Smyths Toys Catalogue [angry]

[IsSamNormansDad]

I got my christmas catalogue thing through today (we dont live near one, but my mum does) and its the usual pink shit for girls etc.
What has really pissed me off is that there is a page (250-251) for 'boys games' and 'girls games' (board games) - on the boys side is: Connect 4, Spin Mania, Dino bite and a few others. On the girls side is: Minnie Fashion Mouse, Dream Phone, Twister Dance among other 'girly' ones - not including a connect 4.
WIBU to email them in disgust? Or has this made me irrationally

I have to admit that them putting "thinking" games in the boys section has prickled me, but as I said, its marketing. And if it didnt work then they wouldnt do it.

The best thing to do is vote with your feet and shop elsewhere, but perhaps a strongly worded email to tell them that you will be doing that would be good.

Himalaya- of course connect 4 is only for boys. It's in manly colours and you need strategy and thinking to play. Girls are much better off with a pink fluffy Hoover, might as well get them used to it whilst they are young eh?
Wanders off muttering swear words at smyths toys and vows never to buy from them again......

Sorry, was being sarcastic then, not a personal dig at you Himalaya, it is gender neutral, all toys are unless we make them something else.

I don't think it's an unimportant issue! It's fine for adults to be fighting the good fight for feminism but all the while our children are insidiously being marketed into specific gender roles. They arent going to be carrying on against sexism if everything in their childhood is dragging them back into the 50s.

Just look at our celebrity role models now and their pink fake boobed wag lifestyles and I think things are getting worse.

Go for it - I went nuts in mothercare once because their boys' section (named in huge letters) had a doctor's dress up costume and the girls' had a nurse.

"Why were the little girls left frightened
To be just what they are?

The boys were told to ask themselves:
'How high? How far?'

The girls were told to reach the shelves
While the boys were reaching stars

That's why little girls were frightened
To be just what they are."

Words of wisdom (in 1978!) from the late, great Harry Chapin.

For anyone who thinks that it doesn't matter what messages we send to young children about our expectations and their limitations. Toy companies are still marketing kitchen sets to girls and rocketships to boys. The girls are told to reach the shelves while the boys are reaching stars.

Nice post OneHand :)

I got one of these catalogues in the post today - I'm a bit puzzled about how they got my name and address, because I've never shopped there!

But - Connect 4 - it looked like the box had been re-branded to try and make it look more 'boyish', right down to the picture of 2 boys playing Connect 4 on the front of the box. Seemed a bit odd, because as the OP says, it's a very unisex game when it's out of the box.

:) StuntGirl

All this 'God, don't you have bigger things to worry about' on MN atm is so depressing. If you can't see why this is important, I fret for you. Fret for us all.

I'd very much like a picture of these pages if anyone happens to come across one, do PM me.

Weirdly, I've just been to request a catalogue and the site says 'the deadline how now passed for Winter 2012'
Bizarre. So if anyone does have one they'd be willing to post or happens to be in store where they are still available, I'd send a SAE.