DC Comics has always had a roster of strong female characters that girls can look up to but now "DC Super Hero Girls" is also here, specifically designed to help in empowering a younger crowd. Talking to The Mary Sue, the "DC Super Hero Girls" creative team shared their thoughts on the TV show, book series, graphic novel series and line of toys, offering insight on taking superheroes to high school.
Since the "DC Super Hero Girls" TV show caters to to an age group between 6 and 12 years old, it is easily compared to shows like "Young Justice" or "Teen Titans." DCE Creative Director Aria Moffly explained that there will definitely be danger in "DC Super Hero Girls" but the show will be taking a more optimistic outlook, setting a different tone for the characters, some of which are already known as villains.
Shea Fontana, author of the "DC Super Hero Girls" graphic novels, added that they have been given the freedom to deviate from story lines, starting over with an alternate reality where superheroes are teens still coming to grips with their powers and abilities. They haven't fully figured out who they are so the possibility exists that they may not go down the villainous road. Even if high school is a treacherous place. In fact, classic bad guys like Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are doing heroic things in the TV show.
As for the line of toys, Tania Missad, Director of Consumer Insights for Mattel, said they talked to moms and girls about what they would be interested in seeing. Given action figures connoted that the toys would be for boys, they considered calling the line something else, like "action dolls."
However, the parents themselves said that calling the toys "action figures" is fine. They really are action figures after all, just more relevant to a girl between the ages of 6 and 12. Missad pointed out, however, that the toys have been designed to be appealing to both boys and girls, saying that children have more or less the same play patterns anyway.
The team's just warming up but the fact that they did not face any resistance at all at explicitly focusing on girl characters is an excellent start.
"I think everybody ... was really excited about the opportunity because it hasn't really been done before on this scale," Moffly added.
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