Characters we love: Doc McStuffins

As a mother of a preschooler and a toddler, I am often assaulted by horrible, mind numbing "entertainment" that is equally annoying and pointless. Not only that, but most of these shows play into typical stereotypes that undermine the potential of my daughters.

That is, until Doc McStuffins came along.

Doc McStuffins is Disney's animated tale of a six year old named Dottie, known as Doc McStuffins. Instead of dreaming of castles and princesses, Doc aspires to be a Doctor, just like her mother.  Doc spends her days diagnosing ailments and treating her stuffed animal patients with the aid of her magical stethoscope. Not only is this one of the rare occasions where a Disney female protagonist wears a lab coat instead of a ball gown, Doc is African American.

Myiesha Taylor a Doctor and mother of a preschooler said she was excited to see, "a child of color in a starring role... and she’s an aspiring intellectual professional, not a singer or dancer or athlete.”  She decided to create an online collage featuring Doc surrounded by photos of real African American women medical professionals. She wrote,  "We are trailblazers. We are women of color. We are physicians. We ARE role-models. We are Doc McStuffins all grown up!"

When my preschooler discovered Doc she absolutely fell in love, and so did I. At three years old growing up in a large, multicultural city she didn't even notice that Doc's skin color was different from hers. For her fourth birthday, she requested a Doc McStuffins birthday party and requested chocolate cake because, "Doc's hair is brown." Hannah tells me that she wants to be "A doctor or a nurse and a mommy," when she grows up. I'm sure she'll go through lots of phases between now and adulthood, but I'm very happy that one of her role models is a little girl who wants to make a big difference. Plus how can you resist THIS adorableness?