DC's 'Super Hero Girls' taps into what kids want

Brian Truitt | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Exclusive: 'Welcome to Super Hero High' The exclusive debut of "Welcome to Super Hero," an animated short featuring the DC Super Hero Girls.

A new superhero universe is letting the younger female crowd connect with Supergirl, Wonder Woman and Batgirl more than ever before.

Teenage versions of comic-book icons star in the DC Super Hero Girls franchise, a new initiative launching today from Warner Bros., DC Entertainment and the toy company Mattel to reach girls 6-12 with toys, books, graphic novels, digital content, apparel and animation that tap into the current strength of superheroes and female empowerment in pop culture.

“It’s fun for all of us to be involved in something that’s going to play into the girl-power aspect of what kids and parents are looking for,” says Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment and president/chief content officer of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

“I don’t think anyone can argue against the fact that we have the best female superheroes and characters in all of comics,” says Geoff Johns, DC’s chief creative officer and writer of Justice League. Super Hero Girls “is one of the most important things that we’ll be a part of so far since DC’s been formed. It’s a huge statement and opportunity.”

Beginning Oct. 8, the initiative will have a major presence at New York Comic Con, with a panel and booth at New York City’s Javits Center offering a sneak peek for fans at Mattel’s 12-inch Super Hero Girls “action dolls” and 6-inch action figures before they debut on toy shelves in the spring.

Superheroes and comics have long been geared toward boys and men, but in recent years their popularity has shifted toward a female audience, with high-profile TV and movie projects from DC and Marvel Entertainment such as ABC’s Agent Carter, CBS’ new fall show Supergirl and upcoming Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel movies. But with Super Hero Girls, Nelson says, DC “saw an opportunity to do something that hasn’t existed in the marketplace.”

The first Welcome to Super Hero High animated short — debuting exclusively at USA TODAY — introduces the primary conceit of this girl-centric universe, where familiar characters such as Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn and lesser-known ones like Bumblebee, Katana, Miss Martian and Cheetah walk the same hallowed hallways as regular teenage students.

Johns and a team at Mattel developed new, age-appropriate versions of these characters. Big Barda, a female warrior from the planet Apokolips in the comics, is the tall girl in school. Harley Quinn, a fan-favorite Batman villainess, is the class clown, while Batgirl is a brainy science whiz.

“There are some creative changes that we’ve done, but they’re all in spirit to who the characters really are,” says Johns.

Nelson feels there’ll be a relatable character for all girls engaged in this new world filled with optimism as well as heroism. “When you’re that age, whether it’s as young as 6 or — on a more aspirational level — when you’re moving into a high school environment, you’re trying to figure out who you are, and that’s what these characters are going through.”

DC has major plans to put Super Hero Girls everywhere kids are. It will have dedicated Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, there are plans for TV specials and direct-to-video projects, plus girls will be able to read the characters’ continuing adventures in a Random House middle-grade novel series and in DC graphic novels. The first, written by Shea Fontana and scheduled for July 2016, centers on the young heroines working together to escape the clutches of the villainous Lex Luthor so they don’t miss their semester finals.

Fans also can expect construction sets from LEGO and toys from DC’s key partner Mattel, which leveraged its own experience in the girls space — with Monster High, Ever After High and the iconic Barbie brand — to shape content as well as find out what girls want.

And the answer to that is something action-oriented, Nelson says. “They’re not just looking for dolls with great hair play or fashion accessories. They want something that’s dynamic and they can have fun with in ways that maybe people haven’t given them credit for before.”

Mattel saw Super Hero Girls as an opportunity to create the first real action figures geared toward girls but also to design dolls that “are these really strong, athletic physiques and have great qualities and represent female empowerment,” explains Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s senior vice president for marketing in North America.

Barbie may have high heels and killer couture, but the Super Hero Girls stand tall on their own — in more ways than one.

“These girls are practical,” McKnight says. “They know that if they themselves are going to role-play being the superhero and save the day, they need to be in functional fashions. They can’t have a lot of adornments that can get caught on something. They want to be in comfortable footwear. So we definitely tapped into that.”

The toys and their packaging also will stand out in the aisles, according to Nelson. The color palette is filled with blue, gold and red rather than traditional pinks and pastels. “It’s going to feel and look different,” she says, “and frankly may even have crossover appeal for that reason with boys, because there’s a lot to love in this.”

DC Super Hero Girls is just one part of Warner Bros. and DC’s commitment to diversity across mediums. Because there is female interest in these personalities from the comics, according to Nelson, there are more being written into TV shows such as Arrow, The Flash and Gotham and big-screen films like next summer’s Suicide Squad, which offers adult takes on Harley and Katana.

“Everywhere that we are putting content out, we’re making sure that it reflects strong male and female characters,” Nelson says. “I hate to even say it’s a long-term strategy — it’s just what we should be doing. We believe our audience is getting broader all the time, and we want to make sure there’s something for everyone.”