The superhero business is for both boys and girls
It's going to be a summer of superheroes, just not the usual suspects. Girl Power may just overpower the likes of Captain America and Batman, who are now joined by a large group of strong female characters in the action figures aisle. Superheroes such as Wonder Woman and Black Widow, along with Rey, the Star Wars heroine, are opening up new worlds for young girls — and boys.
DC SuperHero Girls are some of the female characters on the market right now.
Glen Rock mom Noreen Heffernan is excited by the new wealth of strong female options. While her three daughters age 6 and younger don't know these characters or toys yet, she looks forward to showing them these superheroes and believes many of her friends with daughters "will love them."
"The idea of raising 'strong' girls is the new message of this generation," Heffernan wrote in an email. "I think it is extremely important to have girl superheroes to show both girls and boys that girls are tough, strong and can take on anything. This is a message I hope to convey to my three daughters. Batman doesn't have to be the only superhero they think of when they think of someone saving the day!!!!"
It's all a step in the right direction, says Elizabeth Sweet, who researches gender and children's toys.
"I think there's a concerted effort by the toy industry and the entertainment industry — they've gotten a lot of critique for not having enough female characters generally but also for not having more empowered female characters," said Sweet, a sociologist and lecturer at the University of California, Davis, and at California State University, Sacramento. "That's a great thing that they're recognizing there's a need for female characters that are more than just about beauty and passivity. I think that's great.
"That said, I think that there's still a problem in that the superheroes still conform to stereotypes of femininity, even as they're portrayed as being strong, they're always beautiful also."
Still, it's progress, according to Sweet, and a look at recent history supports that.
In an interview with Uproxx.com, writer and director Shane Blank said he
was forced to change the script of 2013's "Iron Man 3" when "Marvel corporate" stepped in to say the original version with its female villain was not acceptable.
"We had finished the script and we were given a no-holds-barred memo saying that cannot stand and we've changed our minds because, after consulting, we've decided that toy won't sell as well if it's a female," Blank, who co-wrote the screenplay and directed "Iron Man 3," told the website. "So, we had to change the entire script because of toy-making."
Blank makes a point in the interview to say that he doesn't know who made that decision, although he knows it wasn't Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and suggested a change in personnel at the studio will keep that from happening again.
"Now you don't have that problem anymore," he said.
The new push of strong female characters also comes less than six months after the #WheresRey controversy when Star Wars fans noticed action figure packs and board games were without the movie's main character and heroine. While the Disney response to the controversy and internet campaign for answers was that she was purposely omitted to not give away anything in the movie, most critics did not accept that answer. They believed sexism — overt or institutional — was behind the omission. But Rey is not missing anymore. She is well-represented in the toy aisles, along with the new wave of female superheroes.
Action figures aren't the only toys available, either. Accessories such as utility belts and shields, as well as costumes, can help kids become their favorite female superhero this summer.
"Both boys and girls want to fantasize about having super powers," said Chris Byrne, content director of TTPM.com, which reviews toys and tracks industry trends. "It's very empowering. It's also very healthy to pretend to be more powerful than you are. It's very confidence-building. This is not a gender issue, but a kid issue."
The DC SuperHero Girls from Mattel feature not only Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Poison Ivy but Harley Quinn, Bumblebee and Katana, among others. The franchise, which is aimed at girls ages 6 to 12, comprises not only toys, but also an online show with the superheroes in high school.
"Wonder Woman in her original incarnation was more a fantasy for teenage boys — an attractive, powerful woman," Byrne said. "She defeated her foes in a very traditional male way, by overpowering them. No one is going to dispute the success of that, but if you look at Wonder Woman when she's at Super Hero High, she's trying to fit in, solve personal problems and engage with the other superheroes.
"It's fascinating, to me, that they have cast these as high school students, because they can create story lines that reflect this new sensibility to how girls engage with superhero play without compromising the core characteristics of their 'adult' superhero identities."
Christine Kim, a toy designer at Mattel, told Bloomberg.com last fall that she told her team to look at gymnasts, dancers and basketball players as models for sculpting more muscular versions of the SuperHero Girls dolls and action figures.
"We wanted to have this very strong, toned body, but keeping in mind that they are still in high school, so they're not fully mature yet," Kim told Bloomberg. "But they still look like they can save the day instead of being saved."
Marvel isn't missing out on this Girl Power moment. Hasbro, which is licensed to produce Marvel toys, has put out products with several female characters and is playing it straight — these women are part of the universe just like Captain America and Iron Man. Now fans will just have more of an opportunity to include them when playing.
"It wouldn't be possible for fans to relive and re-create the fantastic stories of the Marvel Universe without touching upon their incredible cast of strong and prominent female characters," Jerry Perez, Hasbro senior vice president of global brand strategy and marketing, said through a spokesperson. "This year, we're excited to bring fans a wide range of female characters to enjoy across several product lines, from Black Widow and Scarlet Witch featured in films like Marvel's 'Captain America: Civil War,' to favorites like Spider-Gwen, Captain Marvel, Gamora and Phoenix, to name a few."
Sweet noted Mattel's response to the critics of the prototypes, which kids and adults found to be too skinny and looking more like a fashion doll than an action figure. The toys were given more muscular bodies.
"They really are trying, but still …" said Sweet.
While industry execs might ask how they can please everyone, Sweet's answer is more multidimensional characters — strong but flawed and vulnerable — those who give girls not more to aspire to but more to relate to. And a variety of characters to go into the kids' variety of play styles and interests.
"As one option in a wide array of roles kids can play at, I think the superhero is great, the princess is great," Sweet said. "But when they're the only options then I think that's a problem."
Email: yoriok@northjersey.com
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