The gift of an action figure doll, whether it was male or female, was generally inconsequential to the imaginative storylines that developed during the years of boyhood and girlhood. Despite the accessories and clothing choices, action figures became more exciting once they possessed a computerized suit or magically enhanced powers. The domestic lifestyle changed to create adventures, extraordinary problems, and decisions about who was most capable of saving the day! Later, to provide young children with a new role model, girls from fantasy-themed, horror, and fairy tales entered the scene. Parents couldn’t complain when modestly dressed fictitious girls, who valued friendship, school, and their extraordinary gifts, helped young girls see themselves as heroes.
The Diverse Book Movement
In 2014, a movement arrived to break the stereotypical viewpoint of females in literature. The reference reached a broad platform from television and film adaptations to cartoons and fairy tales. Comic books and children’s picture books created a new and improved action-figure! The outcome provided a crossover for children, under the age of 10, to experience a new-and-improved superhero, who embodied the essence of imperfections while valuing friendship and education. The plan worked! Children delved into the stories to enjoy not one favorite character, but a team who actively finds solutions by working together. The lessons about right and wrong, selflessness, loyalty, and courage are among the values right on target to influence young audiences.
Heroine Equal to Hero
An unexpected trio formed when Wonder Woman joined iconic superheroes Superman and Batman in 2017. The heroine broke through the barrier to become an accepted hero capable of devising plans, fighting, and winning! Whether through cartoon or comic book, chapter book, or picture book, children altered their opinions of what defined a superhero. With the addition of action figures, male or female heroes were inconsequential to the message that teamwork is the answer to most solutions!
A Better Shoe Fit
Heels and fashionable outfits are a nightmare to a superhero requiring flexibility and mobility. The inevitable occurs; the hero is unlikely to take the risk due to her delicate and expensive clothing. The designers, too, believed a role model for a young girl required apparel that possessed functionality and modesty. By eliminating the sexual component, the hero becomes powerful not due to her beautiful locks or thin waist, but through her incredible super skills.
Lego, More Than Just a Construction Toy
Toys, especially constructing kits, have come a long way in the past two decades. Step-by-step instructions corresponding to numbered packets help the builder erect a boat, building, or house. While the structure offers a feeling of accomplishment, Legos also provide an interactive component, especially if it is Newberry Haunted High School or Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The option for multiple play centers, an array of characters, and quite possibly magical creatures, expands the play session to any number of problems and solutions.
The Power of Superheroes
The heroes and heroines of today live complicated lives; yet, they bond together in friendship to face problems. The best attributes of the superhero create a foundation for children to follow as a student by day living the credo of a full-time good citizen! It is a message parents cannot help but embrace! Children, too, invest in the characters, who do not always possess capes or superpowers, but natural abilities and great ideas!
Children understand that not every problem requires a battle scene. The power of the hero offers a moral compass to children who need help navigating through a world where keeping a cool head and acting fast is necessary during threats of danger. Kids need belief in superheroes to rise above impossible challenges and feel super!
