90-93 Girl Power_v8_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 24/09/2016 10:55 Page 90
Female of the species
Girl Power
Strong female characters have been increasing their presence in the licensing business over the past 18 months, and across all sectors too, from preschool through to adult. And with the return of big names such as Wonder Woman and The Powerpuff Girls, plus the introduction of new characters like Harley Quinn, the trend is only set to get grow. LSB takes a look at the return of girl power.
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Inset: Wonder Woman will star in her own film in 2017, having appeared in Batman v Superman earlier this year.
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LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2016
ome 20 years ago, the Spice Girls burst onto the UK music scene, single-handedly spreading the ‘girl power’ message across the country. They may not have been to everyone’s taste, but Scary, Sporty, Posh, Ginger and Baby embodied female empowerment for a generation of young women. But while the charts have been full of successful female singers since then, on the big and small screen – and in particular when it comes to action heroes – the ladies have taken something of a backseat. Until now. Over the past 12 to 18 months, there’s been something of a resurgence when it comes to what can only be described as ‘kick ass female role models’ in film and on TV. Retail is now picking up on this trend, and so is the licensing business. From Katniss Everdeen, the crossbow wielding heroine in The Hunger Games trilogy to Marvel bringing its female characters such as Black Widow and Captain Marvel to the forefront of its plans, the triumphant return of Wonder Woman and the Star Wars franchise introducing strong female leads in Rey (The Force Awakens) and Jyn (Rogue One), women are most certainly back on top in film. And the trend is being seen in animation, too, notably with the hotly tipped return of The Powerpuff Girls and the arrival of DC Super Hero Girls – both of which have received strong early feedback from retailers and licensees. “The Powerpuff Girls was arguably the first superhero property for girls and one of Cartoon Network’s most enduring original series,” Johanne Broadfield, vice president, Cartoon