By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist

Dolls and figurines have been favorite pretend play toys for hundreds of years, but there are a lot more choices now than there were in the past! Today, dolls and action figures can represent historical figures, popular book, TV, and movie characters, or people from around the world.

If you’ve been looking for a unique doll or exciting action figure for your Mighty Girl, we’ve put together a collection of some of our favorites! From Mighty Girl role models from history to comic book stars, from children’s book characters to paper dolls, there's a new best friend awaiting every child!

For even more empowering dolls and action figures, check out the Dolls / Action Figures section of our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide or our full selection of over 400 options.

To learn about more of our favorite toys of all varieties for Mighty Girls, including science, building, and pretend play toys, check out our Girl Empowerment Toy Blog Series or visit our 2014 Holiday Guide. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist
In our blog Beloved Books: Twenty Mighty Girl Classics, we shared twenty Mighty Girl books from 1950 and earlier that have become favorites of multiple generations. Naturally, though, there are many equally wonderful stories that were written more recently! These are the books from the 1950s to the 1980s that many members of our community grew up reading — and are now beginning to pass on to their own Mighty Girls.

Although all classics remain popular because they break new ground, these modern classics show the changes to the way Western culture viewed girls and women. The Mighty Girls in these pages tackle difficult social issues, go on hitherto unimagined adventures, and dare to define themselves in daring ways. More diverse characters begin to fill their pages, as well, with more girls of color finally filling the roles of heroes instead of bystanders or companions. Most of all, the girls in these books are no longer portrayed as eccentrics for being daring, courageous, and smart: in fact, for these Mighty Girl authors, that’s just as expected!

So take a look at our list and see if your favorite Mighty Girl book from your own childhood is on here! One way or another, it’s sure to spur you to share your own list of modern classics with the Mighty Girls in your life.

Of course, the books featured in this post are only a handful of the wonderful Mighty Girl books available. To browse our collection of over 2,000 girl-empowering books for children and teens, visit our Books section.
Continue reading → Continue reading

By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist

Maybe you first heard the name Hayao Miyazaki in 2003, when Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film, and wondered what was so remarkable that had everyone talking; maybe you had long since discovered the wondrous, fantastical works of this visionary writer and filmmaker; or maybe you’ve only just heard about Miyazaki’s work, and you’re wondering which film you might want to check out. Whatever your experience with Miyazaki, or Studio Ghibli, the animation studio he co-founded, chances are good that you’ll recognize the name!

Miyazaki’s body of work holds a special place with us at A Mighty Girl. In the world of animated films, girls are surprisingly under-represented, especially adventurous, daring girls. Unlike many anime or manga writers — and many children’s media writers in general — Miyazaki's films frequently star strong female characters. And while Western audience often think of animation as a medium strictly for children, Miyazaki’s works range from the fanciful and fun, like Kiki’s Delivery Service, to darker, more complex works that tackle challenging issues, like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

Miyazaki, who is often called “the Walt Disney of Japan”, has also inspired others with his love of traditional hand-drawn animation, his nuanced and complex characters, and his vivid fantasy settings. In fact, much like Walt Disney, the hallmarks of his work are clear, even on Studio Ghibli projects that he did not direct or write. Filmmakers and animators around the world have declared the powerful influence Miyazaki’s work had on their own, including John Lasseter, Akira Kurosawa, and Guillermo del Toro — as well as the creative team behind The Simpsons, which included a scene referencing multiple Miyazaki films in a 2014 episode.

In honor of Miyazaki’s retirement, A Mighty Girl has put together a tribute to the works of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Here, we’ll share some of his manga comic titles and films, as well as toys, gear, clothing, and decor that celebrate these beautiful stories. If you're a fan of Miyazaki’s work, you’ll find some great products to celebrate your favorite characters, and if you’re new to Miyazaki, we hope this blog will inspire you to check out some of his work. We’re confident that you — and your Mighty Girl — will love Miyazaki as much as millions of other fans do. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist

In our new Mighty Careers series, we celebrate careers that your Mighty Girl may be dreaming of pursuing one day. In each blog, we’ll profile a career role model and provide recommendations for books, toys, clothing, and even room decor to help inspire your Mighty Girl. Whether she’s three or thirteen, there will be resources to help her learn more about her dream job, imagine herself living it, and let the world know what she hopes to be when she grows up.

This post is dedicated to all the Mighty Girls who dream of taking to the skies and all of the trailblazing women pilots who have come before them! Currently, with women accounting for only 6% of licensed pilots, we are still very much in the minority but we’re betting this next generation of Mighty Girls is going to change that.

If your Mighty Girl can’t wait for the day she gets to lay her hand on the controls of a real airplane or you'd like to encourage her interest, this post provides recommendations for girl-empowering books, toys, clothing, and room decor that celebrate a love of flight. So put your seat backs and tray tables in their upright and locked position, and prepare for takeoff! With a determined Mighty Girl at the helm, she’s sure to soar to great heights.

To read the first two posts in our new Mighty Careers series, check out: I Want To Be An Astronaut! and I Want To Be A Wildlife Biologist!. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist

Happy International Women’s Day! On March 8, we celebrate the achievements of women around the world. Last year, A Mighty Girl marked International Women’s Day by highlighting several Mighty Girl Heroes — inspirational female role models ranging from Wangari Maathai to Shirin Ebadi who have each done remarkable things.

