Disney Crowns New Princess Sofia the First

This week Disney unveiled its latest money-grabbing scheme in the form of a new princess character marketed toward young girls between the ages of 2 and 7. Just to be clear, I am in no way being sarcastic when I say this is a money-grabbing scheme… okay maybe I am a little bit. There are good intentions here, but one cannot help but notice the sheer amount of merchandise Disney hopes to create around this new character. And the little princess in question is named Sofia.

The NY Times reported a TV movie and series called Sofia the First is planned to air on the Disney Channel as well as a new channel, Disney Junior. Both would follow Princess Sofia, who for the first time is a princess of a relatable age to her audience. The idea behind the series is children watching would learn as Sofia learns. Such topics could include sharing, getting along with siblings and in general being a good person. Most importantly, it will emphasize that it’s what’s on the inside of a person that makes them a princess, not what’s on the outside (It really is you know. It’s all about genetics.). Now doesn’t that sound just perfectly fluffy? Teaching kids this stuff is great, but let’s be honest; the majority of parents could stand to learn some of this stuff. Yeah, I went there.

So while there’ll be plenty of dresses and toy for parents to buy their kids, at least a positive message is being sent out. It’s better than having children watch Twilight, which teaches little girls they’ll only be happy if they have a man in their life.