Disney’s New Program Centers Around A Doctor – And She’s A Girl – Of Color!

The children’s entertainment industry has never been known for it’s diverse opinions or gender-permissive nature. Disney especially has a reputation for weak princess characters who teach little girls to worry about finding love above all else and waiting for a man to rescue you. But it looks like they’re trying to change that image around.

This morning, my in-box had news on a Disney Junior’s upcoming cartoon Doc McStuffins. The show is based on a child who puts on their magic stethoscope and suddenly has the ability to talk to their toys. Even better, the kid gets to help their toys when they get a boo-boo. How adorable right? I clicked through to see a preview of the show, set to air on March 23.

That’s when I realized, “Doc” is a little girl. Even better, “Doc” is a little girl of color.

Maybe I’m getting a little too excited about children’s programming, but the idea of an African-American female star in a children’s show being a doctor, instead of a princess or a ballerina, is pretty awesome to me. In fact, it’s more than that, it’s downright thrilling. I don’t even have a problem with princesses in general, I’m just excited to see another option available to young girls who aren’t interested in tiaras or tutus.

It’s a surprisingly progressive step for a pretty traditional media company, especially as Nickelodeon is  coming under fire from parents for doing away with the educational hosts of its pre-school channel, Nick Jr. Disney’s introduction of an intelligent little girl who focuses on a traditionally male profession seems even more refreshing.

Check out the clip below and let us know what you think about this new TV program, and whether its one you’ll be tuning in to with your own little ones.

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