DC Super Hero Girls Could Save The Day For Mattel’s Dwindling Barbie Doll Sales
Female superheroes such as Wonder Woman and Batgirl could very well save the day for Mattel. With Barbie doll sales dwindling, Mattel is hoping to revitalize their brand by partnering with Warner Bros. and DC Comics to launch a line of action figures for girls called DC Super Hero Girls. According to Entertainment Weekly, characters announced include Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Bumble Bee, and Katana with other characters to be added later.
Announcing DC Super Hero Girls! Get all the awesome details here: http://t.co/BXFxOPjuvb #dcgirlpower pic.twitter.com/HWyyKF3RFw
— DC Comics (@DCComics) April 22, 2015
As the Inquisitr previously reported, the toy company has been looking for ideas that could turn into the next must-have toy. They seem to have found at least one idea with their announcement of a line of Wonder Woman and Batgirl figures. Digital content is slated to release in Fall, 2015, where girls can learn about the characters. Toys, DVDs, clothing, TV specials, and other products will be released in 2016 while books published by Random House Children’s Books will begin to release in Spring, 2016. There will also be a LEGO tie-in.
The President of DC Entertainment, Diane Nelson, said in a statement superheroes such as Wonder Woman can be a strong and empowering role model for young girls.
“DC Entertainment is home to the most iconic and well-known Super Heroes including Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Batgirl. DC Super Hero Girls represents the embodiment of our long-term strategy to harness the power of our diverse female characters. I am so pleased that we are able to offer relatable and strong role models in a unique way, just for girls.”
DC Super Hero Girls will be aimed at girls aged 6-12 with the focus on the teenage years of Wonder Woman and the other characters as they’re discovering their super powers.
“Each character has her own storyline that explores what teen life is like as a Super Hero, including discovering her unique abilities, nurturing her remarkable powers and mastering the fundamentals of being a hero,” According to a press release from DC Comics.
Richard Dickson, President and COO of Mattel, spoke of the partnership with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment.
“Together with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment, the DC Super Hero Girls franchise will further expand our already powerful girls portfolio. We know Super Hero is a culturally relevant theme and the DC Super Hero Girls franchise will engage and inspire girls, providing cues to explore heroic acts through play and into real life.”
The world of comic book heroes and heroines has typically been geared toward boys rather than girls even with female characters like Wonder Woman. Recently, Marvel was criticized for not including Black Widow action figures in its line of Avengers products. With the DC Super Hero Girls franchise, Mattel and DC Entertainment are hoping to cash in on a large portion of consumers who haven’t been reached out to in such a huge way before.
[Image via Twitter]
