The Princess Blog

It seemed too good to be true when I learned that a  Jewel Riders graphic novel was coming out nearly 30 years after the show ended . Though I thought the wait would seem endless, I was holding this magical book in my hands before I knew it. Featuring brand-new artwork and new stories about some of my favorite characters, this book is an absolute dream come true.  This show means the world to me . It was the first series to spark my lifelong love of animated princesses, and it was my first introduction to the  Magical Girl genre . I thought I was the only one who still remembered it until two of my friends founded the  Jewel Riders Archive  and allowed the show's small circle of faithful followers to celebrate  the 25th anniversary  and our happy memories of growing up with such a beautiful and magical world. Now that world can be shared with a new audience thanks to a collaboration between  41 Entertainment  and  Maverick , a division o...

It's no secret that Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders was my absolute favorite cartoon as a kid. There are few others who share this passion with me as the show is still obscure even in an era of countless nostalgic reboots , so when I first heard that Mad Cave Studios  was partnering with 41 Entertainment to make a series of Jewel Riders graphic novels , I was skeptical. A few days ago, my cynicism  was laid to rest when a press release revealed the cover art and release date for the novel. It's really happening! On May 28, 2024, the first issue of the brand new YA Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders graphic novel will be available wherever graphic novels are sold. It's even available to pre-order on Amazon right now! Take a gander at the gorgeous new official cover art below that stays true to show's color palette and art style while adding a modern manga-inspired flare. I am absolutely in love with this new Magic Girl anime-style cover art that features...

Fantasy Island  is a recent remake of an older show  that I wasn't really familiar with before last night's episode entitled "Gwenivere of Glendale."  Besides including a name that's one letter off from the spelling of one of my favorite cartoon princesses , the episode's plot was also right up my alley. The series is a story of anthologies about people who come to a magical island that grants them a wish for a day that helps them to learn something new about themselves. It seemed pretty obvious that it was based on an older property closer to The Twilight Zone era since few modern original shows follow a concept like that. In this episode, the main character, Gwen, came to Fantasy Island with a wish to be--you guessed it--a princess. I really liked the way this episode handled the princess wish by exploring the positive and negative aspects of living in a fairy tale. With the island's heavy-handed lessons for its guests, they could have easily gone in a ...

On September 10th, 1995, our televisions were graced with the amazing adventures of Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders . This show has a lot of special meaning to me. It was one of my earliest obsessions, and I loved everything about it--the story, the music, the costumes, the setting, the artwork... Everything! Many of my other favorite princesses  had live celebrations  for their anniversaries over the years that I was fortunate enough to attend. Thanks to my friends at the Jewel Riders Archive , Princess Gwenevere will not be forgotten either. The archive kicked off their year-long anniversary celebration  one year ago today with a podcast that I participated in with them and some of the other founding members of the fandom. Today, in honor of the 25th anniversary, we recorded a brand new podcast for all of you to enjoy filled with our favorite memories of the show. I have to admit that I enjoyed recording this podcast even more than the last one. Ronnie and Chri...

Three princess anniversary celebrations within roughly two weeks? Yes, please! Today marks 24 years since one of my favorite cartoons of all time, Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders , debuted. My friends over at the Jewel Riders Archive are kicking off a year-long 25th anniversary celebration  in a big way. Instead of attending a panel or screening , I celebrated this princess anniversary with a Skype party in which I got together with the Jewel Riders Archive, the founding member of the original Avalon fansite, and a prominent fan artist from the early days of the fandom to record a podcast where we discussed our favorite memories of the show. It was a huge honor to be included in this elite group of fans. The world of Jewel Riders has been a major inspiration for many of the stories I have written  in the past, leading up my most recent one, The Stolen Jewel . The Princess Blog recently celebrated its two year anniversary , and I owe some of its inspiration to t...

It's been a while since I posted anything for  Story Saturday . I am pleased to announce that one of my previous stories, "The Dragon and the Runt,"  was recited recently on a podcast called Fairy Tales for Unwanted Children ! Today, I have a different type of short story to share with you. My friends over at the Jewel Riders Archive  have posted a writer challenge  to come up with a concept for a potential third season of Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders . Jewel Riders is one of my favorite shows of all time, so I had to give this challenge a shot. The concept is inspired by the fantastic art board designs by toy designer Greg Auture  for the third wave of Jewel Riders dolls that never got produced due to the show's untimely cancellation after the second season. Just to clarify, this is my own interpretation of a potential third season. I have no affiliation with the creators of the show. If you'd like to catch up with the show leading up to my concept, ...

Princesses can't be damsels in distress all the time. One day, they will need to rule an entire kingdom. Though many princesses start out sheltered and powerless dreaming of freedom , some of our favorite animated princesses start out early and learn how to lead their companions in the fight against evil. Though these stories do give princesses more freedom than they would probably realistically have, they also open up the range of female-targeted entertainment to different types of girls.  Magical Girl  groups usually have a princess leading them, but it's becoming more common among Disney Princesses as well. This is a tribute to all the princesses who can wear pretty dresses  and still be strong and powerful leaders at the same time. For me, Princess Gwenevere  from Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders was the first one to show me that a princess can be a great leader. Even though she l oves dressing up and flirting , she aggressively refuses to wait aro...

One of the most common criticisms that princesses get from adults is that they encourage little girls to be vain. It's a separate issue from  body image  because it's about their delicate features and not their shape. In fairy tales, there is always an emphasis on the princess character's striking beauty. She is fair-skinned and raven-haired with big eyes and glittering jewels. Take for instance the '90s board game  "Pretty Pretty Princess,"  in which the goal is to have all of the jewelry in the game and win the jewel-studded crown in order to become the princess. As we all know, being a princess is not just about jewelry. Newer Disney Princess movies tend to place more emphasis on inner beauty than many of the older ones. Fairest  is a book by Gail Carson Levine  about a girl named Aza who wishes more than anything to be beautiful. It is a twist on the classic "Snow White" tale, changing her defining trait from physical beauty to a be...