Smyths Christmas Toy Catalogue - Let Toys Just Be Toys!

[LuckysDadsHat]

So the Smyths toy catalogue arrived this morning had a quick flick through before it gets destroyed with rings of sharpie around it later.

It is so sexist! All of the stereotypical "girls" toys being played with by girls and the same with the "boys" toys.

Cars/trains/dinosaurs/nerf all being played with by boys.

Dolls/crafts/Barbie etc.... all being played with by girls.

They have even split them by roughly girls and boys toys on the pages (girls nesr the front, boys at the back. Why can't toys just be toys! They have done slightly better on the football pages and have a couple of token girls playing football but it's just not on really.

Maybe I am reading too much into it, but I know from work these things can put off boys and girls asking for certain toys as they are promoted and marketed to the opposite sex.

I imagine that Smyths know what sells toys and they would absolutely mix up the genders if they had solid market research that told them they’d sell more that way. I suspect it’s the opposite though, they know how people and kids browse their catalogue and what works. It’s not really their job to change societal attitudes. They just want to sell toys.

I hate things like this, my DD is 5 and loves dinosaurs, vehicles, superheroes etc - she’s not interested in pink or dolls etc at the moment. She has some as people have given her them, but they are gathering dust.

We give her complete free choice over toys and hide away from anything gendered. It’s so unnecessary.