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Original poster

Are all Girls' toys crap compared to Boys'?

28 replies

heavenlyghosty · 10/12/2006 19:37

I have been Christmas shopping and am very disheartened at what the future holds for my DD.
I LOVE buying of DS .... loads of interesting construction stuff around (lego, knex, hot wheels etc)
DD is nearly 3 and the range seems to be decreasing ...
My Little Pony (barf)
Barbie (not what she used to be)
Bratz (over my dead body)
Lots of crap fiddly necklace-making-bead-losing-and-getting-in-the-hoover tatt ....
All pink and vomit inducing.
Nothing that seems to tax the brain cells ....

In NZ there was a recent launch of a Pink Barbie Lego Castle (5+) but I have been told that it isn't little bricks like normal lego ... more big chunky pieces ... is this so?

What is there around in the UK (for future requests to family) that is more interesting for girls and less, well, girly?????

OP posts:
hulababy · 10/12/2006 19:43

You see, I aam mum to a girl only and I much prefer present shopping for little girls. I get stum,ped by boys toys - I have some to buy for - and they all seem a bit...well, boysish and not very interesting. We go for girly girly, pink and dolls, and Barbie, and Polly Pocket, princesses, dress up and play jewellery/make up, etc. DD loves it all and I can see more appeal there I guess.

To be fair DD uses her stuff very imaginatively and is really into role pay, etc. Some of the "rules" to the games she and her friends play with these toys are quite intricate at times.

suzi2 · 10/12/2006 20:15

You used to get 'girl' lego over here... but that was a long time ago so don't know if they still do anything like that. Why not just get your DD boys toys? If you don't want pink and want something that's fun then boys lego would be fine I'm sure.

EmkanaCookTurkeyLikeICan · 10/12/2006 20:17

I think Playmobil is fab and my girls love it.

xena · 10/12/2006 20:18

You can get girls lego in the lego shop. DS1 loves kynex and the DD's adore polly pocket- a good toy imo.

wickedwinterwitch · 10/12/2006 20:20

Oh god, no, I am LOVING buying girls toys now I have a dd old enough! She's just had an easel and chalks and paints for her birthday plus a toy kitchen (yes, I know but I knew she'd love it) and she's got the most divine dolls house for Christmas, I am really looking forward to it! Look, it's this one

And I've got her loads of books and things like skittles and oh, I'm enjoying it VERY much after years and years of boring Thomas, and Lego and Geomag and Star Wars figures and bloody cars and football stuff.

wickedwinterwitch · 10/12/2006 20:21

Bratz, hmm, have bought a very bling black Bratz for my adopted sister (who is black) for Christmas. I couldn't bring myself to buy the limo with blacked out windows and a beat box though!
dd had a Polly Pocket too,with a pony, I quite liked that. Barbie, hmm, so far she's not that interested thankg oodness.

WigWamBahhumbug · 10/12/2006 20:28

I've never really seen construction toys as being just for boys, so dd has Lego, Meccano and Geomag, and thoroughly enjoys playing with them.

If you want interesting and intelligent toys that will entertain and stimulate, they're out there - there's no law that says girls can only have toys that are pink and fluffy. You don't have to buy into that if you don't want to (although by the time she's 5 she'll want a Barbie to go inside her Meccano helicopter ...)

Mala · 10/12/2006 20:49

I love shopping for my dd. In addition to all the girly stuff-dolls, dressing up, playfood etc, I buy loads of building stuff and arts and crafts. She has geomag(incl. in pink), Kid knex(incl. the pixie princess), jigsaws - there is so much out there. The only thing she doesn't play with is cars.

Original poster
heavenlyghosty · 10/12/2006 22:43

Thanks guys .... maybe it is worse in NZ ...
I don't mind pink and girly (as in the colour) but it all seems 'fluffy' and 'housey' ...

I suppose I will get used to it ... I need to open my mind a bit more I suppose.
We have an easel and paints and a toy kitchen - DS has had those for ages ... trying to be PC and not stereotyping him - LOL but he still goes for lego/cars/football/Star Wars anyway so I guess DD will still go in for the pink stuff ... she is pretty girly ... so I have to let it go I guess
The other day, I asked her what present she would like from Santa ... Her answer? "A Pink One"
I think my problem is that I have been 'into' boys stuff for 7 years now I am struggling to move into 'girl' mode ...

