Dora the Explorer

Consider This: Virtual Worlds In Institutional Settings

May 7, 2009 by Amy Jussel 2 Comments

May 7, 2009 See this smiling face? Meet my goddaughter, Lara, who recently turned 12. We gifted her an Elf Island 'virtual world' membership for 'premium content' as part of her B-Day celebration. Why? 1.) It was one of the few things I KNEW she didn't have (living afar and gift-guessing is dicey) 2.) She's a VERY social only child who loves to chat and make new friends 3.) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: AAP, ad free, ad-creep, arcade games, blurred boundaries, brand influence, branding, CCFC, commercialism, commercialism in hospitals, commercialism in schools, consumption, Critical-thinking-skills, Disney, doing good, Dora the Explorer, Eco-Childs-Play, Electronic Pacifier, Elf-Island, entertainment industry, follow the money, gaming, gaming addiction, Georgia, GoodQuests, Great Turtle Race, hospital influence, hospitals, Immersive Worlds, infant formula, institutional precedent, institutions, licensed cartoon characters, Liz and Craig Kronenberger, media-literacy, medical marketing, Nationwide Children's Hospital, NCH, OLPC, pediatrics, plant trees, Premium Content, pro-social, schools, subscriber model, video games, Virtual-Worlds, VMK, VW, Wyland

Doug Engelbart Supports Shaping Youth By Offering Digital History

March 12, 2009 by Amy Jussel 11 Comments

Jan. 30, 2014 Thinking pensively about the late, great Doug Engelbart on this birthday today, as he would've been 89. Let's celebrate his spirit by raising the collective knowledge for humanity...and applying it every day of our lives! Jan. 30, 2013 update: Make it great for #88! Just wrote birthday wishes on Doug Engelbart's wall and reminded myself once again why we need … [Read more...]

Filed Under: EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, People Shaping Youth, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth, Viral & Buzz Media Tagged With: brainpower, cause classifieds, Celebrities for a Cause, collective knolwedge, computer history, Counter-marketing, Dave Davison, Digital, digital history, digital media, Dora the Explorer, Doug Engelbart, Douglas C. Engelbart, evolutionary, Facebook, Facebook Marketplace, future, geek chic, girls in tech, heroes, intelligence, inventor, IQ, media-literacy, MIT, mother of all demos, mouse, NextNow Collaboratory, Oodle, Program for the Future, sell for a cause, SRI, Steve Wosniak, tech, teens, thought leaders, tweens, virtual garage sale, Visual Insight

Dora The Explorer: Discover the World, Not the Mall

February 26, 2009 by Amy Jussel 24 Comments

Feb. 26, 2009 Oh fer cripes sakes. Say it ain’t so. Is Dora the Explorer getting a makeover and turning tween TOO?! Leave her alone! This "age-compression" bit is putting a new dent in my TMJ-clenched jaw as we once again see marketers "vy for the buy" with zero regard for the integrity of the message being delivered. Just LOOK at the cues being sent to ‘tween girls’ as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity, Vapid Values Tagged With: age compression, APA sexualization study, bilingual, Boots the monkey, cartoon characters, cartoons, Dora the Explorer, Early-Sexualization, Facelifts, female superheroes, Hardy Girls Healthy Women, Kids, Lyn Mikel-Brown, makeovers, Manga, Mattel, Packaging-Girlhood, Parent Dish, preschool, Sharon Lamb, Silk Spectre, Strawberry-Shortcake, tweens, Viacom, Watchmen