Back in April, DC announced that it planned on launching a new initiative targeted exclusively at young girls, using many of its female characters from the DC Comics universe.
Today, that initiative launched. Titled Super Hero Girls, DC partnered with Mattel and Warner Bros. to offer toys, books, games, DVDs and more, all aimed at girls between the ages of 6 and 12.
One walk down a girls' toy aisle in any department store or toy store can often mean getting inundated with pink. However, Super Hero Girls seeks to counteract all that pink with brighter colors: the red, white and blues of Wonder Woman and Supergirl, the greens of Poison Ivy and the yellows of Bumblebee.
Traditionally, superhero-themed merchandise was at targeted boys and men. However, DC thinks that because trends are changing and more girls and women now read comics, the world is ready for Super Hero Girls.
"It's fun for all of us to be involved in something that's going to play into the girl-power aspect of what kids and parents are looking for," said president of DC Entertainment Diane Nelson to USA Today.
In July, DC launched the official Super Hero Girls website, showing off its lineup of young female superheroes for the first time. That lineup includes fan favorites, such as Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn, but also some less familiar superheroines from the DC Universe, such as Bumblebee and Miss Martian.
Although each character has gone through an age-appropriate makeover, DC believes that the spirit of who they are still shines through the younger versions of their characters. However, these aren't your mother's and father's DC superheroes: these superheroes have to deal with the same issues young girls have to deal with, such as going to school. But they also have to balance that with life as superheroes.
"When you're that age, whether it's as young as 6 or, on a more aspirational level, when you're moving into a high school environment, you're trying to figure out who you are, and that's what these characters are going through," said Nelson.
Today, DC released a "Welcome to Super Hero High" animated short film to introduce these characters.
Super Hero Girls will also make an appearance next week at New York Comic Con, Oct. 8 -11 at the Javits Center, which will offer fans a sneak peek at Mattel's action figures of the characters set for release next spring. DC also plans on having Super Hero Girls visible on social media, as well as offering DVD and Blu-ray films featuring the characters, along with graphic novels and books.
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