soc_puppet | Homework Help

In my observation, action figures are marketed to a predominantly male audience, at least in this country. Therefore, when female characters do appear in an action cartoon, they are usually designed to appeal to males, with physical features and proportions to make them sexually provocative. For an extreme example, find an image of the one female team member in the "Mighty Ducks" animated series.

Unfortunately, this means fewer female characters that a female audience can really identify with. (Too often you're not seeing a realistic girl, just a guy's fantasy of what a girl should be.) Also, in the marketing of media-related toys, it's thought that young males (the primary target market for action figures) collect character figures that they can identify with. Conventional wisdom says that they (the boys) don't want the girl-character action figure, and sales figures very probably agree.

Until girls make up a larger percentage of the action figure buying market, this lack of female character toys will probably not change. I heard it once from someone who worked in media (I forget who) that in America, girls will watch "boys'" cartoons, but not the other way around. Therefore, television networks only want to show cartoons that will appeal specifically to boys, in order to get the widest possible viewing audience.

Girls are left out of the loop. Basically, we're considered irrelevant in America.

An interesting question to me is: why is it so different in Japan?

On the other hand, female characters predominate in full-length Disney animated features, although not in recent years. But this may be a topic for another paper.

Please feel free to use any or all of what I've just written. You can just quote me as a "Minneapolis sf writer and media critic," or something like that.

That is above and beyond fantastic, thanks so much!

It's somewhat sad that markets generalize what buyers want. They assume that female figures won't appeal to boys. In the lower age range, that might be true, but what about the older buyers, the ones that actually collect for the sake of collecting and not for play?

Being a child of the 80's, I grew up on Voltron, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was an avid action figure buyer of Ninja Turtles especially and I bought all the different variety of characters, including April O'Neal, the persistent reporter and source to the Turtles (Yes, looking back, I'm surprised that they even bothered to make one in the first place). But my next door neighbor, a boy named Ryan who was a year my junior, had about as many Turtle figures as I had... except April. He instead had Casey Jones, the masked vigilante wielding bats and hockey sticks. What was April's accessories? Erm, I believe it was a microphone and camera. Imagine my surprise when I watched the Ninja Turtles movie that came out last summer; April can actually fight? Where the heck have I been?! That's not to say that Ninja Turtles didn't have strong female roles at all. There was Lotus Blossom, a ninja who Leonardo fancied, if I remember correctly. But strong female cartoon characters were few and far between, and sometimes not even part of the main cast. But back to April's actions in the movie... I'd like to believe that writers can see that their audience is changing, but is that wishful thinking? Do they realize that females are watching more of "boy cartoons"? Because let's face it; pink fairies riding on purple ponies talking about how they all want to be friends as they prance around their magical world while playing tambourinee... well, that's just BORING. And STUPID. And positively NOT INTERESTING. At least, I would think so.

As

materia_indigo said, there doesn't seem to be a strong enough market for girls to action figures. That probably explains why there are no darn Avatar figures (Come on, people!! Please give me at least one Katara, Toph and Suki. I don't need "Watertribe Warrior Aang", decked out in an outfit he never even wore in the series).

Ooo, turtles = a good example I'll probably have to use that.

Most of what I remember about Voltron is being really damn confused over Pidge's gender.

(I'm trying to change that, I really am! Hell, I'd settle for a limited time, online-only series of female action figures for Avatar, but lord knows we won't get that either. ...Though admittedly, the shipper in me fell pretty hard for the Watertribe Aang. On that note though, HOW ARE THEY IGNORING THE ZUTARA MARKETING NICHE. IT IS HUGE AND RIGHT @#$%#$ THERE, AND THEY ARE DOING NOTHING WITH IT. GUYS, MAKE A KATARA, YOU'LL SELL RIGHT OUT AND YOUR ZUKO SALES WILL GO THROUGH THE ROOF IF THEY AREN'T THERE ALREADY. *is done ranting now, rly*)

This probably isn't as clean cut as you want an example to be but here goes. I leave polishing up to you. A plausible reason for the lack of female character action figures is that ~~coming from the perspective of an Avatar fangirl~~ while there might be female characters the main focus isn't on them and thereforth it would be a bad marketing practice to make action figures out of the female characters because they wouldn't appeal as much. Also it would make plausible sense that the girls would want to buy "dolls" instead of "action figures" and thereforth is the reason why there aren't many female action figures in the market.
Think a name up for me my wonderful claimer!!!! You're smart and witty enough.

