The Winx Club Article: On Winx and Age/Maturity

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posted by zanhar1

Over on a poll and on tumblr I got into a discussion about whether or not Winx needs to be more mature and what not. This inspired me to type a little something about it. Some of this will be from said discussion.

One of the main things that gets bought up a lot in the discussion of Winx and maturity is what other children's shows are doing. And how other shows kids' shows often have a more adult message beneath the initally kiddy stuff. While I don’t necessarily think that Winx needs to be like other kids’ shows but I don’t think it would hurt for the author to seek inspirations from other shows. It wouldn’t hurt for him to see what other shows are doing right so that he can better his own show. I don't want Winx to be an exact replica of, like, Sailor Moon or something. However I think the goal of every author should be to improve the quality of his or her work as opposed to staying at the same level or, worse, getting lazy. And to be quite honest I do think the writing has dropped in quality--something that can easily be fixed--and I think the reason this is, is the drop in the age of the target audience.

So what was the target audience and what should it be? Admittedly I am one of the firm believers that they should have matured the show with their original audience or at the very least kept the older original target audience. Why? Because these are the people who watched and adored the show the longest. These are the people who will most appreciate the show. That said what did they do? They lowered the target age. I really don’t like how they did that at all--it came off to me as a money grab. They tried to pick up a new audience that didn’t take to the show and left many of their older and faithful viewers feeling forgotten/disappointed. I would have been absolutely fine with them keeping it aimed at (about) 8-13 year olds. It was when they lowered it to 3-6 year olds that I was dissatisfied. Because it became too childish for me. I mean you can even see the difference in the clothing; with the older target audience of the first three seasons viewers got to see Bloom and Musa in pants--a more tomboy style. But when the age group dropped everything got way too glittery and way too pink. Basically I liked what they had, they didn’t need to fix what wasn’t broken. At first (during seasons 1-3) they had a very decent blend of maturity and childishness. Now I feel as though it's just childishness and that (on a more personal note) just doesn't captivate me and hold me in. That kind of switch (especially if it really was a money grab) just makes me personally feel betrayed as one of the many, many, many original viewers that woke up every morning at 6 am on the dot to catch the show. To know that they'd try to pick up a whole new audience instead of considering that their old viewers would be pumped to see their childhood favorite coming back.

I do agree with pro-childish-Winx people (for lack of a better title) that the childlike simplicity isn’t bad. But I can’t blame people for being curious; for wondering what it would be like if the show did get maturer. And that's typically what it is--people are intrigued by what Winx would be like if they dared to go darker. I think the childlike simplicity has it’s ups and downs. The up is that one can just watch the show to watch it. It’s just fun and relaxing. Another up is that it offers an escape from the darkness of reality. And I can get on bored with that so long as it's not taking away from the plot. Sometimes it is nice to just watch a show that isn't so deep and dark. However, the down is that (at least in the case of Winx) some characters–the villains mainly–are lacking depth and complexity. Even basic depth and complexity that is helpful in forming connections to characters even in kids’ shows.

This is where Winx starts getting compared to other shows that many believe 'do it better'. Again I'm fine with the writing (as it was in seasons 1-3) but I think there's room for improvement. Movies like Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery service are two examples of childrens' movies that have a perfect blend of that upbeat happiness and that deeper meaning. Spirited Away has a child who has to move and then she gets caught between realms and has to save her parents. This is pretty dark--however it's still pretty cute and funny because the characters a quirky and there's always hope. There's also a lot of comedy. Sailor Moon got pretty dark with Nehelinia and how she would hurt other people to try to stay young and beautiful--in the end she just really needed a second chance. While yes this veered onto the dark side there was still a lot of silly humor to keep the viewer from getting depressed. There are some kids' shows/movies that get way too dark to be kids shows/movies (like Bridge to Tarabithia). But there are also shows like Winx that get a little too kiddy. To the point where it may as well be another Dora the Explorer or Peppa Pig. I don't think Winx is bad or awful I just think it needs more balance.

I guess what this boils down to though is that everyone has a different cup of tea. I myself am fond of more complex shows (but can get on bored with a simpler one if I'm in the mood) or at least a deeper underlying theme that an adult can pick up on if he/she chooses. And I totally get that that’s not for some people. And I think the first 3 seasons of Winx had that. But the show lost it when the target age was lowered.

