DC Super Hero Girls

My kids are really into superheroes lately. "Obsessed" might not even be a strong enough word to describe their devotion. Naturally, they have asked which character is my favorite. That's actually a fairly complicated question for me.

I watched some of the superhero shows with my brothers when we were growing up. I saw Gargoyles, X-Men, and Spider-Man. My favorite, however, was always Batman. I'm not sure why I gravitated toward that particular show, but I think it is pretty well executed overall. When I watched it again on a streaming service last year, I was still able to enjoy it as an adult.

My favorite character from Batman: The Animated Series was Poison Ivy. I wish I could say that I admired her devotion to plants or that I appreciated a female with a strong personality. In reality, I probably just thought she was the prettiest character. Furthermore, as kids we tend to seek out people similar to ourselves. I don't remember seeing episodes with Talia or Zatanna, and Harley Quinn and Catwoman were both blonde. I felt Poison Ivy's red hair was at least a little closer to my own brunette shade.

Now, I to admit, I have let my kids see some episodes of Batman, but it's not exactly geared toward young children. I needed a more family-friendly way to introduce them to superheroes. Sure, there are plenty of books and toys that are more age-appropriate, but I like to balance my "bad parenting" practices with "good parenting practices." If I give them screen time, I will at least make sure the material is more suitable for them. Thus, when I noticed some toys at Target called "DC Super Hero Girls," I was intrigued. I went home and looked up the toys and discovered that they are associated with a a series of webisodes.

There are several things I like about DC Super Hero Girls. Given the title, it should come as no surprise that the franchise is aimed at girls. The characters are depicted as smart and strong, so they make for excellent role models. The episodes are relatively short, but they are fairly good, so parents won't mind watching with their kids.

Poison Ivy is one of the main characters in DCSHG. Since she was my favorite as a kid, she should be my favorite here, too, right? Well, it's not that simple. On the show, Poison Ivy is very shy and reserved. She is generally confident only when interacting with her plants. I kind of prefer bombshell Poison Ivy, probably because I'm used to that version. DCSHG also introduces a large number of other interesting female characters, many of which are new to me. To add to the diversity, some of the heroes in the show are villains in other media. For example, "Killer Frost" is just "Frost" at Super Hero High; she is snobby but ultimately still good.

Frost is voiced by Danica McKellar, the Wonder Years actress who went on to major in math. McKellar is a good choice for the role because Frost excels at chemistry. Although I majored in biology, I really enjoy chemistry (or, at least, inorganic chemistry) and I almost accepted a job offer for a chemistry teaching position. I feel a little more in tune with her on DCSHG.

So, who is my favorite? I suppose overall I still like Poison Ivy the best, but I also kind of want to get the Frost doll so I can be her when playing DCSHG with my kids.

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