Disney's first black princess: It's about time

grow up, the stories are european you have europeans as the princesses. did you forget about aladdin, though in the true story aladdin was a chinese man. jasmine, mulan, esmeralda, those aren't white people. get a life and leave the pc crap behind

and theres no princesses in america

Horay - In this nation Disney should have introduced a beautiful black princess years ago. I would add a few thoughts. Dora isn't Disney (I don't think) so they should get about a Hispanic Princess too. The picture at the bottom of the article of the black princess - seems she should look more like Beyonce. Finally, one of the finest comedy's on TV is Disney's Raven. So for the writer if your girls haven't found this show you should run it by them. I thoroughly enjoy that girl.

I think it is wonderful. For the comment about alladin and all of the other cultural princess that disney has made, they go all over the world but seem to have skipped the one right in front of them. The black girl who turns into a black women is and always will be the princess and then queen of mankind. study your history. and disney it is about time.

I would be surprised if classrooms were dominated by blondes because cinderella was blonde.

I'm overjoyed by the news that Disney has grown up. Disney is an American (not European) company with consumers from all over the globe. A princess with whom young girls of African descent can relate is not an immature request; it is a perfectly logical business move. Congratulations, Disney. I'm in love with you all over again.

give it a rest. Yes, black people used to be treated unfairly. Yes, it still happens today. Does the cause of black people need to be pushed forward? Probably. But petitioning for a black CARTOON CHARACTER seems like it's not going to make that big of a difference. I think discrimination is terrible. Nobody should be mocked or denied a job etc. based on their race/sex/religion. But when we have to have everything politically correct it drive3s me nuts.

why wait on disney to teach your girls about being a princess? there are soooooooooooooo many african american companies out there that have their own "princess brands." you don't believe me, do a google and see what you come up with. MOST of america is still white, so companies will market to the biggest population. i'm glad that disney did get diversified there in the mid to late 90s, but i'm not going to wait on them to give me a black princess. i have african history and african american history to do that for me, thanks!

Esmerelda? Gypsy. Voiced by Demi Moore/Heidi Mollenhauer. Blue eyes. And I've dated two women with gypsy lineage - one's a blonde. LOL

Point is: ever since Brown v. Board, the racial identity of children has been influenced - often negatively - by playtoys and TV/movie images. For an organization such as Disney to FINALLY have a black "princess" begs the question "what took you so long?"

So, once YOU grow up, please take a look at the influence of the media on race relations.

And if I hear ONE more complaint about discussion of race relations that includes the over-used phrase "PC" I will spew.

Disney could have taken the story "MUFARO's BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS" and turned it to an animated film. There are so many beautiful African folk tales that could have been turned into an animated princess story.
Disney has made animation for every ethnic group except for those of African descent. The only thing Black or African Disney has done in animation has been "The Song of the South" (wasn't THAT sterotypical!) and the "Lion King" which featured ANIMALS! For crying out loud, it is about time they finally do an animated black princess.

how powerful can little kindergarten girls be. Give me a break

This will be an "inclusive" and welcomed addition to the fantasy line that Disney has successfully marketed around the world for a very long time.
Now reference the commenter dieter: Do we have to make everything a bone of contention? This is not about being politically correct it is about being representative and inclusive of all of us as AMERICANS. Why is it wrong for the throngs of consumers that are AMERICAN's to want to see some diversity, so that our children will and can see positive images that look like them on the big screen? It's all imagination here. Because there are no Princesses here in America unless they came from somewhere else, and in other places, there are Black, Asian, etc. Queens and Princesses. So pls, lets try to as Disney could possibly market it: "Close our eyes and open our minds!" Let us not teach our little ones, separatism, classism, racism, etc., the world will teach them that soon enough! Hooray for Disney!!

Simba, Nala and all the characters in The Lion King are African, although they are not human.

It is a shame that everyone wants to see thier race on disney in a lead role. I could ask where is the Irish princess. You could even ask where the asian princess is, ohh but wait we had mulan right.. Wrong .. There are over 28 diffent asian ethnic groups. Can we really cover them all, besides there are no princesses in New Orleans, never was. African Americans want to be involved in every aspect of everything and if they are not then they are disriminated agianst. The Irish have no say so along with millions of other people who dont complain about these little things. Next, its going to be a biracial princess. I dont have a problem with any kind of princess movie but dont try to make a big debate out of it to get what you want when you are not paying the disney payroll.

Well, if you are not black, then perhaps it would be hard to understand that when your little girl looks around at the different examples of a princess there is a question or two in her heart about her own looks. The hair, for one, is never like hers (if she is like my daughter). The "poof" as she calls it is unlike the hair of most. It would be more than wonderful for her to see another "poof" out there and I will praise Disney when it is done. And yes, it is a day late but glad to see it coming.

that "princess" is really ugly anyway i dont' think anyone will bother with this crap

I am paying the Disney payroll, and I think that Irish princesses would be beautiful. Let's remember, these are FAIRY tales, they are fictional. It's okay to ask a real company, who's goal is to meet AND create the needs and desires of its target audience to provide images that are healthy and beautiful.

It IS about time they bring a black princess to light. Most of the princesses aren't even blonde and I really don't think that the blonde ones are really the favorite ones. I think we're looking too far into 'blonde that we're not assessing the fact that the significant majority of them are Caucasian. Mulan, Jasmine,& Pocahontas are the only ones who immediately come to mind that aren't. I agree we tend to gravitate toward blondes but when we're talking about these princesses, the issue at hand is race, not hair color. And in that same realm we need to keep in mind that Caucasians are very diverse in their appearance. Something you very rarely find in any other race. You can appease all the Africans with one princess all the Native Americans with one, all the Asians, etc., but with Caucasians, variety is essential. You can't have just one Caucasian princess and think all Caucasian little girls will be happy with that. The girls want a princess whom they can portray, and pretend to be.

Its really a shame that we argue over things such as the ethnicity of a Disney princess. Its too bad we can't all think like our little girls and love everyone for who they are and not thier color.

You can't tell if a person is Irish by looking at them. In America, we judge people(whether right or wrong)by the color of their skin. By looking at me, I'm black and consider myself black. But my DNA ancestry is 59% sub-saharian african and 41% European. My great grandfather was Irish. So what does this all mean..... nothing really, except that we spend too much time focusing on things that don't matter. Hooray for Disney. It is about time Disney has a black princess. In the world of Beyonce, Tyra Banks, etc. this is a smart business move and should make money for stock holders. Disney is not concerned about being politically correct. As a business, Disney is about profit!!!