Disney Logo - H 2011
NEW YORK – The Walt Disney Co. is adding to its popular princesses with a girl princess called Sofia who is aimed at pre-schoolers, or kids ages 2 to 7, and is the company’s first princess who is not an adult, the New York Times reported.
Featured in a movie and coming TV series Sofia the First on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior, she joins the line of Disney princesses that have included Cinderella, Snow White and more.
The Disney Princess toy line generates about $4 billion in annual retail sales, the Times highlighted.
Aware of the potential for criticism, Disney emphasizes that Sofia will focus on teaching viewers age-appropriate themes, such as getting along with siblings and how to be kind and generous, the Times said.
Sofia will have “plenty of pretty dresses and sparkly shoes,” said Nancy Kanter, general manager for Disney Junior Worldwide, but episodes will teach children that “what makes a real princess is what’s inside, not what’s outside.”
Focus group reactions were full of “uniform positivity,” she told the Times. “We saw girls have an instant relatability to this character. If kids relate to what they watch – if they can put themselves in that world – that’s where real learning can start.”
Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
