Wired has an interesting article about a new company,
Goldiebox , who is making
science and engineering toys targeted to young girls . Apparently, this new direction in play-education was not supported by the conventional toy industry, but through crowd-funding Goldiebox was able to break into the mass market and is going like gang-busters. Interesting quote from the CEO: "A lot of the men in the toy industry have daughters, and many of them are tired of what they have to offer their daughters, too."
As a parent of a two and a half year old girl I see this all the time. When I go to buy toys for my daughter I refuse to buy anything in pink, purple or pastel. The fact is though companies aren't tricking the children, they're tricking parents into thinking there is such a thing as boy vs. girl toys.
I once read a comment from a mother about how she couldn't find a kite for her daughter that didn't have some male superhero on it and she loudly complained in the store "I guess girls aren't supposed to fly kites" to which she got a standing ovation in the comment thread. I replied to her that she shouldn't be getting praise for such a stupid comment. She totally missed and awesome opportunity to spend quality time with her daughter, *build* a kite with her and teach her something about engineering and being independent and innovative. A kite is like one of the easiest things to build with a kid, I've never bought a kite before and always built them with my Dad, and I plan on building them with my daughter.
I hate to end up on a sexist rant here, but <sexistRant> I'm very much of the opinion *women* in particular are to blame for the sad state of affairs for toys. In my own family females are the ones to blame for this problem. Against my very specific instructions my sisters (one older, one younger), my mother, my step mother, my mother in-law, aunts and female cousins are the ones insisting on giving her my little ponies, barbies, kitchen sets, tea sets, babies and cutesy stuffed animals to play with. The men in my family contribute to her RESP (which is what I specifically asked people to do), or give her mega blocks, puzzles and learning games.
I've also pulled my daughter out of a couple day cares after witnessing them taking "boy" toys away from her and forcing her to play with baby dolls. If she wants to play with a baby doll instead of a tonka truck fine, but don't take the trucks away from her if she's enjoying them. And who do you think are the primary care givers at day cares? Women
I'm not saying all women are to blame for this, but certainly the ones I personally know are guilty of giving crappy "girl" toys to my daughter then turning around to complain about how girls lack the skills to be engineers because of the toys they *have* to play with, despite me protesting the kinds of toys they keep giving her. My wife is about the only women I know who doesn't fall into this trap, and I suspect it's because she knows if she did I'd disown her, or at the very least she'd have to listen to me complain about it more than I already do. </sexistRant>