(image via New York Times.)
Doc McStuffins is a breakout Disney animated series which features Dottie “Doc” McStuffins, a young African-American girl who who “treats” her stuffed animals.
Merchandise inspired by the series cleared over 500 million dollars in sales last year, drawing comparison to Dora the Explorer, which has earned over 12 billion dollars since the start of the series. These numbers are unique for a product line featuring a black character, as similar characters, such as Disney’s Princess Tiana haven’t had such significant success. These figures also prove that diverse toys are definitely profitable. According to the New York Times,
Industry experts say that children still tend to gravitate toward toys and characters that look like them, with parents clamoring for more nonwhite dolls and protesting in online petitions when a company drops a black or an Asian doll, as American Girl did in May.
As the demographics of the United States continues to change a wide variety of toys for boys and girls will become more of the standard rather than a unique exception.