Of course, there are also many Mighty Girls around the world who are already making a tremendous impact! While these young women may not be household names, each of them is striving to change the world — starting with their own part of it. So this International Women’s Day, we’re sharing the stories of ten Mighty Girls who are making their own marks. After all, there’s nothing more inspiring than knowing that anyone, of any age, can start making the world a better place today each in her own way.

Kayla Wheeler, USA, 17 - The Athlete & Paralympian

Kayla Wheeler (Photo: altso.org)

Kayla never let her lack of three limbs slow her down — even if she is, in her own words, “basically the most disabled you can be and still swim.” In fact, this amazing young woman not only swims, she also skis, plays baseball, and competes on her school’s rocketry and robotics teams.

In December 2013, Kayla set a new world record in the 50-meter butterfly at the Can-Am Para-Swimming Championships! Although Kayla qualified for the 2012 Paralympics in London, there weren’t enough qualified swimmers in her category for the event to run, but she’s hopeful about being able to compete in 2016.

After all, she says, “My parents have always taught me that I can do anything that I put my mind to. So I just put my mind to it.”

Kayla is also currently running an online fundraiser to support her swim team for people with disabilities, the Shadow Seals Disabled Swim Team -- to help support the effort, visit her Indiegogo page.

You can read more about Kayla and her multiple awards in this article from Heraldnet. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist

A few days ago, we announced the release of our special feature on the top 2013 Mighty Girl Books with a blog post featuring our favorite 2013 releases for younger readers. In today's post, we're showcasing twenty of the fantastic girl-empowering tween and teen books released this past year!

Our selection features new authors as well as returning ones, and both stand-alone books and volumes of some of our top Mighty Girl series. No matter what your Mighty Girl enjoys reading, she’ll find something to intrigue her here!

Of course, this is just a small sample of the many wonderful books released in 2013. Narrowing down our favorites was truly tricky, so you're sure to discover more great titles in our complete 2013 Mighty Girl Books.

And, if you'd like to discover more recent releases starring Mighty Girls, check out our round-up of the top Mighty Girl stories from last year in our special feature on the 2012 Mighty Girl Books: A Year in Review.

Continue reading → Continue reading

This year, we've received a huge number of photo submissions for our Halloween album and we're awed by the creativity and variety of these Mighty Girls' amazing costumes. As we've always said, Mighty Girls know that their costume possibilities are limited only by their imaginations and, with costumes ranging from ones based on favorite superheroes to ones inspired by historic role models, these Mighty Girls clearly know no bounds!

In this post, we've showcased a small sample of these incredible costumes -- to browse the over 700 photos submitted, visit the 2013 A Mighty Girl Halloween Album. And, to help you and your Mighty Girl learn more about the wonderful characters and historic figures depicted, we've also linked to our character collection and biography section where relevant.

If you missed our earlier post highlighting creative Mighty Girl costumes from 2012, check out our blog post, A Mighty Girl Halloween: 50 Mighty Girls in Costume.

And, if you're seeking girl-empowering dress-up clothing or costumes anytime of year, visit our extensive costume collection with options for all ages from infants through adults in A Mighty Girl's Halloween Costume Guide. You can also find Mighty Girl stories for many of the upcoming holidays, including Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas, in our Holidays & Celebrations collection.
Continue reading → Continue reading

In very exciting news this week, Toys "R" Us in the UK announced that it will end gender-based marketing in its stores and advertisements; however, Toys "R" Us has announced no plans to make similar changes in the US. According to MSN News, the British campaign group Let Toys Be Toys reached "an agreement with the retailer to strike 'explicit' references to gender in its stores and feature more ads with girls and boys playing with the same toys."

The toy chain agreed to make changes both to its in-store signage and advertisements, starting by looking at how toys will be represented in its upcoming Christmas catalog. This move by Toys "R" Us UK for greater gender neutrality in toy marketing follows on similar changes by other leading European toy retailers including Swedish Toys "R" Us franchise, Top Toy, and Britain’s largest department store Harrod's.

At A Mighty Girl, we believe now is the time for Toys "R" Us in the USA to join its European counterparts and end the rampant gender stereotyping in its marketing of toys to children. By following their examples, Toys "R" Us in the USA can send an important message to children, parents, and others that children's interests should not be limited by their gender. Continue reading → Continue reading

Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Senior Research Intern

Campaign Announcement: A Mighty Girl has launched a special Keep Merida Brave campaign page!

A Mighty Girl's petition to Disney on the redesign of the character of Merida from the film Brave as part of her induction into the Disney Princess collection has attracted over 180,000 signers and a huge amount of media attention.

To help keep our supporters abreast of compelling articles and commentary on our campaign to Keep Merida Brave, we've compiled a collection of articles that address the redesign from a variety of perspectives. All of them effectively point out why many people object to the changes and why the appearance of an animated character has meaning far beyond disappointing fans.

Recommended News Coverage

Merida redesigned - What message is the new look Princess Merida from Disney's Brave sending out?, Jenni Murray, BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Continue reading → Continue reading