The latter approach is more subtle and usually produces characters with different skin tone shades but who lack specific phenotypic features of any particular race ( Tropedia, 2022). Examples include Susie Carmichael (Black girl) from Rugrats (1991–2004) and Diego Márquez (Latino boy) from Dora the Explorer (2000–2019). The former approach involves designing characters of specific racial backgrounds. To respond to the critique about the lack of diversity among human characters, animation creators brought in more characters of color or adopted the so-called “ambiguously brown” trope ( Turner, 2013). For example, when told about a study’s hypothesis, participants tended to respond in ways that confirmed it ( Nichols & Maner, 2008). Finally, most perception studies did not control for demand characteristics ( Orne, 2009), which are cues that can bias the validity of research findings when people are potentially aware of a study’s purpose and distort the answers accordingly. Additionally, researchers seldom experimentally manipulate the characters’ racial presentation due to the technical difficulty of changing a single element (character appearance) in an existing animated program.

While content analysis is effective to describe media representation on a grander scale, the responses from diverse audiences were not documented. Multiple content analyses have empirically investigated the racial presentation of animated characters in children’s media (e.g., Faherty, 2001 Klein & Shiffman, 2006 Robinson & Anderson, 2006) and identified the crucial issue of the lack of representation of individuals from minoritized racial/ethnic backgrounds. Given the potentially significant effects of media representation, how should entertainment-education designers present characters’ race to appeal to and/or persuade an increasingly diverse mass audience? We attempted to address this question by examining how lead characters’ racial representations in an exercise-motivating Sci-Fi animation influenced children’s narrative engagement, wishful identification, and physical activity intention.

Few studies experimentally manipulate characters’ racial presentation or include diverse groups of children as participants. Despite the abundance of narrative persuasion research, there has been a paucity of empirical research on the impact of animated characters’ racial presentation on children. Furthermore, the representation of different races in these narratives can affect viewers’ perception and reception ( Mastro, 2017), including the extent to which they become engaged in and persuaded by these narratives. Media narratives designed for children can promote prosocial goals and positive behaviors ( Mares et al., 2008), especially during the middle childhood phase when children become more empathetic ( Eisenberg et al., 1987 Mah & Ford-Jones, 2012). Animation’s integration of visual imagery and auditory information is frequently well-received by children ( Hayes, 2008). Compared to live-action counterparts, the simplified and stylized rendering of the human figure juxtaposed with theatrically exaggerated movements in animation can be developmentally appropriate features for delivering stories to children. Nine out of the top ten highest-grossing North American children’s movies between 19 were animated ( Statista, 2022). Original) on physical activity intention.Īnimated narratives are pervasive in children’s media. Structural equation modeling indicated that narrative engagement and wishful identification fully mediated the racial representation effect (Fantastical vs. Controlling for social desirability and multigroup ethnic identity, children who watched Fantastical characters showed significantly higher narrative engagement than those who watched Original characters, but they did not statistically differ from those who watched Ambiguous characters. We assessed narrative engagement, wishful identification, and physical activity intention. They were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, which varied the lead characters’ racial presentation: realistic racially unambiguous (Original: White children, Black mother), realistic racially ambiguous (Ambiguous: All with brown skin without specified race/ethnicity), and fantastical racially ambiguous (Fantastical: All with brown skin with fantastical hair-and-eye color schemes). children watched a 15-min physical activity-promoting animated Sci-Fi narrative. Characters play an integral role in animated narratives, but their visual racial presentation has received limited attention.

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