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Princesses can grimace their way through kissing frogs.

They can force their feet into glass slippers, if the need arises.

But should the fairy tale royalty find themselves shoehorned into politically correct guises?

Many local mothers wish that notion would turn back into a pumpkin.

As Disney rolls out its first ever princess who is black, in the animated movie "The Princess and the Frog," black mothers say they have mixed reactions. They think Disney has looked more toward pleasing adults than pleasing children.

Just ask Takisha Leatherberry, shopping for toys in Mays Landing on a rainy Wednesday night. A mother of three girls, Leatherberry recognizes the push to make the Disney princesses multicultural.

What concerns parents?

But she thinks it's wrong on two counts.

"It's a bit late," she says of the effort. Today she's raising three Disney addicts - but she was also a young fan of Snow White.

And that's where she gets her second concern. "Really, we don't look at cartoon characters through that lens of color," she says. "That's not what's important about them."

To market the princess, whose name is Tiana, the company has gone as far as to sell dolls showing her as a young toddler.

But gazing into the eyes of Leatherberry's middle daughter, 9-year-old Anajah, her mother sees wide-eyed innocence to matters of color. When a stranger asks Anajah whether she has a favorite princess, she says, almost protectively, "Belle" - the white heroine of "Beauty and the Beast."

So her mother hopes her daughters have a chance to be oblivious to color - as a way of keeping the innocence of childhood.

As Jannie Jones, another mother shopping in the neighborhood Toys "R" Us says, "Talking about dolls or characters like that misses the point."

Princess Tiana debuts in "The Princess and the Frog," hitting theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Nov. 25 and nationwide Dec. 11, and grown-ups have certainly been buzzing. But for many little black girls growing up with Malia and Sasha Obama in the White House, the historic nature of Tiana's debut in Disney's mostly white princess lineup doesn't quite seem to register.

Princess fever

Girls of all races have already caught princess fever, and young black girls embrace the white stars of "Hannah Montana," "Jonas" and "High School Musical" without worrying about race.

But some of their moms are making sure their daughters understand the significance of the new princess with her brown doe eyes, fuller lips and elegant tiara.

Erica Branch-Ridley, of West Orange, Essex County, said her 7- and 11-year-old daughters were excited about a new princess, but the younger one didn't really understand the importance.

Branch-Ridley showed the girls pictures, and her younger daughter now wants to dress up as Tiana for Halloween next year.

"I want them to understand how important it is, not only from the perspective of a new Disney movie and a new princess, but how historical it is that we have this," she said.

Little girls don't see color distinctions as much as older girls, said Charlotte Reznick, a child educational psychologist and author of "The Power of Your Child's Imagination."

But she said Tiana will register on some level with little black girls and boost their sense of themselves even if it's subtle.

"That warm feeling of 'just like me' and feeling like 'home' can bring a deep smile (inside and out) to all those little black girls that will watch the movie," Reznick said in an e-mail.

An indication of just how parents are embracing the new Disney Princess is how fast Tiana products are flying off the shelves, even though young girls have yet to sit through the first of what will likely be numerous viewings of "The Princess and the Frog."

The Tiana Halloween costumes sold out quickly in some cities this year, more than a month before the princess ever shows up in movie theaters, according to Disney Consumer Products. The "Just One Kiss" Tiana doll was named one of the "Hot Dozen" toys for the holiday season in FunFare Magazine, a toy industry publication. On Oct. 1, all 5,000 Tiana-themed Magical Beauty Collection Gift Sets were sold on carolsdaughter.com before noon, the first day the products were available.

Some black moms, while praising Disney for its efforts, think its influence is overblown.

"There is far too much invested in the idea that Disney has somehow affirmed black women and girls with this production," said Tracy D. Sharpley-Whiting, who teaches African-American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University.

Sharpley-Whiting said her 7-year-old already sees herself as a princess, and has watched the live-action version of "Cinderella" that starred Brandy and Whitney Houston.

Still, others said Tiana has made them feel more comfortable letting their daughters embrace princesses.

Dee-Dee Jackson, national president of Mocha Moms Inc., is planning to outfit her 8-year-old daughter's room with Tiana gear. Disney consulted Mocha Moms on the film.

Her daughter has princess costumes, movies and dolls, but she has been reluctant to let her put up images that don't look like her.

"I wanted her to understand that princesses come in all colors," said Jackson, a mom of five in Snellville, Ga.

The movie has not been without controversy - it's been criticized because the prince is not black and because Tiana is a frog for much of the movie, among other things.

In fact, Tiana - who's introduced as a sassy chef in 1920s New Orleans - stands as the first princess to be definitively American.

So no wonder some locals think any talk of her skin-tone is just, well, half-blind.

"She's fictional," says Jones. "If she's important, it's because of what she represents to all girls, not just to some."

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)

Contact Juliet Fletcher:

609-272-7251

JFletcher@pressofac.com

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