All of this said, I do enjoy Winx loads, but there’s also a lot that I feel like it has come to lack. I also admit that I did drop the show midway through season 6. But I love the first 3 loads and pretty much only offer those seasons praise.

Mothi, Avater13 and 1 other like this

SilentForce The case with Winx Club getting worse and worse kinda reminds me of the same trouble I have with post 2010 Barbie movies.The old Barbie movies used to be awesome,despite the fact that they had childish elements like talking animals the story was still mature enough to be enjoyed by an older audience,Barbie always played likeable main characters that you could care about,they were filled with great moral lessons and had brilliant villains but than came the year 2010 and Mattel decided to forget about the grown up fans and decided to target the movies to 5 year old girls and they became filled with crappy plots,terrible main characters,lame villains and bad moral lessons.Of course they are some new Barbie movies that are actually good but sadly they aren't anywhere nearly as good as the old ones.Same goes with Winx.Winx used to be awesome from season 1-3.I'm not a big fan of season 4 because I think that this is the season in which the plot started to get worse but it was still good nonetheless.Than came season 5 in which Winx officially because bullshit,season 6 was more tolerable but still can't be considered good.However the worst season was season 7,it is so bad that it makes season 5 look like a masterpiece.Season 7 was so idiotic that I felt like I was watching a parody instead of a real show.The most pathetic moment was that the Winx weren't even the ones who defeated the Trix in the final battle,they were getting they asses kicked repeatedly by the Trix and than the fairy animals uses they power to summon the Infinity Swan who puts the Trix in a barrier and than our"heroes"use the stones of memories to trap the Trix in Limbo.Also season 7 is filled with even more idiotic things like banana monsters,the Winx being turned into little children,Sky getting jealous of a freaking unicorn(Elas),in the Kingdom of Diamonds there are forks,knives,spoons and plates that can talk and move and there are lot of more idiotic things in season 7 but I don't have the time to mention all of them.

UnaDiNoiWinx So you're the same fan from Tumblr. Interesting. Well, I responded there, so I won't respond here.

zanhar1 ^ xP Yeah, I kind of figured I was talking to the same person. I didn't want to make any assumptions though. I started to respond on tumblr but I've got class soon so I'm gonna have to finish it later. @Silent I'll also respond to you after class. Edit: Now time for the actual response lol. I've never really been in with the Barbie franchise. I've seen a few of the movies (like the Princess and The Pauper, The Nutcracker, and one with a frog) but not enough to dig super deep. It's been like 10 years since I've seen any of the movies but what I remember of it they used to have pretty solid moral lessons that gave them some depth. Like there were parts I enjoyed when I got a bit older. "Royal pain in the behind" was one of my favorite quotes lol. I mean in terms of forgetting the older audience this is also something UnaDiNoi and I touched on over on tumblr; it's kind of a marketing thing. They feel like parents of younger kids will by the merch more. The downside is that they seem to forget that there are college+ adults who will also do so. On top of that I think (in the case of Winx they were trying to appeal to a younger audience because at it's core Winx [i]is[/i] a childrens' show. [i]I mean I suppose I understand that decision as far as wanting other young kids to have a fun experience but I also can’t help feel like he forgot about his older audience.[/i] I feel as though that's the case with the Barbie franchise too. This is likely just a common issue among anything aimed at young kids that somehow managed to retain an older audience. [i]Of course they are some new Barbie movies that are actually good but sadly they aren't anywhere nearly as good as the old ones.[/i] I also grant leeway here because typically the older seasons of stuff are the best. Once Upon A Time isn't necessarily a kids' show but it's the same there; season 1 was the best imo. I can say the same for music; Lady Gaga's first album was my favorite. Though I adore Within Temptation's newer stuff--Mother Earth/Silent Force was my favorite era of their music. In general as time wears on the magic so to speak seems to wear off. In the case of Winx I agree that seasons 1-3 were the strongest. Though they weren't some grand masterpiece; I mean it still a kids show. This was also part of the tumblr discussion; [i]I think Rainbow/Staffi just wanted a fun and upbeat series. As a kid I loved that. As an adult I can’t help but to want something a bit deeper if that makes sense.[/i] With the fact that Winx was probably supposed to just be light-hearted and fun in mind I don't expect it to be crazy-complex. And even seasons 1-3 were childish to a degree but I think they were the best seasons. It was at season 5 where I think they got way too kiddy when they could have kept it on the same level of maturity that was there in seasons 1-3. Because it was a just-right blend. The go green thing was just way too overwhelming for me and took away from the show. I haven't seen season 7. So I can't really judge it. But from the sound of it I was all excited at first; like what "the Trix were actually beating the Winx!!?" But then you said they got taken out by a swan and I became disappointed again lol. One of the highlights of the tumlr conversation that I want your opinion on is this; [i] can definitely see something. I can’t speak for everyone, but when I said that I wanted to see a more mature Winx, it was more or less wishful thinking or curious pondering. I don’t really expect Winx to become more adult oriented. Because you’re right; that direction wasn’t even in the plans. The fans just kind of saw the potential. And as you said no one can predict how the audience will take to the show. I have a feeling Straffi didn’t even think his older audience would still be around; which is understandable. In my case I’m not trying to be negative (well for the most part I’m not), I simply like to dig deeper into shows and analyze them. Even if my analysis’s are far fetched. That’s why I enjoy writing fics as well. But again, as you said, I think Rainbow/Staffi just wanted a fun and upbeat series. As a kid I loved that. As an adult I can’t help but to want something a bit deeper if that makes sense. But I also wouldn’t want to take that childhood experience away from younger groups. To put it simply; given the situation, I think Straffi should have tried to just balance things.[/i] This is mostly about how the target audience and the intended goal of the show vs what the fans saw. I just thought it was an interesting point of discussion.

