Female Action Figures' Impact on Creative Play
Julie Kerwin |
TEDxYouth@BrowningSchool
• May 2018
This talk is about changing the narrative and empowering girls to play. Julie Kerwin is Chief Elemental Officer of IAmElemental, creators of the first female action figures designed specifically for children. The company conducted a Kickstarter campaign in 2014 which was fully funded in two days and named by TIME Magazine as one of the “25 Best Inventions of 2014” and “Top 10 Toys of 2014.” IAmElemental's groundbreaking products were honored by the Toy Industry Association as 2017 Toy of the Year finalists in the Action Figure of the Year and Rookie of the Year categories, and Kerwin received a Wonder Woman Award in the Rising Star category from Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment. The company was also named a 2018 Toy of the Year finalist in the Action Figure of the Year category and recently announced a partnership with The Jim Henson Company to develop an animated children's show. Kerwin is a Browning School parent, as well as a voracious researcher, writer and thinker on the topics of gendered toys, creativity in children, and the power of play.