Other Princess Options/ No Disney!

we aren't bombarding Disney because these princesses are actually positive role models....they are not built like barbie and to be honest with you, the little girls are NOT looking at this. They are stong women who come out on top, even against adversity.

I just think it's funny that someone suggested Barbie as an alternative to princesses. Hello! The same issues that K. is concerned about arise with Barbie dolls.

Walmart carries an off brand of toys...

Can't remember what it's called but it only comes in red boxes- every toy SAME BOX SAME PACKAGING>

ANyways- they are super cheap and have princesses and fairies and castles without the over sexualized disney stuff.

I feel the same way about disney you do and this was my solution.

A.

I personally think that if you don't make such a big deal about princesses being "perfect" your daughter will never even think of that. I have a son, so don't have that problem, but I also have 2 nieces that love Disney and the Disney princesses. Neither one of them have unreal expectations of themselves and I have never heard them comment on their looks or how skinny they are or aren't. They just like to dress up like a princess and watch the movies. Also, if you have ever been to Disneyland you will see that the people they have dressed as the princesses are not perfect or model skinny. Good luck.

We aren't bombarding Disney with protests because there is nothing wrong with it. A 3 year old isn't going to understand sex or sexy anyway. Why is society hypersensitive to everything? We might as all live under a rock because anything anybody says or does is going to offend somebody. Ughh!

I love the other ideas you've gotten (only hearts club sounds perfect), and I'm sure will use them when my toddler hits that stage. I think it's great that you are consciously parenting, trying to instill good values and beliefs in your child!

p.s. Wouldn't it be great if everyone on this site only responded if they actually had something positive and/or supportive to say instead of a one-word flippant response that is really no use to anyone?!

"I" don't bombard Disney with protests because I don't think princess stuff is a big deal.

I've edited my response a few times now and came to realize that you have standards and I can respect your decistion for your family, but to suggest protesting to take things away from my family I do have an issue with that.

To answer your initial question I think you can stick to building blocks, Lincoln Logs, puzzles, games, Cabbage Patch Kids, Barbies, doll houses, Dumbo, dress up play etc. There are other great Disney items out there that a girl will like.

Three cheers to you for standing up against the sexual onslaught of our media! As for other materials that include princesses, I don't know of many but here are a few:

"Esther the Brave Queen" by Rose Gamblin
"Joash the Boy King" by Rose Gamblin
"Rahab's Promise" by Tina Kahrs & Noni Beth Gibbs
"Great Stories for Kids" by Jerry D. Thomas
"Nyla and the White Crocodile" by Norma Youngberg
"Harriet Tubman" by Richard Rich
"Helen Keller" by Richard Rich

Hi K.,

I don't really have an idea about alternatives to Disney princesses other than to let her imagination dictate what her vision of a princess is and go with that. Buy gauzy frilly fabrics, make princess cone hats and perhaps set out a trunk of old dresses and shoes she can play princess dress up in.

I too am wholeheartedly against the disney stereotype of princess. We are black and never see any black princesses which to us implies that blacks can't be princesses. Some may look at this as racist, but if mcDonalds would ALWAYS only offer trucks and armed action figures as happy meal toys, mothers of girls would hit the roof. This disney race thing is the same thing to me. Kids want their toys to be a reflection their image.

I applaud your standards and desire to avoid the hyper sexualization of children and children's toys hype. I hope you can find what you are looking for.
T.

I know they have pretty generic princess room decorations. Simple crowns, with glitter- things like that. I have some in my daughters room, I purchased most of the decorations at craft shows. They don't have any characters on them- just crowns. Good luck!

If you happen to be of the Christian or Jewish faith, this may come in handy. The first princess I thought of was Esther from the Bible (book of Esther). (Actually she was a queen.) She bravely stood before the king to save her people. Now, there's a role model!

My five year old loves princesses. She wanted to dress as one for Halloween. We are Catholic and I homeschool so we went searching for Saints that are princesses. She dressed up as Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. She was a princess who later became a queen. She was incredibly kind and helped the poor. Her older sister was studying about St. Elizabeth so they worked out a costume together.

How about the other princesses, such as Fairys, ballerinas, angels. There are so many ideas with these themes. My daughter loved them all. I know they have fairys in toys.

