In 1995, there were few female heroes in Saturday morning cartoons. At that time, in TV shows designed specifically for kids, only 23 percent of the characters - and even fewer of the major characters - were female. "In cartoonland, all the girls are sidekicks and there's no doubt who's in charge,". And they were stereotyped, too: they blond and all too caring. Scooby Doo's Velma was smart but unattractive; and a female Power Ranger was, of course, dressed in pink.

Because producers of children's television knew that girls were less likely to watch TV, and more likely to listen to CDs, tapes or the radio, they traditionally catered to young boys. But the popularity with young girls of the Sailor Moon cartoon series made those producers realize that there was an untapped market of young females that would watch TV - if they had the right program to attract them.

Sailor Moon's appeal to young girls was not just the fact that she and her fellow "sailors" were female, but also the style of storytelling inherent in the Japanese tradition of anime. Unlike traditional North American cartoon characters, Sailor Moon's character evolved as the series progressed, rather than remaining static.

Source: "From Sidekick to Superwoman: TV's Feminine Mystique" by Shawn Doherty and Nadine Joseph