Girls and Toys

Fair warning: this is going to be a rant, and a long one at that.

LG likes superheroes and trains.  She's not so unusual in that - lots of little girls like superheroes and trains.  The problem is that the marketers see superheroes and trains as "boys' toys" and they market them as such.  At age 3, LG got really upset about her favorite Spider-Man blanket - because "Spider-Man is for boys."  Apparently one of the kids at school told her that.  It took a lot of convincing that it wasn't true.

Fortunately, all of the marketing in the world couldn't convince her that Thomas the Tank Engine was only for boys.  LG loves Thomas.  Potty training was a bit of a problem, though, because she wanted the Thomas underwear she saw hanging at the store as a reward.  She had a Thomas t-shirt, after all.  Have you ever tried explaining to a precocious 2 1/2 year old why girls could wear t-shirts from the boys' department, but couldn't wear boys' underwear that was hanging on a hook next to the princess underwear for girls? Would it really be that hard to make Thomas underwear for girls?  There are female engines and trucks (Emily, Molly, Lady, Rosie, etc.) if it just makes the marketers too queasy.  And it's not as if they wouldn't sell.  Every Thomas event I've been to - and I've been to quite a few - has had a very high percentage of girls in attendance, in many cases a majority.  In fact, one Thomas event at a local Toys R Us was attended exclusively by girls for the first half hour until one boy - and his two sisters - finally showed up.

While LG loves all superheroes and can identify the major characters from both DC and Marvel, and while Spider-Man will always be her first favorite, she's currently really into Wonder Woman.  Daddy showed her selected scenes from the 70's TV show on DVD, and LG has now become the latest in a long line of girls to do the Wonder Woman Costume Change Spin of Doom.  This ended up eventually turning into a conversation about Underoos, because of course the Wonder Woman Underoos were a favorite of girls in the late 70's.  To make a long story short(er), I did a quick search for superhero underwear for girls.  Any guesses what I found? Sexy Wonder Woman lingerie for adults and pink camo Super Girl PJs for girls.  Ick.  Lots and lots of stuff for boys, of course.  I'm sure there are more out there for girls if I really search - it was just a quick search on my Droid.  But the point is, I have to really search - they certainly don't make it easy like they do for boys.

So at this point you're probably thinking that I'm a big fan of all the "pink boys' toys" that the marketers have come up with to make boys' toys interesting for girls.  You know, pink Legos, pink doctor kits, pink airplanes.  No, not really.  In fact, I can't stand them and generally refuse to buy them.  There's no reason on this Earth why a doctor kit should have to be pink for a girl to want it.  Girls will play with anything as long as it's pink and boys will like it because they're boys?  Please spare me.  The real solution is for PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, and TEACHERS to get the message across that these toys are for all children. It's pretty simple, really - don't force feed princesses to girls and trucks to boys.  Sure, there will be some girls who only want dolls and have no interest in trucks even without the socialization they get from exposure to other girls and women.  So what?  Other girls will decide they like trucks and princesses, and some will decide they don't like princesses at all.  And that's OK.  But toys have to be marketed to girls - and accepted by their parents - not just have their color changed.

Having said all that, the addition of female engines notwithstanding, the wooden train industry marketers have been remarkably resistant.  No girls' clothes, no girls' bedroom decor, nothing.  This does have its advantages from my wallet's standpoint, I'll admit.  I would like to say they're doing what I believe in - saying that anyone can play with these toys just the way they are.  In reality, though, I think what they've really done is given up.  They hear a story about "my daughter had no interest in trains even when I gave them to her" and ignore the fact that the little girl had never before had anything that wasn't pink, purple, or a doll.  No surprise there the girl didn't have any interest. So they market to boys, classify the trains as boys' toys, and show boys playing with them - and they give up on half the preschool population.

So, then, I didn't know whether to cry or applaud when I saw the Imaginarium Around Town Railway at Toys R Us yesterday.  It's a nice little wooden train set with a bridge, lots of track, an engine, some freight cars, a fountain, a house, a store, and some trees and people.  Pretty typical.  Except that the engine, bridge, cars, houses, store, and fountain are pink.  Not obnoxiously pink like some toys, I'll admit - they're a fairly pleasant shade.  They also put in little extras to appeal to girls.  The trees have flowers on them.  The freight cars hold presents wrapped in bows.  The store is an ice cream/soda shop.  The people are women.  The package shows two girls happily playing.  And the track is plain wood - not pink.  It's not what I'd prefer.  It's not the way I think it should have to be done.  But I also think that half the battle is convincing Mom and Dad and the grandparents that it's OK for their little princesses to be playing with trains.  At least Imaginarium is making an effort without going too overboard.  I'm not thrilled about it, but it's not bad.  And yes, LG got one - she loves ice cream shops.  And she saw the package and said, "Look - they don't think trains are just for boys!"  I could hardly refuse to support Imaginarium's effort at that point.

Now if we could just get some Thomas and Friends underwear or pajamas and bring back Wonder Woman Underoos!