Toys represent a form of media sometimes taken for granted by parents and adults outside of academia. Toys, as a medium, are often used to impart expectations, societal norms, and knowledge to children through play. Advertising plays a key role in marketing toys to both parents and children, and often relies on preconceived notions of gender when it comes to selling gendered toys.
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| McDonald's happy meal tie-ins for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 |
Toys designed for girls tend to focus on the color pink, and are less "active" compared to toys designed for boys in mind. One stark example of this is displayed in the
McDonald's happy meal toys for
The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The toys specifically for boys are mostly action-oriented, such as the spinning top, the car, and the action figures. The inclusion of a mask even allows boys to pretend to be Spider-Man. The toys for the girls' happy meals, on the other hand, are more passive and focused on fashion, a stereotypical "girlish" pastime. While boys can pretend to be Spider-Man through the partial mask, girls can merely show their admiration of Spider-Man through accessories, as noted by Chris Sims in the previously linked article. This distinction sets expectations for what young girls should be interested in, upholding current societal gender norms. The pink toys also stand out in contrast to the usual Spider-Man design, serving to only signify that these toys are for girls. This also places toys for girls as a nebulous category for "the other;" while the Spider-Man design that most people associate with the character is heavily featured in the boys category, the girls category is different and non-conforming to the set standard. Girls can be potentially alienated due to this.
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| The original ad for the Lionel Girls' Model Train set |
Another genre of toys specifically aimed at girls comes in the form of existing products retrofitted for gendered play. This concept is similar to the Ms. Male Character phenomenon that we discussed earlier in the semester. As discussed by Gloria Steinem in our textbook's "Sex, Lies, and Advertising" article, Lionel created a train set designed specifically for young girls by applying various pastel colors to a pre-existing design. Advertisements for the set stressed gender parity while simultaneously focusing on the "girly" color designs. Ads also tended to show girls with their mothers, an inverse of the general father-son bonding theme present in the majority of Lionel ads. The ads and the set itself imply that girls can only enjoy specifically colored toys, and that the regular toy, which was otherwise largely gender-neutral, was something specifically for boys.
The set was a disaster for the company, partially due to the lack of interest in the design compared to regular, gender-neutral designs which mirrored real-life trains. The set eventually became a highly sought after collector's item due to its original lack of popularity, something which was
spun as a positive by Lionel.
Another example can be found in the Pink Boutique Edition of Monopoly. While the base game itself is essentially gender-neutral, Hasbro created an edition aimed at girls. Again, the board is plastered in pink, designed "just for girls." Properties for sale in this version of the game include boutiques and malls, linking femininity to consumerism and fashion. This sets a standard for younger girls to follow, reinforcing existing stereotypical gender norms. This edition of Monopoly stands out as an oddity compared to other, gender-neutral versions of the game, including a wide range of properties based on popular media for children like
Pokémon, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Despicable Me.
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| An example of the Lego Friends product line |
One final example is the Lego Friends line of sets. The Friends sets were intended to address the disparity between the amount of male and female Lego minifigures in the regular Lego sets while creating a product specifically for girls to enjoy. Despite being marketed at girls, the sets were considered to be "dumbed-down" versions of Lego sets with figures that looked "more like Polly Pocket than Lego." While the sets generally had less individual pieces at launch, the sets themselves were often focused on "girlish" pastimes, including fashion and shopping. The complaints about the character designs also highlights the fact that Lego could have instead created more "normal-looking" female minifigures in regular sets, which would have alleviated the original complaints about their products. As the previously linked article notes, Lego is potentially attempting to shape what girls want rather than giving them what they want, which could possibly have negative effects on their development.
The toy industry has sparked many different stereotypes in culture today. The Target industry seems to be many of convenience stores that show negativity towards the breakdown of gendered stereotypes. I mean who is someone to say that girls can’t play with Legos? As well, Lego company seems to be effecting most of the gender roles in their toy. For example, they provide their young buyers with an allusion that girls should have the easier set up of Legos to construct when most of girls can say, they are more than capable to set up advanced Legos that the boys are constructing. While it may seem like a huge issue, toys seem to help children to learn new skills and develop intellectual. Such as, Dolls, and pretend kitchens are good at teachings kids cognitive sequencing of events and early language skills. Building blocks like Lego and puzzles teach spatial skills, which help set the start for learning math principals down the road to further years to come. To help close these gender gaps in toy advertising, children need to be exposed early to varied role models and taught a variety of skills so they can develop their talents and follow their desires without limits.
ReplyDeleteAlmost every store, tv show, commercial or other things think that they can limit to us what's his and what's hers. With commercial for trains, hot wheels, legos, sports cars, and some sports you will inly see males characterss in them while for toys like easy bake ovens? Dolls, and makeup its only girls. These industries try to get a social norm for us by saying men can only do these things, wear these clothes and play with only these things while it's different for women. The media helps these industries with advertisements, sales, and more.
ReplyDeleteEverything in culture has a stereotype that conflicts with what people want and what companies produce. All forms of children products are seen separated in boy and girl colors (pink and blue) and play categories (doll house and toy trucks). Sure, some girls grow up to like feminine things and boys grow up to like masculine things, nut it is based mostly on that specific person’s personality and how they were raised. There are studies and events in media that show that females tend to enjoy masculine products such as big guns, big trucks, and violent subject matter like video games. Hid is the same for males who tend to enjoy more feminine things like dolls and beauty care product. And how are these people who break social norms treated, either as an outcast or as someone who is rebelling against everything. Men who are more feminine are referred as gay or a sissy and girls as a butch. Many people find this as an insult when brought up in conversation based on different meanings. I’m not saying people will or should change their products, but rather open the field of adverting where boys play with dolls and girls race masculine colored and designed trucks.
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