From the Cartoon Network to Latin America: Adapting Gender Diversity in Steven Universe

What is it about?

This study examines how the Cartoon Network's animated series Steven Universe—known in the U.S. for its inclusive, progressive representation of gender and diverse relationships—is adapted for the Spanish-speaking audience in Latin America. The authors analyzed the Latin Spanish dubbed episodes and related promotional material to see whether the show’s original messages about gender diversity and inclusion remain intact after cultural translation.

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Photo by Dan Farrell on Unsplash

Photo by Dan Farrell on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Children’s media often shapes how young audiences understand gender and relationships. In some regions, scenes celebrating diversity have been censored or altered. In this article, the authors found that Steven Universe’s Latin American adaptation generally preserves the original progressive content—differences in the dubbed version were minimal and likely due to technical choices, not deliberate censorship. This suggests that in Latin America Cartoon Network decided to maintain the show’s inclusive outlook, offering regional audiences a version that supports diverse understandings of gender and relationships similar to those in the original version.

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