GhostLoveScore Why isn't Winx Club becoming a more mature show?The answer is quite simple:Because it was never liked by adults to begin with.It was a show that was targeted toward little girls and was liked by that targeted audience.So what would be the point of making it more mature when adults are still not going to watch it?I seriously don't see many adult people who like Winx and I honestly can't figure out why considering that My Little Pony that as at the same maturity level as Winx Club is liked by many adults and even by 30 year old males.I have noticed that most of the adults on this spot only like Winx Club because they grew up with it.So yeah,Iginio basically believes that the old audience doesn't like Winx Club anymore,so he is making it more childish to appeal to little girls.

SilentForce @zanhar1 I love that line XD.The think that makes it even funnier is that he actually wanted to marry that"Royal pain in the behind".Also,you should listen to"Love is For Peasants"from"Barbie as The Island Princess",in this song the villain Arianna sings she is going to kill the King and"use his head for croquet"(no kidding this line was in the movie),for some reason when I was a child I didn't notice this line at all but when I heard this line now as an adult I was like"Wait isn't this supposed be a movie for little girls?"XD.Also in"Barbie and the Magic Of Pegasus",the villain Wenlock was basically an abusive husband who married one beautiful woman and when he got bored of of he turned her into a troll and went on to marrying another woman and giving her the same fate.Also in the same movie we have Aidan's background story of losing his all of the little money his family head in a gambling game and he never went back home again because he couldn't face his father.Also"Barbie as Princess and the Pauper" Erika's parents were so poor that in order to feed Erika they head to borrow money from Madame Carp so when Erika grew up she had to work a seamstress for in order to pay off her parents debt and this is by far the only princess movie in which the princess is responsible,Anneliese doesn't want to get married to King Dominick because she is in love with Julian.In the"Free"song both she and Erika sing about how they don't like they lives and think about running away but Anneliese still decided to stay and accept the marriage because its her duty,same with Erika who decided to stay because its her duty to repay her parents debt.I could take more examples but I wont because my comment would get too long.Stories like these are the reasons why I still enjoy Barbie movies even a an adult. Back to the subject now.I agree the reason why Iginio has made Winx Club more childish is because he believes that the older audience doesn't like Winx Club anymore.And yes selling more merchandise is another reasons because little girls love to buy dolls and other mechandise.However Iginio is forgetting that there are also adult people who collect Winx Club dolls.To be honest,most doll collectors on youtube happen to be adults which completely contradicts the logic that only little girls like dolls. The reason why I think that season 1-3 were the best Winx Club seasons is because despite the fact that they had childish elements they could also be enjoyed by an older audience.At the time of season 4 it started to get more childish but still maintained mature elements. I agree.I don't expect Winx Club to become a show for adults either but like you said I want to Straffi to make a balance between a show fun enough to be enjoyed by children but still mature enough to be enjoyed by adults.Its not something impossible to make because they are a lot of shows for children that are like that.Just take Sailor Moon for example:it is a show for little girls which is the reason why it is most of the time light hearted and funny but it still has dark and mature elements in it.

