I blogged about Disney's new black Princess Tiana a while back and I have to say, it's a financial move for the company and nothing else. The doll will make its debut today at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.
For Disney, it's not just about being culturally and politically correct. Chi-ching is more like it. The Disney Princess franchise, which raked in $4 billion in global retail sales last year, is aging and what else to do but introduce something the company deliberately side-stepped for so long -- a black doll. The cocoa-colored doll, which sports a tiara and a flowing blue gown, and is roughly the size of a Barbie, is expected to sell for about the same $10 to $15 as Barbie.
Well, Disney's latest project isn't like Ty Dolls Sasha and Malia plush dolls, because Princess Tiana was on the drawing board long before Barack Obama was elected the nation's first black president. According to USA Today, marketing experts say the doll signals a growing awareness by industries from toymakers to cosmetic companies that diversity is critical in a nation where people of color will be the majority in little more than 30 years. Tiana will hit to the big screen later this year in the animated musical The Princess and the Frog. She is the first princess introduced by Disney since Mulan in 1998.
Wait. We have more politically correct black dolls coming. Mattel, which has the license to create the Princess Tiana dolls, is planning to release its own line of black dolls in September. Part of the Barbie family, the So In Style dolls are being touted as having a more authentic appearance, from their hair to their varying skin tones.
As with her fellow princesses, according to USA Today, Tiana merchandise will range from Halloween costumes to backpacks. The newspaper states that there are plans for Tiana-theme MP3 players and digital cameras to be in stores by the end of the year, and a line of Princess Tiana and The Princess and the Frog books will go on sale this fall.
Okay. I am not saying that the idea isn't a good one, but what took Disney so long? The company was founded on October 16, 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as an animation studio. It has become one of the biggest Hollywood studios, owner and licensor of 11 theme parks and several television networks including ABC and ESPN. So, with that in mind, Disney should have been on the cutting edge of change in America in creating a black doll. Big deal. They waited 86 years to release a black doll. Seems their motivation is more financial than to foster diversity in their toy chest.
By the way, the Prince Naveen is white. They couldn't bear to put a brother in that role.
For Disney, it's not just about being culturally and politically correct. Chi-ching is more like it. The Disney Princess franchise, which raked in $4 billion in global retail sales last year, is aging and what else to do but introduce something the company deliberately side-stepped for so long -- a black doll. The cocoa-colored doll, which sports a tiara and a flowing blue gown, and is roughly the size of a Barbie, is expected to sell for about the same $10 to $15 as Barbie.
Well, Disney's latest project isn't like Ty Dolls Sasha and Malia plush dolls, because Princess Tiana was on the drawing board long before Barack Obama was elected the nation's first black president. According to USA Today, marketing experts say the doll signals a growing awareness by industries from toymakers to cosmetic companies that diversity is critical in a nation where people of color will be the majority in little more than 30 years. Tiana will hit to the big screen later this year in the animated musical The Princess and the Frog. She is the first princess introduced by Disney since Mulan in 1998.
Wait. We have more politically correct black dolls coming. Mattel, which has the license to create the Princess Tiana dolls, is planning to release its own line of black dolls in September. Part of the Barbie family, the So In Style dolls are being touted as having a more authentic appearance, from their hair to their varying skin tones.
As with her fellow princesses, according to USA Today, Tiana merchandise will range from Halloween costumes to backpacks. The newspaper states that there are plans for Tiana-theme MP3 players and digital cameras to be in stores by the end of the year, and a line of Princess Tiana and The Princess and the Frog books will go on sale this fall.
Okay. I am not saying that the idea isn't a good one, but what took Disney so long? The company was founded on October 16, 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as an animation studio. It has become one of the biggest Hollywood studios, owner and licensor of 11 theme parks and several television networks including ABC and ESPN. So, with that in mind, Disney should have been on the cutting edge of change in America in creating a black doll. Big deal. They waited 86 years to release a black doll. Seems their motivation is more financial than to foster diversity in their toy chest.
By the way, the Prince Naveen is white. They couldn't bear to put a brother in that role.
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