Originally Posted by
millernumber1
I'm not convinced that's true. Cass herself was pushed really hard - starting with her creation in NML, along with the simultaneous creation of her father, and the launching of her solo after NML wrapped up. She had tons of cross overs and connections that gave her relationships to other characters in and out of her solo, plus AU appearances like the Ghost miniseries. I'd say Tim Drake was also pushed, but I think there's a need for a Robin that isn't quite the same as a Batgirl (and I want to stress that I say this as someone who likes most Batgirls more than all of the Robins), so it's more he filled a slot that desperately needed filling.
However, I think you're dead right on enduring creations being surprising to their creators - Steph Brown and Oracle were both created to serve a story, rather than a push, and gradually grew and expanded their fanbase and relationships. Same with characters like Shiva, Huntress, etc.
(Oooh, thought of another push - Hush seems like he was pushed pretty hard.)