characters and I don't want to play that game. Where the writters behind some character have special influence on my kids.

However I am past freaking out over tv shows, and worrying about such things so, if we are at grandmas and it pops up, and the kids beg to watch it, they can. But we do not have cable, I will not buy rent borrow any Dora, have any Dora merch in my home, and will make sure everyone knows that we flat out avoid nick jr and request that they do the same.


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## CrazyCatLady (Aug 17, 2004)

I only read the first post. So I am sure I'm probably repeating stuff here.

I didn't like Dora. She was loud, annoying, and the show just felt really pointless. I see so many parents try and justify the show because they think it's helping make their kids bilingual, and I'm highly doubting it. Plus my daughter never responded to Dora anyways. So Dora would ask a question and sit there blinking while my dd was supposed to shout out an answer...and my dd would just sit there looking confused lol. It was kind of odd really.

I was pretty strict about tv when dd was 5 and under and my dd didn't watch much at all. I didn't ban Dora or anything. But I certainly never encouraged it and I think she maybe only ever saw a couple of episodes. As a treat while with the babysitter or while sick or something would be fine imo.


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## Bokonon (Aug 29, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CrazyCatLady*
> 
> I only read the first post. So I am sure I'm probably repeating stuff here.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I am under no delusions that Dora is teaching my kids Spanish, LOL. I think they are more likely to learn some Spanish from Sesame Street than Dora.

I'm pretty much ok with my kids watching most shows on Sprout, Nick Jr., or Disney Junior (formerly Playhouse Disney), just everything in moderation. They have favorites (the oldest is currently really into Jake and the Neverland Pirates, which isn't exactly educational but there is a mission and a goal, as with most shows on Disney Junior), but as long as there isn't violence and general meanness, I'm ok with a bit of TV down time here and there. (Of course, Captain Hook is on Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and he's not nice, but he never "wins", LOL.)

My son happened to watch Hannah Montana a couple of times and said he doesn't like it because she's mean to her brother.


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## Carma (Feb 10, 2006)

I like that Nick Jr has no commercials, I guess that is also thanks to the merchandising of Dora the Explorer. We are also bilingual and I do like that aspect of Dora. We also watch the Dutch Dora where it is Dutch/English. Dora is indeed shouting somewhat and the art is kind of ugly (why does she have such a big head?). But I am not sure what damage the episodes can do? They are mainstream I guess. But the birth of her twin siblings was a homebirth ;-) What are the parts that make some of you ban her? Now I get curious, hope I didn't overlook something. Both my 3 year old and 5 year old like it a lot.

Carma


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## CrazyCatLady (Aug 17, 2004)

My sister is fluent in Spanish and I am pretty darn close to it. My dd has been exposed to Spanish for most of her life and has a huge Spanish vocabulary (though she is too shy to speak it). I still don't get the Dora thing for bilingualism. Though we are not Hispanic, so there could be a cultural factor there that I'm not understanding. We do love Handy Mandy.

I guess I consider all kid TV an indulgence anyways and don't really think of any of it as "educational". So for me it's a matter of finding something that dd likes, and that doesn't annoy me too much lol. For us, that wasn't Dora. I don't really understand the hate though. She is easy enough to avoid if you aren't wanting it to be a part of your kids life. Her popularity seems to have waned a lot over the years anyways.


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## hakeber (Aug 3, 2005)

I can't speak for others here, but when I say I hate a TV character, I am speaking hyperbolically. I do not actively hate them or spend time thinking about them, I just have a visceral reaction to the sound of their voice. I have this reaction to Barney, Teletubbies, Curious George, Lazy Town in Spanish (I don't mind their voices in English for whatever reason), and Hi-five in Australia, Wiggle and Learn (ugh they are so creeeeeeeepy. What is the deal with that show? Captain Feather Sword...it just sounds so...dirty. Ick.)

I am not super crazy about some shows because of the social norms they propagate. I prefer shows that celebrate our family values, especially for when I am not around to talk about the events or the situations. I do not think Dora teaches bilingualism, but it does show it as normal, and that's why Handy Manny is popular here too. I prefer Handy Manny because his voice is less irrtating. I now realize as DS is older all the shows that really define what is boy behavior (like Milly and Molly where the only main boy character is a total creep, and don't even get me started on the action figure marketed to 3 and up from TV shows and Video games that are rated 13 and up! grrrr...okay those maybe I really do hate...not the shows but definitely the marketers that design the franchise.) I also am more aware, now that I have a girl about shows that highlight or emphasize what femininity IS. And I cannot believe how quickly they pick up on what it is to be a woman in our society.

For example I LOVE Pinky Dinky Doo for its vocabulary and imagination, and that the main character is a girl who is fearless and silly and brave, but then her neighbor Daphne is all into looks and things and she is portrayed as the attractive, posh, powerful alpha female who looks down on Pinky Dinky Doo, and even though Pinky brushes it off, there is this element that irks me. I am also not so keen on Hi-Five that shows distinct images of "femininity" or Lazy Town which in my opinion sexualizes the main girl character and makes her all flirty and cute with Sporticus who is old enough to be her father. A lot of the shows seem to do this and it freaks me out. So that is the aspect that I am careful or wary of. The merchandising is annoying, but it isn't the ick factor for me nearly as much as the shows themselves.

