Here at Kids Party Characters, we’re always on the lookout for what’s new and popular with kids. It’s our goal to make sure every child that comes to KidsPartyCharacters.com finds his or her favorite character to invite to their next party.
As you probably know, we recently added Black Panther, who quickly became a kid (and adult) favorite after the popular movie was released.
Today we’re excited to reveal yet another new superhero costume, Ant-Man. Just like Black Panther, there’s nothing “new” about Ant-Man, who first made appearances in Marvel Comics publications in the early 1960s.
Today’s kids are seeing a lot of Ant-Man, who was featured in his own film, titled Ant-Man, in 2015, and has since gone on to appear in the popular movie Captain America: Civil War in 2016, in a series of animated shorts on Disney XD in 2017, and again in Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018. Word is he’ll appear again in another Avengers film in 2019.
Ant-Man has the standard superhero qualities of superhuman strength and agility, but what really makes him “cool” is his size-shifting abilities. He can go from the nearly microscopic size of an ant, up to 100 feet tall, and maintains his strength even when he’s in his shrunken state.
Of course Ant-Man uses his powers for good, dedicating his life to solving crimes and stopping criminals.
The Problem With Superheroes
Kids, and many adults, love superheroes. Let’s face it, as a mom, if they made “Supermom” a movie and gave us a hero who could have all the laundry done, and folded and put away, have a dinner everyone liked timely prepared every night, get everyone to practice on time, and run her own successful business at the same time, we’d all have her poster hanging on our wall.
The downside to the fact that even adults wear Captain America and Flash t-shirts is that, when they go to make a move about our favorite superheroes, it’s going to be too violent for many kids, especially the younger ones.
Why the violence sells is a question for another day, but clearly it does. You don’t see Thomas the Tank Engine’s stories in any multimillion dollar movies.
While our favorite superheroes are all good guys (and a few gals) who use their exciting powers to fight the forces of evil, they do it with a level of violence that should make you uncomfortable if you’re the parent of a young child.
One study of preschool aged children showed that kids who were really into superheroes tended to be more aggressive, but unfortunately did not show evidence of picking up on the purpose behind the aggression.
In other words, the kids who were especially attracted to superheroes were not more likely to stand up for and defend their classmates.
The Parent’s Dilemma
The positive role models that are portrayed by our superheroes may be getting lost in the commercialism that has the heroes working their magic through such violent means.
On the extreme end, some parents choose to keep their kids away from superheroes. But this is not the easiest, or the best, choice.
First, unless your child lives in a bubble, he’ll likely get some exposure to superheroes whenever he’s around other kids.
There’s a good chance that this will cause him to want to watch superheroes on TV and start his own collection of superhero toys.
Denying him that entirely tends to backfire and actually increase his interest. We all want that thing we can’t have, it’s human nature.
Second, superheroes can teach kids positive lessons in a way that's fun and engaging.
A story about how your child’s favorite superhero saved the day will sink in a lot deeper than a lecture you try to give on how important it is to be nice and helpful to people.
On the other hand, we need our kids to learn that there are much better ways to “save the day” than through beating people up or shooting them.
How to Make the Best Out of Superheroes
There’s no perfect solution here, but as always, the best thing you can do as a parent is to engage with your kids and stay involved in their play.
1. Preview the Movies: Resist the urge to set your kids in front of the TV to watch a superhero movie alone. At the very least, watch the trailer and read the reviews about the movie first.
Pay attention to the PG-13 ratings many of these movies have. Just because your four year old loves Spider-Man doesn’t mean she should be watching Spider-Man the movie.
She shouldn’t. She doesn’t know enough about the difference between fantasy and reality at that age.
2. Talk About the Superheroes: When your child expresses interest in a superhero or develops a favorite, talk to her about the positive characteristics that hero has.
Talk about how your child’s favorite superhero would handle real life situations based on the hero’s special powers and abilities. Use the superheroes to teach life lessons that involve positive solutions without violence.
In other words, get your child to develop a picture in her mind of her superhero using its powers in non-violent ways, rather than how they’re portrayed in the movies.
3. Buy the Toys: Let your child have a collection of superhero figures and accessories if she wants. As she gets a little older, introduce some of the comic books, especially the older ones that contain a lot less violence.
If your child owns her own figures, she has the ability to tell her own stories with them. If she tends to run around punching everyone and blowing everyone up with her superhero, show her other ways she can play with Batman and Wonder Woman, and how they can team up to help clean the house or assist with a younger sibling.
Your kids have an unlimited imagination. If you encourage gentler play with the superheroes as they use their powers to fight evil and promote good, your child will have no trouble coming up with different narratives than the movies are showing.
Let Kids Party Characters Help
Invite your child’s favorite superhero to his next birthday party and we promise there will be no violence! Our A-list actors will leave your child feeling awestruck over how magical and kind his special hero really is.
You can view our entire collection of superheroes at KidsPartyCharacters.com, and choose the package that's right for your child, including kid favorites like cotton candy, face painting and balloon twisting.
Be sure to join us on Facebook too, where you’ll find daily updates on the magic we bring to children’s parties, as well as our best tips for raising happy and healthy kids.
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