Several times this week I’ve been looking at the Disney/princes/Barbie aisles in Target looking for something for Callie’s Easter basket and today looking with her for a new doll. It’s been very disappointing to see the lack in diversity – not surprising – but disappointing.

In the Easter basket aisle I saw this.  My first thought was, “One of these things is not like

the other” – oh wait, no – all the same.  Since our country is now comprised of about 36%  people of color then Disney should have had at least one of these three some shade of brown and no, brown hair and green eyes don’t count.

Today Callie wanted to replace the only boy doll she had but lost, so back to Target we went.  The only boy “Barbie” dolls they had were blue eyed blondes – seriously.  She found a wedding set with Barbie, Ken, a ringbearer and a flower girl – every last one blue-eyed blondes.  That was out both because of the complete lack of diversity along with the price tag, not to mention the wedding obsession she does not need fanned.

She finally settled on a set of princesses.  More than I wanted to spend, but it’s a rare occasion that she gets to pick out a toy.  This was also a disconcerting purchase.

Seven princesses – seven – and only Tiana is “of color”.  Where are Mulan or Pocahantas?  I can not be the only mother, no matter what my ethnicity, who wants their child to have toys that reflect the beauty of the entire world we live in, not just a portion of it.  It’d be like playing with one color of legos – how boring would that be.

Come on Disney – get with it.  It’s hard enough that I have a daughter who in interested in something like princesses, don’t make it even harder for me by only promoting the submissive pure white ones.