ABSTRACT
Counter-stereotypical female characters from Disney and Disney-subsidiary films have frequently been excluded from, underrepresented in, or misrepresented in toys based on their films. Employing a feminist cultural studies perspective, this chapter considers a decade-long pattern of erasure and gender stereotyping, including the cases of Luisa Madrigal from Encanto (2021), Rey from The Force Awakens (2015), Honey Lemon and GoGo from Big Hero 6 (2014), Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), The Black Widow from Avengers (2015), and Merida from Brave (2012). It considers these characters’ treatment in relation to media and toy industries’ relationships; toys’ roles as transmedia texts; and fan critiques, many amplified on social media using hashtag activism. The study’s analysis reveals tensions in Disney’s transmedia environments as various stakeholders – filmmakers, toy marketers, and audience members – negotiate a conflict: the disconnect between more equitable and inclusive female representation on screen, which many audience members value; and gender-stereotypical assumptions about female characters’ value in the toy industry, which publicly available discourse suggests frustrates and alienates some audience members.