Of course every Avatar fan I know thinks that not having action figures for Katara, Toph and Suki is complete and utter rubish because all three of them kick ass and are most definitely the Seme's out of the group whereas the guys are the Uke's. *shakes head of the silliness of the marketing "experts:* Really. If they put out a set of female Avatar character action figures they'd probably sell better than the male ones. ZUTARA?!?!? Girl whatcha talking about? It's Kataang. In retrospect that doesn't sound good but it's nearly canon.

So true, that. And I'm a Kataang 'shipper myself, really, I just don't see why we can't use the huge overwhelming fangirl power of the Zutara fans to the advantage of all. I mean, come on, there's gotta be hundreds of girls out there who'd die to have a Zuko and Katara to play house with, even if they were marketed as action figures.

Ah. You have a point.

The sad fact of the matter when it comes to marketing "strong female characters" is that they are either a) in a "boy's show" and therefore considered moot when it comes to putting out merchandise or b) marketed incorrectly.

Take for example the merchandise for Kim Possible, a show that is about a kick-ass female who saves the world on a daily basis while the co-star (the "lead male" if you will) is nothing more than comic relief and often is the "damsel in distress" that Kim must save. So you'd think, there would be lots of "Kick Ass" merchandise for Kim right?

Nope. Not in the least bit. Take a look at the basic line that is closest to being considered "action figures" at their 4-inch size:
1) Shopping Friends Set
includes: KIM & MONIQUE 4" FIGURES
2 Club Banana Outfits, 2 Club Banana Shopping Bags, 2 Pairs of Sunglasses, 2 Credit Cards, 1 Club Banana Purse, Cell Phone, Hair Brush

2) Fast Food Friends Set
includes: KIM & RON 4" FIGURES
2 Bueno Nacho Uniforms, 2 Bueno Nacho Drinks, 2 Tacos, Plate of Nachos, Bueno Nacho Menu, Food Tray, Hair Brush

(A note, these outfits appear in ONE episode of the series ONLY. Very early first-season at that)

3) First Date set
includes: KIM & JOSH 4" FIGURES
Hair Brush, Purse, flowers, popcorn, 2 Movie Tickets, 2 Drinks, Tray

4) Kim & Bonnie Set
includes 2 outfits, brush, shoes

5) MIDDLETON MUSEUM CAPER Set
includes: Kim & Ron
Necklace, Secret Jewel Decoder, Egyptian Staff, 2 bracelet cuff jewels, Head Jewels, Hair Brush

This is the ONLY set that comes with Kim's "mission" clothes and yet they still manage to put jewelry in it via the museum artifacts.

Part of the appeal of the show is that Kim is a strong, kick-ass female who just happens to be a normal high-school cheerleader. The marketing focuses on the "girly" aspects and basically ignores the main concept- that girls can kick ass too. Just proof that it isn't only the marketers for "boy's shows" that have "girls that kick ass" marketing problems.

...Wow. Ow. Those stats kinda hurt a lot. They made a Bonnie doll/figure? Tell me they've made Shego or Draken. Please.

Anyway, A++ info, thanks for supplying!

Sad fact- the only Drakken and Shego was part of the McDonald's Happy Meal toys and a group set of the cast that was a Disney Store exclusive(at least in terms of figures released in the US. I think there's a TOMY line of small figures that has them). Yes, they've made a Josh and a Bonnie before making a 4-inch Shego or Drakken. Fail, marketers, fail.

No prob! This situation is something that I lament 99.9% of the times I go into a toy store anymore XD;

That. That is very sad. But at least the Disney Store exclusive exists at all? And yes, that is so, so fail.

So true! I always end up taking a trip into the action figure aisle, and then being sad.

