The creators of The Last Airbender had to fight to change Toph’s original design

Hosts: Janet Varney (voice of Korra) and Dante Basco (voice of Zuko). “Avatar: Defying the Elements” is a podcast that takes fans behind the scenes of the ATLA franchise. In an episode called “Creating an Icon: TOPH! with Mike DiMartino and Brian Konietzko” The show’s creators elaborated on the evolution of Toph’s concept and character designs. While DiMartino and Konietzko were set to make the character look like a goofy jock, it was head writer Aaron Ehas who convinced them to make Toph a shorter young girl, a change that would create an interesting contrast between her physical presence and her incredible abilities. However, Nickelodeon initially disagreed with the change, which surprised the showrunners.

“When I was a kid, I used to watch shows with girls all the time. And I’ve never been, like, it wasn’t a problem! :50 episode sign. “And I think I remember this tough, muscular teenager and we were like, ‘So, who’s your favorite character?’ And he said, “Toph.” [Laughs] We have so many, but this one really stood out, and it’s just an excuse, you know? You’re just like, ugh, if you could just make the suits understand.”

Luckily, the network eventually gave in and Toph became one of the show’s best characters.