I have a question, Have you ever watched any on the Disney princess shows yourself?? If you have then you would know that there is nothing sexually about these princessess. Ariel is a mermaid so she wears a bathing suit top and tail and Jasime is a Arabian princess and wears an outfit for her culture. If you watch these stories it shows girls and young people that working together can help one another and you can triumph when you try something. My three girls have watched all the Disney princess shows (in fact we have all the DVDs) and I personally find nothing wrong with theses shows or the princesses. I do have problems with the Bratz dolls- now these are sexual and I find to be dressed as prostitutes so my house is bratz free but this is my preference. By the way Disney is probably the best company on not exploiting the sexness of their toys, princesses and stars.
I really think you need to sit down and watch these before you make decisions on these shows. You are going to be hard pressed to find a toy about a princess other than the famous ones unless it is a knock off.
My girls watch these shows and are not acting inappropriately nor do they ask inappropriate questions. I believe it it what you teach your children about this subject that matters. I believe I am teaching them strong morals and I say so Disney Princesses!

Hi K.!
I see you already have a multitude of responses, so unsure if you're still reading... if you are here are my suggestions:

Princess Presto (super why- PBS kids)

Creative Kidstuff (locations in Twin Cities, MN and also online- great store full of UNIQUE items!!!)

Northwestern Bookstore (again in TC, MN and online)

I hope this helps.

Be proud of your choices as a mom. I respect your decisions to seek out alternative choices for your daughter. Our culture has become HIGHLY commercialized and sexualized. We have just become desensitized to it all...

We each make our own choices as a parent for our own reasons. Please don't feel the need to apologize for your choices and your reasons. They are yours and your belief system. You are simply asking for alternatives- it's not an attack on others beliefs... :)

Blessings,
G.

I gotta laugh and thank god I have a boy! My nieces are crazy about Disney princesses too and there mom is finally tired of it and is slowly pulling things off the walls and changing the bedspreads, etc.

What about unicorns? Kind of whimsical...fantasy-like. Butterflies or flowers?

Could be worse... Hannah Montana, Brit Spears, Barbie (big boobs!), or (gasp!) BRATZ!

Good luck!
Deb.

Sorry for the plug, but I am an Usborne Books consultant, and I Know we have a bunch of princess books (NOT Disney). If you go to my website: http://stephsbooks.com/
Click on "Enter Bookstore" and in the search field at the top type in Princess, it comes up with 45 different books about Princesses. Story books, activity books, puzzles, you name it. It's all entertaining and educational, and will be good with summer coming up, car rides, etc. I just typed in Fairy in the search box and 53 books came up (though some are overlapped).

I don't have any girls but I do babysit a little girl who is OBSESSED with Disney's Cinderella and I've been getting her *other* Princess books for her birthday, Christmas, etc, just for a little variety.

Good luck!

Try Super Why on PBS. There is a character on the show named Princess Presto. She is magical and helps teach kids to read. I haven't seen the toys yet, but she isn't skinny and stands up for herself. It's worth a try.
My 3 year old loves princesses, too. She plays princess when she is the princess, and she plays princess when she saves the prince or princess. Your daughter will probably follow your lead as far as body issues, beauty ideas, etc.
Good luck.

Our children are innocent and do not notice that the Disney Princesses are skinny. Parents are the people who put these twisted thoughts into little girls' heads. Self confidence (or lack of it) does not come from the type of doll you play with as a child. It comes from loving parents and from within. There is nothing wrong with Disney Princesses.

I know exactly what you mean. MY daughter didn't fall into this but we concentrated on fairies or fairy princesses and not so much the disney type. Animals and nature were the focus.

Boy I know exactly how you feel. I resisted the whole princess thing for a long time. The way I finally gave in (and it seems to satisfy her) is with dress up clothes. I'm also not a fancy "Easter" dress kind of mom, but I've gotten her some of those too. So now she can be a princess when she feels like it, but we don't do the Disney books, toys or movies. Good luck!

Try this website: www.thebigcastle.com They have some non disney princess stuff, there's a lot of dress up stuff. I hope that helps.

