Cool Cartoons, Great Female Characters
Adventurous animated girls in shows that kids will love
Aug 14, 2009
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, kids watch an average of three to four hours a day and shows that depict girls as vapid or inferior may confuse young TV viewers. While younger viewers thrive on Dora the Explorer, Clifford and Martha Speaks, six to eleven year-olds may don’t always know where to find animated girls that they can admire.
More Women Executives Translates to Better Animated Female Characters
Fortunately, in the May 2008 issue of Animation World Magazine, Kathleen Helppie, head of Studio/Production for Starz Animation/Toronto and former Vice President of Warner Bros. Classic Animation, notes that some cartoons do reflect the modern understanding of women, which is especially aided by slowly increasing numbers of women being involved in the business and creative sides of the television industry.
While primary female characters remain hard to find, many supporting characters are more likely to embody old favorites like intellectual Velma or capable Daphne in the original Scooby Doo, Where Are You! while still combining adventure, intelligence and a good dose of humor to make couch time easier for both kids and their parents.
Humor, Action, Aliens in Sci-Fi Animation
Ben 10: Alien Force is great for kids who love science, aliens, teens and goofy humor. Although shape-shifting Ben Tennyson remains the central character, his cousin Gwen has established her own paranormal powers. Adorned with a pixie cut and an impish attitude in the original Ben 10 series, now Gwen wears her red hair long and her attitude has become graver but more self-assured.
Ben, Gwen, (all the kids in their family have rhyming names) and former juvenile delinquent and nemesis Kevin have teamed up with their unique alien-based skills and witty banter while tracking down sympathetic extraterrestrials. Where Gwen’s fighting role began as secondary, her character has now become as well-rounded as Ben’s thanks to her well-honed powers. Ben, undoubtedly the leader of the trio, has also shrugged off his ten year-old brattiness to become a more thoughtful 15 year-old who clearly recognizes he needs Gwen’s intelligence and fortitude to stop bad aliens from taking over the planet.
Worry-free Programming for Girls and Boys Beginning at the Toddler Stage
PBS rules healthy-model cartoons with WordGirl, Cyberchase, and Martha Speaks. In WordGirl, Becky Botford’s secret identity allows her to become a super hero who uses definitions to catch criminals. It sounds too educational, but with her monkey sidekick Captain Huggyface and clever quips, children quickly get absorbed into the plot thanks to villains like Dr. Two Brains, a former mentor to Becky who experimentally fused his human brain with a mouse brain leading to disastrous results, and Lady Redundant Woman, who uses a copier to enact her schemes.
Surviving Spongebob and Bikini Bottom
Of course, some kids remain infatuated with naïve Spongebob Squarepants and his underwater world. While Spongebob and his best friend Patrick frequently embody utter silliness (which can be healthy), two of the female characters tend to be the smartest.
Sandy Squirrel knows how to have a good time practicing karate and hanging out with her best yellow bud, but she also knows how to build a rocket ship. Spongebob also adores the other main female character, his driving instructor, Mrs. Puff, the paragon of patience whose little asides speak for the parents in the room surreptitiously watching the show.
Teen Titans and Danny Phantom Continue to Entertain
For more cool shows over the last ten years, check out Jane and the Dragon, Danny Phantom, Code Lyoko and Teen Titans. It may be harder to find these on the cartoon channels these days, but these are great for boys and girls interested in superpowers and using keen intellect to save the day.
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