to think the makers of Goldiblox have no sense of irony?

[CharlesRyder]

Advert where the girls basically say stop giving us this pink sh*t.

So what have they done? Made a lame mechanics toy pink and covered it in puppies and kittens.

What's wrong with mechano and technic lego???

I agree. However, I think she is right that advertisers have done such a number on our children that they have been brainwashed into thinking Lego and Meccano aren't for girls. If her goal is to get girls into engineering rather than to stop gendered advertising, it makes sense.

I agree. I like the idea that we need to encourage girls in STEM subjects but I'm not sure that making special 'girl stuff' is the right way of going about it. It seems to reinforce the male=default/female=other idea.
I just wish toys could be toys. There is no need to label them as 'girl' or 'boy'.

Think of it as a gateway toy. To attract those girls who are already obsessed with all things pink.

Of course there is nothing wrong with mechano & lego- but research has shown a steady decline in girls buying/requesting those toys unless they are girly branded (pink etc...)

If you have raised your girls to willingly choose & want those things- then well done you! However there are many many girls who are heavily influenced by the marketing & subtle (also not so subtle) messages about what girls toys should be.

I have a many of girls in my class at the moment. Most of them were Disney princess obsessed when they first started. If I offered lego or construction toys they would ignore it. Their main play of choice was princess role play. They had very strict rules about what a princess looked like, dressed like & played with. If ever they got to choose the paint or paper for activities it was pink. Many of them refused to even wear trousers.

Over the last few weeks we have been challenging those messages, but it takes a concentrated effort & people who understand the situation. Most people don't.

So this toy is perfect marketing- those who usually buy pink stuff for girls might choose this product, girls who love pink stuff might also. Those who just love science & exploration might allow this to be the one pink thing they own. I believe once they have established a market- they will broaden their range.

I am not sure whether is is a gateway toy or whether it just reinforces the pink message. Have girls moved from playing with 'Lego Friends' to the rest of the lego range? That would be an interesting piece of research!!

I think I'm glad I only have DS!

The thing is- it's not toys being coloured pink that is the problem.

It is the notion that "girls can only play with..." that needs challenging. The range of toys that are exclusively marketed to girls is severely limited. They generally encourage a very narrow range of play and learning.

The target market for this toy- are those that would usually shop in the 'girl' section. They have always had the option of buying non-stereotypical toys, and for whatever reason have chosen not to. So to appeal to that group- they need to at least fulfil some of that preference. The colour is not really the issue.

It is the thinking that toy encourages. This toy is teaching a different ethos from the other 'typical' girl toys. They are widening the type of play & learning on offer for those girls still stuck in this mentality.

I do agree to an extent OP but if somebody was buying a gift for my DD. (Somebody who is prone to pink and girly things) then at least it opens up the offerings that they can choose from.

This won't necessarily help those who already turn their noses up at gender stereotyping but it might make it easier for younger girls who are judged by their peers and also those who don't notice gender stereotyping

A friend posted this on Facebook a year or so ago now, when it was in development. Goldiebox is the idea of a woman in STEM who was never bought any construction type toys at all herself when a little girl. I don't think she's saying girls should get pink, I think she's trying to sneak engineering project toys into the girls' aisle, alongside the dollies and kitchens and sparkly makeup. To do that, she needs to package them so people buying for girls will shell out. There's nothing stopping people buying meccano or technics lego for girls. But they aren't doing it. She's trying, as far as I can see, to create a Trojan horse in Toys R Us.

By the way, this is how Lego advertised to all children, boys and girls, in the 1970s. This is how they do it now.

Having watched the kick starter video, I like it.