M. and Doug (it's a brand name) have a few cute princess themed toys. Specifically, my daughter has a magnetic "paper doll" (made of wood) princess, and she loves dressing her up in the clothes that come with it. Amazon.com would be a good place to look!

Make a baby doll with a crown-kind-of like a raggedy anne doll. Be creative in the things you give her. What about getting her her own crown and having her pretend she is the princess. Take her on a magic fairy ride on the couch-let her imagination run wild.

My 3 year old is SO into Princesses. She doesn't watch them but she did get a few years ago a Disney Princess storybook. BIG book....but she LOVES Cinderella! I don't feel that she gets the image from them she gets the magic of the stories. The only princess thing she has is a teaparty set that has the pictures of them on the plates and cups but she has actually riped off the stickers as she loves picking at paper like that. If you are looking for a princess party theme for her birthday I have seen at Factory Card Outlet a princess theme and its just says I'm a princess or something like that. Its crowns and wands but no pictures of princesses. I wouldn't worry too much at this age about the image of the princesses. I don't like Barbie for the image reason...theres no magic in Barbie! I just hope my girls don't get into that. Anyway...I hope this helps you---if not..sorry!
L.

I understand your opinion but I am an avid Disney movie watcher especially the old classics. My girls (5 & 7) Like the Princesses but they don't see them as sexual or skinny. For that matter they don't even know what that would even mean. They have friends all shapes and sizes and I teach them that size and shape doesn't matter. Some of my skinniest adult friends have more emotional issues than my heavier friends. It is really how you react to the "princesses" that your children will remember. Plus my girls don't necessarily want "Princess" things but they love the colors. Pinks, purples, light green, blues etc is what they really are looking at. As for toys there are more than just princess toys. In fact we don't have princess toys but we have Littlest Pet Shop which are the same colors and the animals allow the kids to imagine numerous things. But I can't say that we have never played Princess you see we all are princesses or princes depending on the gender. We are all equal though. Good Luck! You just need to not discriminate and your children won't either.

Have you heard of the Only Hearts Club Dolls?

C. H

My daughter is almost 4 and also really into princesses. I agree about not wanting her to be totally into Disney. We have found that she really enjoys Dora the Explorer. We don't even watch it on TV. She loves the books and there is a really neat Dora castle and doll that is out now. I think DOra is a good example b/c she is always going on adventures and the actual character is not like Disney. Hope this helps!

This is my experience so take it for what it is worth.... with my first child (who is now 13) I was adamant about no disney/barbies for the same reasons you are. All of her cousins had rooms (yes rooms) full of those toys and even worse the hoochied up Bratz dolls. So to say she was longing for her own was an understatement. When she was three my inlaws decided to give her a few Barbies (cheerleader B was one:) and I relented.
You know what I found out? As soon as I backed off and stopped making such a big deal about it, my daughter quit being so fascinated by them. In fact, after she would play awhile I would then put them in a box in the attic and she wouldn't miss them. With dd #2, seven years later, i am much more easy going but I make sure that barbie and disney are not her Primary playthings. Unless they spend time exclusively with you, they will be exposed to things like this. We also talk extensively about the commercials and what they are trying to "talk us into" I still have final say in which things are brought in to my house.
Some alternatives? (and you're right, non disney princess toys are hard to find) my 5 y.o loves Groovy Girls because you can accumulate a huge wardrobe:) I love them because they are soft and quiet and transportable.

Hi K.,
I'm a rep for Discovery Toys. We have a darling book about princesses called Once Upon A Time. Your child puts in a picture/word on each page to complete the story - a different story everytime and a book that they can easily learn to memorize and later read as well.

We also have a Tooth Fairy in our line that is a little doll they can hide their tooth in.

And we have a Lovely Bug costume that looks like a princess but is actually a ladybug - a nice alternative to pink costumes as well. It's red.

All of our products are educational, developmental and many are award-winning. We strive to stay away from gender stereotypes and colors. Our toys are great for all children and we have no licensed products such as Disney.

Check out what we have to offer your family, in terms of toys, books, games, music, and a fantastic work-at-home business opportunity as well getting our toys for free through our hostess plan.