zanhar1 @Silent I barely remember that movie, I just remember loving it. So I gotta ask; was the prince the one who said that or was it the bad guy? Either way around; movie quote gold. "Love is For Peasants" omg I totally read that one in Azula's voice. I will give it a listen! That is a beautiful lyric. :') It's always great when shows sneak in little things to humor the adult crowd. Damn son turning your wife into a troll is some next level saltiness. Earns my seal of approval lol. But yeah, the deeper plots are what keeps you enticed. I feel like Winx can and should do that too. It isn't uncommon for a show to have a really young target audience but still captivate an older audience with a hint of dark humor or deeper themes. That way children can still enjoy it (without being scared away) and the adults that still love the show can keep loving it. That would make sense of course. The problem with that think is that his belief that his adult audience didn't like the show anymore is what caused them to stop liking it because he gave up on them. I mean I guess it's an understandable assumption but that's just how it is. Rather how it seems like it is. Tbh I know a lot of adults that collect anime dolls and figures just as much as kids. There's this Regina Mills Barbie and if I had the money/knew where to get it, I totally would. I'd get the new Icy dolls if I had the money/still enjoyed the show. Yeah I noticed that; a lot of the people who show off their collections are older fans. The fact that people think that only kids buy dolls is just not true. Adults do by the dolls--most of us just don't [i]play[/i] with the dolls we buy anymore. If I buy a doll it's because I think it's pretty and would look cute on my shelf. Or it's of my favorite character. That's what I've been getting at; season 1-3 had some balance. They (dub to dub) appealed to a vaster audience. It had it's childish moments but there was enough maturity so that it attracted an older audience too. That's what I liked about it. That balance is what was lost when the target age was changed. And even if the target age didn't change somewhere along the lines that balance was lost and I think it should be bought back. Exactly, exactly. I love a light hearted show like SM. But what impresses me the most is that the author is talented enough to be able to keep that blend of adult humor & childhood fun.

SilentForce "I barely remember that movie, I just remember loving it. So I gotta ask; was the prince the one who said that or was it the bad guy?" The person who said that quote was the villain Preminger. "Damn son turning your wife into a troll is some next level saltiness. Earns my seal of approval lol." He actually did that to all the 3 woman he married lol.When the King and Queen refused to give their to give their daughter Brietta to him as a wife he turned Brietta into a pegasus.Than after 16 years he returns and asks their second daughter Annika(the character that Barbie plays)to marry him and when she refuses he turns her parents and all the people in the kingdom into stone.Yup Barbie villains used to be awesome back then. "Tbh I know a lot of adults that collect anime dolls and figures just as much as kids." I'm 18 and I own over 100 dolls XD.I have Barbie,My Scene,Disney Princess,Winx Club,Monster High,Bratz,Diva Starz,Bratzillaz,Novi Stars,Moxie girlz and Steffie Love dolls.I owned some of these dolls since I was a child,the rest them were found in the past 2 years in my flea market doll hauls XD(I only buy dolls that are in good condition,some of them even came with their original outifts on). And even if the target age didn't change somewhere along the lines that balance was lost and I think it should be bought back. "Exactly, exactly. I love a light hearted show like SM. But what impresses me the most is that the author is talented enough to be able to keep that blend of adult humor & childhood fun." I really want the balance to get back.Thats what I love about Sailor Moon too.I have noticed that this happens in a lot of other animes too.Thats one of the reasons why I like animes more than cartoons.

