Superhero dolls battling the scars of bullying have a message for both girls and boys
There’s a new superhero duo in town and they’re promoting the power of self-confidence.
Super Beauty and her twin brother, Handsome Hero, are plush dolls that speak more than 20 positive affirmation phrases geared toward both girls and boys to help battle low self-esteem and depression brought on by bullying.
"Handsome Hero and Super Beauty are for kids who just need an extra boost of confidence," creator Tiffany Wider, aka TiffanyJ, told "Good Morning America."
Wider created Super Beauty in 2018 in hopes of helping young girls deflect the mental and emotional stress brought on by bullying.
Her inspiration for the project came from her own experiences as a child. Growing up, Wider battled severe depression and, at the age of 12, she attempted suicide.
"Through my self-discovery journey, I’ve learned that everyone needs to learn to embrace themselves fully and genuinely," she said. "I want kids to find themselves a lot earlier than I had the opportunity to."
In addition to selling plush dolls online, Wider travels the country visiting schools, churches and various groups offering what she calls "pep talks" to discuss bullying, and teaches participants how to identify and confront it.
These pep talks even have a special appearance from the mascot Super Beauty, and kids have the opportunity to meet her and join her on the "confidence runway."
Super Beauty recently made an appearance for a pep talk at Brilla Veritas in the Bronx, New York City, where she encouraged more than 200 elementary students to find their uniqueness and embrace it.
Although Super Beauty was created to inspire girls, Wider discovered that young boys were in need of a pep talk, too.
"At these pep talks, boys were running up to Super Beauty for hugs just as much as girls were," Wider said.
As a result, she created Super Beauty’s twin brother, Handsome Hero, who debuted this month.
Handsome Hero inspires boys to be strong, intellectual leaders through phrases such as "You can like both sports and science," and "You can like both math and music."
At the end of the day, Wider hopes that kids take away a new appreciation for themselves and the things that make them unique.
"If I had to share one message, it would be that nobody can do you better than you can," she said. "That in itself is your superpower."
If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.