Play everyday!
Val Sowa
____@____.com
www.discoverytoyslink.com/ValerieSowa

There are the Little People figures and I believe they have a princess themed grouping. We also have the Weebles castle set which has a princess and they are all short and round, not too thin. We also have a puppet set that has a princess in it. Hope that helps. They also have Dora dressed as a princess, if you are ok with Dora. I got all of these at Target.

K.,

How about the princess on Shrek? She is a female Ogre and she is very shapely without being anorexic.

L. :)

I have a 18 month old granddaughter who loves princess's. She will want anything she sees with them on it. She also likes Elmo and wants anything she sees with Elmo on it. She likes red and pink, it is that simple. As far as worrying about the "sexiness" of the princess's, I think that is an adult concept. Back in the 60's we liked Scooby do, Flintsons, Pepe la'pue and bugs bunny. I never thought about the sexiness of any of the characters, still don't now that I am older. Look back when Betty Boop was the favorited character. Relax, this is a faze and when they are older you will miss this faze, especially when they are teens and the music and movies turn violent.

My daughter is soon to be 5 and I reacted in a similiar fashion princess fever when she caught it at age 3. At first I tried distractions but it didn't work, it made her want princess things even more. So, I have taken the other path. I have embraced her passion for princesses and supported her. We have talks about inner beauty and what makes you truely beautiful. I have found some excellent books about real princesses that shows what they do is remarkable work and help those who are less fortunate. Just remember the more you fight something the more it will manifest.

You could go the fairy route instead, which are almost like Princesses in regards to all the fun things that little girls like to wear. Crowns, (Wings Optional), dress-up shoes, magic wands, fancy dresses, etc. Then, I'd go to the store and find some good fairy books or alternate princess books. (like the "Little Princess Books" that are geared towards manners. I did a quick google search on princess books and yes...a few are the disney brand, but many are not. They could be good alternatives.
Good luck.

(Edit: I attached a link to my earlier response, but it didn't work after I tried clicking on it. Sorry. But, Do a quick search yourself and you'll find lots that are NOT disney.)

I know that the Dollar Tree has princess items that are not Disney. They have wall boarder and wall stickers. I had gotten some there for my daughters there. Just a note hope it helps.

Hi K. K.,
I don't know if you use this anymore since this thread is 2 years old, but here goes:
I am in the same place you were two years ago (3 year old daughter...showing play that is of great concern to me)

I don't think the DP (Disney Princess) industry can be taken too seriously. More and more is coming out about how it shapes the very young girls who are exposed to it.

I started a blog last month as I seek to move my 3 year old into alternatives and away from DP gear (films/dresses/dolls/clothes/scooters/EVERYthing!)
It's called Disney Princess Recovery. disneyprincessrecovery.blogspot.com

If you are still using this forum, I'd be interested in how your now 5 year old is doing! And what the process has been like for you.

Best,
M.

There arent really. My girls are in to the Disney Princesses too. And with my 3 yr old we have told her they are only cartoons and not real ppl. She even tells us they arnt real and would still like to be like them for halloween. She has not seen any of the updated versions of the Disney princesses as we have the old VHS tapes they watch. You could try Thumbelina, Princess and the Pea. But as for finding it in toys.........I dont know what to tell you.

I also have to agree with Keri: those girls at Disney theme parks ARNT perfect and neither where those cartoons when they first came out. If you tell your daughter that and let her make up her own mind about them, she just might get bored with them and find something else to like just as much.

Funny - I remember finding out that I was going to be a mom to a daughter and I paniced, wondering how I would be able to teach her balanced models of strength and caring, beauty and grace without sacrificing her individuality. Well, I shouldn't have worried. As much as I have found out that I planned on a girly-girl (why - I don't know, I'm not particularly a girly-girl myself?) My daughter has led the way. She has never been into princess stuff and from a young age has said, I'll just be the king or queen, Mom. We did go to Disney World last year when she was 8 and we went to a princess dinner (my request, not hers). And it turned out that my daughter was the striking image in small size as Snow White. So, we asked her jokingly, if she was going to move to Disney World when she grew up to be the next Snow White, and she solemnly said, "Noooo, I can't do that unless they change the costumes so that the princesses wear pants."