zanhar1 That's what I thought but when you said he wanted to marry her I got a little confused. That's beautiful in a vial way. And I love it. Now all he needed to do to step up his game would have been to unleash his 3 trolls onto the internet. Then everyone loses except him. But in all seriousness that actually does like a pretty solid plot that I cold probably still enjoy. Hell I used to collect Bratz. Like that was my life; still have 100+ in my basement. I was such a spoiled kid. Most of the dolls I bought recently are fandom dolls. So by all means I'd totally still buy Winx merch. I also used to collect those Trollz dolls. Same, at the end of the day, that really is all I'm asking for. Just bring back the quality the show used to have. It doesn't have to be some Fairy Tail, Naruto level maturity but it wouldn't hurt to bump it back up to the maturity it had prior. That's also why I generally prefer anime to cartoons. I feel like Japan is less censored than America and for that they have more balance.

SilentForce @zanhar1 "That's what I thought but when you said he wanted to marry her I got a little confused." You need to listen to"How Can I Refuse?"which is the song that the villain Preminger sings.Preminger wants to become King so he basically made a plan to kidnap the princess and make it look like she ran away so that King Domick wouldn't be able to marry her,after Dominick would leave Preminger would pretend like he found the princess,bring her back and the Queen would be so grateful that she would gave the princess to him as his wife. "Now all he needed to do to step up his game would have been to unleash his 3 trolls onto the internet." Internet trolls XD.The funny thing is that based on his naughty personality I could totally imagine him using his magic to create an army of internet trolls just because it would be a fun thing to do lol. "Hell I used to collect Bratz. Like that was my life; still have 100+ in my basement. I was such a spoiled kid. Most of the dolls I bought recently are fandom dolls. So by all means I'd totally still buy Winx merch. I also used to collect those Trollz dolls. " I was never a big fan of the Bratz dolls but I used to love the Bratz movies,tv series and I still listen to the Bratz songs because they're just awesome.However I recently actually started to also like the Bratz dolls after I found 9 of them in the flea market,I mostly started to like them because of their awesome outfits. When it comes to Winx Club dolls,the only ones that I like are the Mattel dolls however because of the fact that they aren't produced anymore since 2010(I think?)they are really expensive on the internet,so I can't really afford them.Thankfully I actually have a Mattel Winx Club Flora beach doll that I bought in 2005 when I was 8 years old,she is still in good condition and I still have her second outfit and all the other stuff she came with and I recently found a Mattel Bloom doll in the flea market but she didn't have any cothes on so I gave her Flora's bikinni.I also own 2 Winx Club dolls that were made by Witty Toys:the first one is the Magical Adventure Flora doll(who's still in box)and the second one is I Love My Pet Bloom doll that I found in the flea market(this one actually came with her original outfit). Trollz?Are you talking about that tv show with these 5 Troll girls that are best friends and that have magical pearl bracelets?I used to love this show when I was 8 years old but never owned any of the dolls.

zanhar1 I think I actually remember that one. Very vaguely though. I don't remember the lyrics but I remember the beat and such. Some people just want to watch the world burn I guess lol. Clearly he may just be one of those people. There are so many characters who I could see doing that. Oh yeah I watched the Bratz movies too. Also played the video games a lot--forever diamonds was the shit. The songs are actually pretty cool too, I agree. Yeah the Bratz dolls really did have some pretty cool clothing; I think that's why I used to like them so much. Yeah the Mattel dolls were the ones I lied too. I guess I was lucky that my mother bought me all of them when I was really little. I still have the Icy one. Though some of them aren't in good condition anymore. I know my dog got to Icy but not to a point where she was completely destroyed. Yeah I think that's the one they were all named after gemstones. And there was this Trollz website that I used to go on. So many childhood feels right now!

SilentForce "Yeah the Bratz dolls really did have some pretty cool clothing; I think that's why I used to like them so much" Random question but have you seen the new Bratz dolls that started to get released last year?What do you think about them?I really dislike them to be honest. "Yeah I think that's the one they were all named after gemstones" Yup thats the show I was thinking about.I remember that Sapphire and Amethyst used to be my favorites.

zanhar1 No, I honestly haven't really watched much TV to see any adds. Haven't been to any toy stores recently either. Mostly because I'm broke and have no time lol. I liked Sapphire, then Ruby, then Onyx. Now I'd have to say my order is Onyx, Rubby, Sapphire. Topez and Amethyst are alright imo.