Disney princesses are a marketing godsend for Disney. Makes them millions and millions.
They got this stable of cartoons based on fairy tales. So some clever marketing person goes - how can I milk these existing characters for even more money, without having to go through the risk and expense of another movie?
Ta-da - disney princesses. Every little girls' dream to be one. The stories behind each have largely become irrelevant.
My dd can recognise Belle, but not know the story behind it, Disney-fied and all. I myself have only a tenuous grasp of the princesses' names and which fairytale from which they originate.
Is it bad for girls? It makes me uncomfortable, tbh. It is very seductive, the notion of a handsome prince (who no one can ever remember the name of, does he have one) who rescues the BEAUTIFUL princess from her spell or predicament, who never did anything worthy except be born to royalty status and is young and blessed with good looks. I somehow link it to the shallow celebrity culture that is endemic in the media.
Surely there is something better my dd could aspire to? I don't prevent dd from playing with the dolls and merchandise and even bought a few tokens on occasion (shudder). But the marketing is very clever and insidious. My dd, who is not naturalltt a girly girl, is now very aware of the brand if only because her friends and cousin loves it.