I think that to try and over-protect kids can backfire, but given lots of different options and letting kids grow into themselves is a healthy option. I have found that being passionate about or for something is the trigger to get the opposite response. Especially since your girls are still young, I think quietly providing LOTS of alternatives will be fun for you all. And the other thing that I have found over the years, my daughter is a whopping 9, now, is that the kids go through plenty of stages. When my daughter was 3, her favorite "princess" was Angelina and her friend Alice (they are mice). She doesn't even remember that now. And I am glad that she has absolutely no interest in Barbies or Bratz dolls or even American Dolls. She'll dress herself up anytime before "playing" with a doll or figure.

I know you have gotten a ton of responses, but it seems like a lot of them are either about your opinion of Disney or tips on books, which it sounds like you have already found.
If you want tips for some good toys, here are a few for you to Google:
"Playmobil princess"
"Melissa and Doug princess"
Haba Dragonstone Castle
Haba Princess and the Pea
Djeco Princess Puzzle
Holztiger Princess (and Queen, King, and Prince)
Also, check your local party/costume store for princess dress up items. There are also great patterns available if you (or someone you know) sew. But be forewarned, once a little girl has a pretty princess dress, she may not ever take it off.

A princell is a QUEEN in training. To help her practice becoming a queen, in charge of her own destiny, encourage her creativity. Rather than handing her a packaged play set or costume, go to Goodwill shopping. The womens section has great frilly, sparkly things that she can use to design her own look. Kids that age are very tactile, so anything satin can feel Royal. Help her collect cardboard boxes and help her build castles, thrones, Get clay so she can make small castles, crowns, a carriage... whatever. There are many "princess" activities that don't focus simply on her physical appearance, but rather , they focus on her "making it happen" by working to build the fantasy.

I, too, think the Disney princesses are garbage. My 4 yo daughter has no idea who they are and is currently interested in trains, NASCAR, and fire trucks. Yes, children are innocent, but the subconcious is a marvelous thing...somewhere we remember everything. Our society is too focused on physical attributes. Rather than letting our children become who they are meant to be, we let society shape them into who they THINK they should be.

I am not opposed to Disney 1st off. Sorry, I do however, screen what my daughter watches. If you don't care for Disney you could look into Dora the Explorer. She is child oriented and they do have Dora Princess doll stuff at stores. There is also Barbie, but then you again have the skinny dolls. I guess I am not sure why you are so opposed to the classic fairy tales that have been around for centuries. You should be able to teach your girls that women are all different sizes and shapes and that these are just dolls. That is what I do with my daughter. She is also surrounded by women of all shapes and sizes and has a very good grasp on what is real and not real. Kids are very smart and what you teach them is way more influencial than what Disney or any other TV program teaches them.

I know in Europe they don't really do princess things as much as fairies (too many REAL princesses I suppose). I'm fortunate to have a daughter who isn't into anything pink and frilly or princessy...fortunate because I'm against it too. It was a fear of mine so I know how you feel. Perhaps search the web for fairy things that are a bit cuter and girlish than grown-up like. Good luck!

You have to stress that the Disney Princesses are make believe. I have a great-niece that is into the princessess right now. Why don't you get her a princess dress and accessories and let her make believe she is a beautiful princess. I don't know if it is my age or what, but we need to get back to basics and take some effort to explain to our children that what is make believe is just that. Let me say that the first Barbie came out when I was little and my friends had them. We didn't and still don't fret over our bodies. We were told what was good for us and what wasn't; what was make believe and what wasn't. I realize that in todays world, everything is focused on the thin is beautiful. If you have been reading some of the beauty magazines lately, they are now stressing a healthy diet and weight image. You will not be able to shield her from all the hoopla about beauty, but you will have to try to explain to her the "healthy" way of doing things and what can happen if those things are not done. Sorry for going on, but I really don't know how my generation ever grew up to become adults; when all they young parents worry about things that if they are talking to there children, shouldn't be a problem.

Child of the 50's, 60' and graduated in '72. I would go back to them in a heartbeat.

K.
Wisconsin

You have a lot of responses but I just wanted to tell you that my daughter now 11 went through the whole princess thing. For her it was a phase that she quickly grew out ofand then moved on to butterflies. No harm done!! They don't think like we do when they are three. I'm not skinny and my daughter thinks I'm beautiful. She'll be fine as long as YOU don't make it an issue.