I think Dora is okay from that respect. I just wish she had a more pleasant tone to her voice.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Just skimming through this list, the one I'm not seeing is the Curious Buddies from Nick jr baby. I got this gift set, Goes to the farm, Builds, and Let's Move. And I actually really like them! The "characters" are puppet animals, but only by Dog, Pig. Nothing like Sesame street where they have names. Granted, this is for a MUCH YOUNGER KIDDO. 18months, my son is, and really enjoys the Let's Move video. Plus, I act out every song and dance too, so it's not like he's just stuck there immersed in the TV.

For our 4.5yr old god-son, I refused characters in the house; but his mom lets him watch everything. Luckily she hasn't bought into the merchandise - but he doesn't seem to lack it when he's with us. He might want Diego stuff, but he's perfectly fine with the non-character jungle animals on his wall. Most of the time when he's around, he might want watch tv, but if we go outside and divert the entire conversation, that's so much more fun anyway. Granted... he's only every other weekend. And my son, 18mos, is no where near that routed in anything. Except for the curious buddies - which I'd still like to hear opinions about.


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## Bokonon (Aug 29, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JordanKX*
> 
> Just skimming through this list, the one I'm not seeing is the Curious Buddies from Nick jr baby. I got this gift set, Goes to the farm, Builds, and Let's Move. And I actually really like them! The "characters" are puppet animals, but only by Dog, Pig. Nothing like Sesame street where they have names. Granted, this is for a MUCH YOUNGER KIDDO. 18months, my son is, and really enjoys the Let's Move video. Plus, I act out every song and dance too, so it's not like he's just stuck there immersed in the TV.
> 
> For our 4.5yr old god-son, I refused characters in the house; but his mom lets him watch everything. Luckily she hasn't bought into the merchandise - but he doesn't seem to lack it when he's with us. He might want Diego stuff, but he's perfectly fine with the non-character jungle animals on his wall. Most of the time when he's around, he might want watch tv, but if we go outside and divert the entire conversation, that's so much more fun anyway. Granted... he's only every other weekend. And my son, 18mos, is no where near that routed in anything. Except for the curious buddies - which I'd still like to hear opinions about.


I haven't heard of that - Nick Jr. Baby isn't a channel that I know of, so the show itself might not be on TV, or on TV anymore if it used to be.

I'm glad my kids don't have godparents or secondary caregivers that criticize my parenting.


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## lookatreestar (Apr 14, 2008)

i cannot stand dora!! ugh her voice and the show is always the same. booring. i much prefer shows made after books, kipper, berenstain bears, dr suess, clifford, little bear (dh's fav!) etc.

i honestly have never heard my kids LOL so hard at any show other than pocoyo. he is just the cutest little guy. (bilingual household here too).

oh and i like old sesame street, but even elmo doesn't bug me that much. i like when he kisses babies







that said i do not buy any character junk, no food, clothes, toys. nada. my kids really don't ask for character stuff any more than they ask for other stuff in the store. if they get it as a gift or watch a tv show i hate at grandmas, no biggie im all about moderation.


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## lookatreestar (Apr 14, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hakeber*
> 
> I can't speak for others here, but when I say I hate a TV character, I am speaking hyperbolically. I do not actively hate them or spend time thinking about them, I just have a visceral reaction to the sound of their voice. I have this reaction to Barney, Teletubbies, Curious George, Lazy Town in Spanish (I don't mind their voices in English for whatever reason), and Hi-five in Australia, Wiggle and Learn (ugh they are so creeeeeeeepy. What is the deal with that show? Captain Feather Sword...it just sounds so...dirty. Ick.)
> 
> ...


i disagree, i can't get fez out of my head









i have only seen it once though... we don't have cable, just netflix/youtube.


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## Toposlonoshlep (Jan 14, 2010)

Dora is ridiculous. I'm sorry. It is poorly written, poorly animated, and is used mainly to push products onto kids. Really young kids. At our zoo, there is a Dora 3D show, and none of the kids even want to see the animals. It's sick, in my opinion.


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## TheSlingMama (Nov 30, 2010)

We despise Dora. I feel she teaches nothing but to throw some odd things in a pack and run off with your friends and talk to strangers. When we do tv we like Ni Hao, Kai Lan. It teaches a good messages, Yeye (grandpa) is ALWAYS involved and everything they do is in her backyard pretty much. Overall, it's the only children's show I approve of really.


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## Just1More (Jun 19, 2008)

We don't watch Dora either. My kids only watch very select videos. Amazon has instant play for prime members now, and they have lots and lots of episodes of Mr. Rogers. I really like him...very slow, very interesting, very real.

I feel like Dora is so dumbed down and fake. I feel my children's time is more valuable than that.


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## LizzieRed (Aug 5, 2010)

We avoid all character toys and rank Dora right up there with the worst because the licensing is so in your face. My daughter has never watched the show - but when we let her pick wrapping paper for her 2nd birthday she chose a bag with Dora on it because it had "a little girl and a monkey" on it. She named the girl and we had the bag about a month and that was that. We try to just go with the flow and not attach a positive or negative to anything.

When picking TV shows for our family (our DD is 28 months) we try to use shows that have real people, children, and puppets. We feel that animation is confusing at her age and doesn't represent life very well. We watch (very seldomly) Sesame Street, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Barney. At other people's houses she has been exposed to movies (Pooh and a few Disney Films) and has been either scared or uninterested. We hope to keep it that way for a while more.


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