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Original poster

'Let Toys Be Toys' Organising Thread - Part 2

458 replies

OneHandWavingFree · 02/12/2012 12:43

"Let Toys Be Toys - For Girls, and Boys" is a campaign started by a group of Mumsnetters, to convince retailers to categorise their toys by theme or function, rather than gender.

We're inviting everyone to 'like' us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@LetToysBeToys) and join us right here for discussion and collaborative decision-making about the next steps of our campaign.

Himalaya has been hard at work compiling the information gathered by our fantastic LTBT Mystery Shoppers, and we will be agreeing right here how the surveys will be ranked, which retailers we will be targetting with our message, and how we will go about it.

If you think that girls and boys should feel free to play with whatever toys that interest them most, and that they shouldn't walk into a toy store and feel pressurised to conform into archaic gender roles and stifling stereotypes, please join in the discussion!

OP posts:
Original poster
OneHandWavingFree · 03/12/2012 01:48

Does anyone have a pic of a ds enjoying a toy that would likely be signposted for girls? Would you be willing to share it on FB?

Would like to do an album for the FB page along the lines of "kids let toys be toys" but all the pictures we have so far are of little girls doing things that retailers might label "for boys". Don't want to compile an album until we can represent boys too.

OP posts:
coocoocachoo · 02/12/2012 22:33

Marking place following stand up row with DH in My Small World today over a dolls house for DS! Apparently DS can only have the play garage for Christmas.

Also going to look surveys.

ConsiderCasey · 02/12/2012 22:24

Just thought I'd copy over from last thread Himalaya's list of surveys that still need doing (and apologise profusely for not having done any today (RL plans going pear-shaped and all that) and promise promise promise to pull my finger out this week and try to do some more:

OK Surveyers, thanks for all your hard work so far, we are on the last lap (or the last lap of the first round, or something...)

Here are your marching orders:

Red List : No surveys yet submitted - these are most urgent

Entertainer - catalogue
Tesco - catalogue
Wilkos - store and catalogue
Boots - store and catalogue
John Lewis - catalogue
House of Fraser - store
Smyths - store and catalogue
Mothercare - store and catalogue
Hamleys - store, catalogue (?) and web

NB: Catalogue answers go on the 'online' survey, apologies for any confusion! (We do not have catalogues surveyed for Asda, Sainsburies and Toys R Us ? but I don?t think they have them? Or am I wrong?)

Yellow list: We have one survey done but could do with another to verify - not so urgent

Argos ? catalogue and web
Entertainer ? web
Tesco ? store
Wilko ? store
Toys R Us ? web
John Lewis ? store
House of Fraser ? web
Sainsbury?s ? web.

Green list: These are well covered - they don't need to be redone right now

Asda ? store and web
Entertainer ? store
Tesco ? web
Boots ? web
Toys R Us ? store
Debenhams ? store
John Lewis - web
Smyths ? Web
Mothercare ? Web
Sainsburys - store

Onwards and upwards.....

feelathome · 02/12/2012 22:14

glad we are on a new thread, seem to be getting lots more people involved.

Himalaya, do we need any more surveys?

Will you need help looking though them and analysing the reuslts? if so, pm me

ashesgirl · 02/12/2012 20:58

Kim, my DD wouldn't wear the blue ones AT ALL. Will he wear the pink ones?

ashesgirl · 02/12/2012 20:57

Welcome Pozzled, great that new people are joining all the time Smile

Probably helps that the thread is a little shorter and downloads faster too (at the moment!)

kim147 · 02/12/2012 20:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pozzled · 02/12/2012 20:44

Signing in as well. I didn't post on the other thread but I'm very impressed by all you organiser type people. All the stereotyping annoys the hell out of me.

tougholdbird · 02/12/2012 20:35

Just done the boots in store survey, hope it wasn't too late

AndIfATenTonTruck · 02/12/2012 20:32

just signing in and marking place

ashesgirl · 02/12/2012 19:42

Ok. I was under the impression that they did spend a lot of money on the redesign of the Toy Kingdom though? I will have another look at what they did.

Also I just want to check here ... but isn't this is what we're asking retailers to do in the first instance? Just to take down the signs as a fairly straightforward start to get things rolling.

WithTheDude · 02/12/2012 19:31

I don't think it is though. It's a cheap advertising gimmick rather than actually degendering. They did it to stop people complaining without having to spend the money to do it problem.

ashesgirl · 02/12/2012 19:23

Withthedude - re: Harrods yes I read that. But it's at least one step in the right direction, isn't it? If not as far as we'd ideally like.

WithTheDude · 02/12/2012 19:19

Between, I noticed you retweeted the Good Men project. They aren't really feminist-friendly; not by a long shot.

Only4theOlympics · 02/12/2012 19:18

I am still waving from the sidelines. If I can be of any help just shout!

WithTheDude · 02/12/2012 19:18

Harrods isn't gender neutral. They have taken down the signs which say boy and girl but everything is still blue and pink INCLUDING the clothing staff wear.

John Lewis window display here as boy and girl sides. Boys side has all science and musical instruments.

ashesgirl · 02/12/2012 18:55

Ah just seen this. PM'd you about who's going to be on when.

I'm best for later on in the evening (after 8.30pm) or weekends. Weekdays during the day are difficult for me.

WidowWadman · 02/12/2012 18:54

I'm still wondering whether it really is getting worse, or whether I'm just suffering from confirmation bias.

WomanlyWoman · 02/12/2012 18:47

I'll pm you the twitter pw ashes, I don't know about limits on access but no-one seems to be around to say otherwise so my best guess is there's no harm in passing it on. I popped on this morning but have some work I really need to get done this eve. This is why I suggested a rota, but I've forgotten who said they'd do what when. Maybe best if we just check in here and volunteer for the night in question.

RikersBeard · 02/12/2012 17:26

Signing in!

ashesgirl · 02/12/2012 14:09

And blog wd be great. We could do interview with harrods toy dept since their relaunch as gender neutral? It's been 4 or 5 months now so be good to hear how it has gone for them. Just one idea

ashesgirl · 02/12/2012 14:06

Trisha, i cd prob do some social media stuff on the weekends. Would it be poss to log in as ltbt or are we limiting how many have access? No probs if so but wanted to check.

LadyKinbote · 02/12/2012 13:43

Hello all Grin

WomanlyWoman · 02/12/2012 13:28

Can I ask if anyone sees any related news stories or has good photos, to put them on the fb page or tweet them to @LetToysBeToys. Noticed twitter and fb been quiet over wknd, I know we all have families and RL so would help if as many people got involved as poss.

Who thinks we're ready to get a blog started? I think some of the stories I've seen shared on here and other threads, the ones that really tug at the heart strings, would really build up the case for our campaign - putting them on a blog might be a way to go...?