I'd use the example of the Star Trek figures they had out (haven't seen any for a long time) where they literally made figures for any significant (and some not so significant) characters. They made they women and some that only appeared on occasion (or died later!). But Star Trek has its own fan base and, despite the fact that the figures were in the "toy" section, I suspect more adults bought them (I wasn't an adult then). The collectors would want to be able to collect all of them and the neglect of the women would have created backlash.

I collected most of the women because there weren't as many of them and they still were cool. It was nice to have some female role models. Yes, I played with them and I didn't like my brother playing with them because he wasn't careful with them!

Also, I'm not sure they qualify as action figures. But I think that's the best discription for them.

I can take a picture of them if you would like me to!

That's a very interesting contrast. With Avatar on the other hand, I'm just not sure Nickelodeon knows how many of their viewers are not ten-year-old boys.

Mmm, probably.

That would actually be awesome and wonderful ♥

I sure wouldn't mind having a Katara figure. She kicks booty! They're so narrow-minded.

I have to admit that Star Trek is mostly not animated (there was an animated series in the '70s). Would that work for your paper or would it be an example of how a nonanimated series can be treated? Star Wars also had women figures. Not as many as the men but there weren't as many women either. An example of the inequality between the treatment of live action and animation merchandise. XD I have to be careful. I could probably write your paper!

Give me a few days. If I haven't done it by Sunday, poke me. I'm too tired to do it tonight and I have to dig them out from under my all purpose storage space, the space under my bed!

She dooooeees. They could so make money off of it. Or at least break even and then make up for it with Zuko figures or something. Which is why I wrote them a letter telling them they could be making more money, but I haven't even gotten a form letter back, so.

That's a good point. Still, I'm sure there's plenty of people in the same age demographic that would be interested in both, especially when you throw Star Wars in the mix.
XD Not that I'd mind, except for the whole "plagiarism" thing.

That's perfectly reasonable. I know I procrastinate like hell on everything ^^a

Oh, and mind if I friend? ♥?

It is refreshing to see a strong female lead. I still have trouble with people shipping her with Aang or Zuko, though. For some reason, it gives me the willies. I think it comes from how young they all are.

You could touch on the contrast of treatment. When things are good, they'll reach beyond their target demographic.
Plagerism is bad. But what if I want to give input? I haven't written a paper in a couple of years now and your paper sounds like fun.

But I don't want to procrastinate. If I pull it out tonight, I won't be in bed for -hours-.

Only if you don't mind me friending you in return. ^_^

Oh God yes. Although, and don't quote me on this, I have heard that the creators did get criticism for actually making Katara as capable as she is.
I get weird where the shipping is concerned, and could go into way too much detail ^^a Long story short, I find Katara/Aang cute in a romantic sense, but don't even want to think about it in a sexual sense.

Good point. Hopefully things'll get good soon.
XD That sounds fine. Or you could write your own on the same subject when I'm done? Either way, really.

O rite ^^a

Yay :D ♥

Sexist jerks. Is there something -wrong- with a strong, capable female lead? Why does she have to be a damsel in distress? Why does there have to -be- a damsel in distress?

Apparently there is >/ And I don't know, people are stupid like that sometimes. [Angry feminist rant goes here.]

I wonder if I should write a letter explaining that I appriciate a character like Katara and wish there had been one like her when I was little.
Feminist rant nothing, I'm for equality, pure and simple.

Well, I've got Nickelodeon's address and phone number up at least, if not yet Mattel's. I wonder if Kirkwood's library has that info...

I thought that's more or less what feminism was about...? Er. *glances towards her foot-in-mouth icon*

I'll consider writing them but I don't think they'll listen. Such a shame.

Um, you're right. I was thinking of more extreme forms. I'm a feminist.

To be honest, I wrote them over a month ago and haven't even gotten a form letter back. My assumption is that I'm/we're really playing a numbers game and so far I'm/we're losing on the numbers :/ Maybe I should start sending in a letter once a month or something...

No worries, I know the word can get bent out of shape depending on context ;)

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