Welcome To The Jungle: Dora The Explorer Partners With Slash

The Dora the Explorer brand has been extended, licensed, merchandized and partnered with a plethora of other brands and franchises. Now, however, the Dora brand is getting a rock 'n’ roll makeover in one of the most bizarre co-branding schemes in recent memory.

Guns-n-Roses guitar god Slash has agreed to team up with the cartoon brand's parent company, the Nickelodeon network, to design a limited edition Dora the Explorer backpack. The rock star and his iconic black top hat will help design a bag featuring Dora the Explorer that will be auctioned this year to raise money for the Children's Defense Fund.

While Slash may not be the idol of debauchery he once was, the guitarist is still a fairly rough-around-the-edges rocker; he's not somebody parents would consider as a babysitter, role model, or even a good influence. So, why do this? It's a stunt for sure, but one that more brands should consider.

Under the right circumstances, brands that appear to be completely at odds can benefit more from teaming up with each other than brands that share much in common. Provided they are limited in nature, these jarring odd couplings can create buzz and demonstrate a brand's sense of humor and creativity. A perfect other example is last year's Burger King's "Windows 7 Whopper" promotion in Japan.

The Dora-Slash duet is unlikely to have any downside. It certainly won't cause the controversy the Dora brand's "tween" makeover did last year. In fact, since the parents of today's Dora-age demographic were very likely rocking out to Slash almost two decades ago, this limited partnership might even be received with wry admiration. Also, Slash's children, age 4 and 6, might just think dad is pretty cool for being hooked up with Dora.