OP posts:
Blu · 10/12/2006 22:46

I fear Biker Mice may set new standards of crapness

Oh where oh where is my little boy who wnated a Willy Wonka plum velvet coat last year???

wickedwinterwitch · 10/12/2006 22:48

Ghosty, it's amazing to me how much dd seems to %want the girly stuff, I don't remotely push her towards it but she wanted a PINK cake for her birthday and whenever I say what colour do you like she says PINK. Amazing.

myrrhthamoo · 10/12/2006 22:50

I have boys - but was looking at Bratz stuff today in the Woolies catalogue...that Bratz horse - it's the most deformed, weird looking thing ever. And the Butterscotch pony (not Bratz) which I was delighted to see a thread on here about...such strangeness.

Having said that, ds2 got his birthday present from my brother today: a Star Wars Millennium Falcon/Transformers toy (two Transformers robots which fix together and rotate to become the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars). It took 4 adults 25 minutes to 'transform' the robots to the spaceship and ds2 is forbidden from ever trying to transform them back again. Suddenly a big clippy cloppy horse seems so...simple.

FloatingInTheMoonlitSky · 10/12/2006 22:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wickedwinterwitch · 10/12/2006 23:01

God that mil falcon transformer looks like Hard Work. "Look! Just 2 adults and 25 minutes and you can have something Completely Different!" You don't say?

I'll give you something completely different, etc. etc.

myrrhthamoo · 10/12/2006 23:17

It is, www - completely beyond me and, tbh, Han Solo...does he have a silver face? No. Is he a robot? No. When did Transformers get in on the act, other than in a "hey, desperate Uncles with more money than sense will buy this stuff" sense? It's like those "Darth Vader on his motorbike" toys they have now. Even ds2, when he was only 4 said..."but Darth Vader doesn't ride a motorbike."

Don't mess with Star Wars...the kids will know.

TwoIfBySanta · 10/12/2006 23:21

I do wonder about the messages the wall of pinkness is sending. I would have hated it when I was younger, I loved Lego and Matchbox cars.

If I ever had a dd then I would probably just let her play with her big brothers' (dts) toys. Much more fun!

Whenever I go into Toys R Us or any toy store really there are so many girls toys but they all seem to be the same thing.

Original poster
heavenlyghosty · 11/12/2006 00:03

LOL ... don't get me started on Star Wars Transformers ... they will never darken my doors again Xmas Angry
Honestly, DS had a couple last year and only I could do them, squinting at the instructions, with DS trying to help and us falling out over it. Then there was the endless "Oh, Mum, can you put it back again?" [ggggrrrrr]
So, no transformers are out ... but lego still a massive hit ... can't get enough of it

Floatingonthewotsit ... I am loving your list, will print it out ... I think a doctor's bag will go down a treat ...

OP posts:
Original poster
heavenlyghosty · 11/12/2006 00:04
OP posts:
Socci · 11/12/2006 00:07

Message withdrawn

wickedwinterwitch · 11/12/2006 02:58

Ghosty, Geomag here will now look up Magnetix to see if it's the same thing! (I can't sleep!)

wickedwinterwitch · 11/12/2006 02:58

ahh, v similar

wickedwinterwitch · 11/12/2006 02:59

totally agree re transformers and messing with Star Wars btw. Darth Vader on a bike is just stupid.

Original poster
heavenlyghosty · 11/12/2006 04:56

I'm not surprised you can't sleep young lady [stern]... you've had too much of it lately haven't you ??

OP posts:
Original poster
heavenlyghosty · 11/12/2006 04:57

In NZ they call it Megnitux

OP posts:
welliemum · 11/12/2006 06:38

ghosty @ Megnitux

I think NZ is worse when it comes to horrible pink plastic for girls.

We're not at that stage yet but it will happen

For what it's worth, when my sisters and I were little, our absolute best toys were a set of wooden building blocks made by my Dad, and a collection of small plastic animals. We spent many many hours over the years making houses/trains/caves for the animals and inventing stories about them going on journeys etc etc etc.

Fab toys and as far from Bratz as you can get, really.