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Gendered Toys

WGST 112 Section C16- April 30

Ever since I was little, the toys that I always wanted were Barbie dolls, teddy bears, cooking sets, dresses and more that girls could ever dream of. Looking back to my childhood, I always wonder why I wanted those types of toys and  why I didn’t want to collect the toys that boys liked, like trucks, race cars, and robots.

 I remembered how there were these sayings that if an opposite gender plays the other gender’s toy, people would tell these kids that the toys are  too girly” or tell them that the toys “ are only for boys”. It always bothered me now that when it comes to toys that  there was this separation between girls and boys. Why couldn’t kids who’s childhood should be enjoyed the fullest and filled with imagination have toys that isn’t based on their gender? 

As part of my project I went to two stores here in Prince Albert to see the toy aisles and the toys that were being sold to do my own analysis on how gendered toys are. The two stores that I went to was Walmart and Canadian Tire. The top two pictures below shows the toy aisle in Walmart while the bottom two shows the toy aisle in Canadian tire.

Just like what you would normally see in a store, Walmart and Canadian tire had the toys for girls and boys on their own separate aisles.

While looking at the appearances of packages for the toys, I’ve noticed how there was a colour code for each aisle.  In the girl’s toy aisle, the toys were mainly pink, which is often a colour that is used to represent girls. On the other hand, the colour code in the boy’s aisle were mainly blue and red. For example, notice the picture below and see how these two v-tech cameras for kids are  advertised to be sold to a certain  gender based on the colour code of pink and blue. The blue camera has a picture of a little boy on the package using the camera while the pink camera toy has a picture of little girl holding the pink camera toy. Each camera targets a specific gender of kids based on its colours. There is this pink and blue subdivision between the toys for girls and boys.

The next thing I noticed is how the toys in the aisle reflects the stereotypical gender roles found in girls and boys. The several baby toys and stroller displayed on the girls toy shelves reflects the stereotype that the girls gender role is to the care and nurture for others as they grow up become mothers. 

Some of the  toys that are targeted at girls reflected the gender role of how girls should focus on their appearances and how they should project themselves in the society. Barbie dolls reflects the “perfect image” girls should go for, where they focus on how they should dress up and how they should look. Whereas there are toys that also goes along with the same concept of focusing appearances like nail polish sets, lip gloss sets, hair clips. The karaoke machine advertises the idea of being a big super star which also ties into the focus on appearances again.

In the meanwhile, the toys for boys reflects the gender role they have of being carefree and outgoing. From toy guns, to robots, to race cars, to action figures, each project a feeling of excitement, action and adventure. 

Although there’s a lot of gendered toys, I also found a few toys that was advertised for each gender to play with, but it wasn’t as much as what is sold separately for each boy and girl. The pictures of the toys below surpassed the gender role stereotype found in girls and boys. Each gender for each toys can equally play with the toys. 

Even when some of the toys doesn’t indicate whether the toys are for boys and girls, there are hints in how the packages are displayed that may slowly let the kids recognize and separate which toys are categorized with their gender. Gendered toys may affect the careers that they may take in the future and associate that with their gender. Toys are supposed to be what aids with their imagination and creativity they need as they grow up. 

The way the market sells and categorizes these toys can’t be changed right away, but parents can change the way toys are genderized by changing the perspective of the kids by letting their children explore the different toys that would help define their imagination. They can guide their children to  define their own understanding of what is associated with their gender without being restricted by the society’s social norms so that as they grow up they can see that there is no need to have a separation between what each gender can and cannot be.