K.-
My daughter thinks she IS a princess. I shopped garage sales, Target sales, after-Halloween-costume sales, and came up with dress up clothes for her. Her favorite "gown" was probably supposed to be something for Easter or fancy church event, but because I got it for $5 on sale, let her wear it. The dollar stores have tiaras, beads for necklaces, plastic rings, and sceptors (important for princesses), and I found a pair of long gloves around Halloween. She's out grown the first princess dress, but at garage sales, you can get pink "party" dresses for little girls that are perfect for princesses. We don't have anything that is "Disney" except what she's received as gifts, and she has plenty of princess attire. As for toys, there are clothes for Barbie that look "fancy" and can be substitute for princess. Anything pink, white and frilly has tickled my daughter!

Hope this helps!!
L. - SAHM, 7 year old princess and 9 year old prince

Hi K., Your daughter is as normal as it's going to get. I wouldn't worry too much about her fasination about princesses at this point, all that is happening is her imagination is working and at three years old her life's curiosity is working and she'll just move on to another fasination. You being an artist should let her go and encourage others things into her life.

I ordered my niece a princess puppet for Christmas this year from Amazon.com. The doll was a Folkmanis Royal Family Puppet. They have a whole set of them, including the princess, prince, king and queen. They are very cute.

Jess

hey K.!

i'm sure i'll get to deal with this soon enough as we have a little girl on the way, but right now i'm dealing with a 4 year old little boy & why we don't gun & blast!!! ahhhhhh!

anyway - lots of "alternative" toy stores seem to have more creative toys that aren't mainstream like the disney products. check the toy box at centennial lakes in edina, creative kidstuff (online & i know there's a store at the galleria in edina, but i think they're all over the cities), peapods in st. paul. they have wonderfully made, creative toys that are outside the mainstream marketing machine.

good luck!

We just bought two dolls from Creative Kidstuff that were Corolle Dolls. They were ballerinas, but they could pass as princesses :) MY daughter LOVES anything princess and adores her dolls. I am pretty sure that they have other princess stuff, such as crowns, wands, skirts, etc....
She also has a cinderella doll, but she is stuffed and doesn't look like your normal "barbie".
I understand how frustrating it is as we refuse to by "BRATZ" and some people don't understand that. Good luck and I hope you find some great alternatives :)

my advice is to just let her be like all the other kids and love the disney princesses. By denying her, you will only fuel the fire that will come later on. I understand your concern about the unrealistic body types portrayed by almost every form of media. You however, have much more power in helping your daughter have a positive self image than you think.

We like: Gigi, God's Little Princess by Sheila Walsh. There are several great books, videos, and toys. You can find them at Northwestern bookstore. With a little help from Mommy and Daddy, Gigi realizes that she is not just any princess-she is the daughter of the greatest King of all!

Check out Fancy Nancy and Gigi books. As for toys, good luck... we just stick with lots of dress up stuff so she can be her own princess! My daughter is not in preschool and we don't watch TV so that helps. Those Disney gals are EVERYWHERE though.

It's a rare little girl who doesn't want to play Princess. They outgrow it so quickly and enter the next phase, "Me, wear a dress? Forget it." Peers have more impact than dolls on how our daughters see themselves. If your daughter doesn't have the dolls to play with, she'll still get the skinny princess message elsewhere, unless you lock her up in a tower and protect her from the world. (Others are sure to disagree with me.) I'm with the member who wrote today, "Self confidence (or lack of it) does not come from the type of doll you play with as a child. It comes from loving parents and from within. There is nothing wrong with Disney Princesses" (except, I would add, for all the advertisements and commercialism).

http://www.onlyheartsclub.com
These dolls are close to Barbie, but are way better. They actually look like little girls and have lots of outfits, including ballerina that you could convince your daughter they are princesses. They also have story books you can get to go along with them. They are about kindness and friendship. They have soft bodies and are really cute. Dolls that are more realistic, great for little girls, and teach much more comforting values than Barbie. You can get them at Target. Check out the above web site. Only Hearts Club. Best wishes, D.