Boy Legos and Girl Legos

[Pope Pixie Pickle]

http://www.feministfrequency.com/2012/01/lego-gender-part-1-lego-friends/

Anita Sarkeesian on why lego for girls sucks.

lego used to be gender neutral, damnit.

[AFK]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/06/28/196605763/girls-legos-are-a-hit-but-why-do-girls-need-special-legos

Specifically...

Lego Friends triggered the ire of Joy Pochatila, a scientist and mother of two small girls. Her first reaction to the line was dismissive. "Why can't they just play with regular Legos? Why does it have to be girl-driven?" she wondered.

Is this really an issue? I wondered because I've bought my daughter legos in the past--Spongebob Legos--which are pretty gender neutral.  We've gotten her some lego Friends but she never really embraced Legos like my son did.  Personally, I don't think that there's anything wrong with the Lego Friends collection as it increases choice.  Legos are cool. I STILL play with them.

I'm just  not sure if this is just inane social justice or if there's a legitimate thing here.

inane social justice.  My daughter has a bunch of these, and the thing is, they aren't all traditional-gender-role driven.  I mean one my daughter has is a cafe.  So it is a girl that is cooking, sure, but she's also running her own business.  Another one is a magician.  Another a girl that likes to play rock and roll. 


So this isn't Barbie-land, teach girls to be good little wives...I think there is a fairly expansive imagination to them.

[Pope Pixie Pickle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe65EGkB9kA

[Pope Pixie Pickle]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/06/28/196605763/girls-legos-are-a-hit-but-why-do-girls-need-special-legos

Specifically...

Lego Friends triggered the ire of Joy Pochatila, a scientist and mother of two small girls. Her first reaction to the line was dismissive. "Why can't they just play with regular Legos? Why does it have to be girl-driven?" she wondered.

Is this really an issue? I wondered because I've bought my daughter legos in the past--Spongebob Legos--which are pretty gender neutral.  We've gotten her some lego Friends but she never really embraced Legos like my son did.  Personally, I don't think that there's anything wrong with the Lego Friends collection as it increases choice.  Legos are cool. I STILL play with them.

I'm just  not sure if this is just inane social justice or if there's a legitimate thing here.

inane social justice.  My daughter has a bunch of these, and the thing is, they aren't all traditional-gender-role driven.  I mean one my daughter has is a cafe.  So it is a girl that is cooking, sure, but she's also running her own business.  Another one is a magician.  Another a girl that likes to play rock and roll. 


So this isn't Barbie-land, teach girls to be good little wives...I think there is a fairly expansive imagination to them.

there aren't any women as cops or firefighters. Gendered play shapes gender roles, so RWHN, your assertion is bullshit.

[AFK]

How many male social-worker action figures do you see in the boy's aisle?


Should I start picketing Wal-Mart because they don't sell toys representing every career option that exists?

[Pope Pixie Pickle]

How many male social-worker action figures do you see in the boy's aisle?


Should I start picketing Wal-Mart because they don't sell toys representing every career option that exists?

Hamleys in London, and The Entertainer, here in the UK have stopped gender separation of toys. Boots the Chemist, too. they are now based on crafts, construction and the type of play rather than by gender.

the whole practice of separating toys by gender is bollocks, imho. Science kits for boys are proper science kits, science kits for girls are on how to make makeup.

[AFK]

Besides, you can still just get a regular ole tub of gender neutral Legos if you want them.  So just keep your kids out of the pink aisles or order them on Amazon. 

[AFK]

How many male social-worker action figures do you see in the boy's aisle?


Should I start picketing Wal-Mart because they don't sell toys representing every career option that exists?

Hamleys in London, and The Entertainer, here in the UK have stopped gender separation of toys. Boots the Chemist, too. they are now based on crafts, construction and the type of play rather than by gender.

the whole practice of separating toys by gender is bollocks, imho. Science kits for boys are proper science kits, science kits for girls are on how to make makeup.

Well, it's not like WalMart puts up "Boys Only!" signs in the aisle of Matchbox cars.  I dunno, when my daughter wanted Thomas the Tank Engine toys, I just walked to the aisle with those toys and bought them.  No one jumped out of the wall to force me to buy her a pink doll.

[Pope Pixie Pickle]

Besides, you can still just get a regular ole tub of gender neutral Legos if you want them.  So just keep your kids out of the pink aisles or order them on Amazon.

What if boys want toys from the pink aisles? what is wrong with separating toys by the type of play rather than the gender of the kid?

girls toys suck as dolls foster empathy. you seem to be implying that :O "girls" toys have no learning value.

[AFK]

Besides, you can still just get a regular ole tub of gender neutral Legos if you want them.  So just keep your kids out of the pink aisles or order them on Amazon.

What if boys want toys from the pink aisles? what is wrong with separating toys by the type of play rather than the gender of the kid?

girls toys suck as dolls foster empathy. you seem to be implying that :O "girls" toys have no learning value.

There's nothing wrong with it, but if a store doesn't do it, there is nothing stopping you from buying any toy for any kid.  And with the internet, you don't even need to go into store if that is a big deal.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

How many male social-worker action figures do you see in the boy's aisle?


Should I start picketing Wal-Mart because they don't sell toys representing every career option that exists?

I see you're still in "villain of PD" mode...

[Pergamos]

I overheard something relevant to Cuddlefist's post a week or two ago.  My Friend Who Is the Game Shop (MFWIGS) was saying something about Walmart not carrying Games Workshop products like Citadel paints and Warhammer anything because GW won't drop their products' prices by 5% every year.  GW is big enough and has cornered their niche market well enough that they're free to give no fucks that general stores won't carry their shit, and their moneymaker, Warhammer 40K, is so popular that they can actually raise the prices every year and people will still buy, even if it means beggaring themselves.  It's such a problem that GW has screwed a lot of small business game store owners over with really shoddy and shady business practices, MFWIGS among them, and the small businesses continues carrying them because to drop GW is to lose the business.  It's fucked.


That turned out to be more tangential than I really wanted. :/

I heard GW is going to be sold.  I've also seen a lot of Warhammer fans getting very excited about 3d printers.

On the lego topic my daughter is a huge fan of legos and has been since she was little.  I hadn't noticed any gender based marketing.  Maye just be my own blindness, but she has all sorts of legos and drags me to the lego aisle every time we are in a store.

[AFK]

How many male social-worker action figures do you see in the boy's aisle?


Should I start picketing Wal-Mart because they don't sell toys representing every career option that exists?

I see you're still in "villain of PD" mode...

No, I'm in "posting my opinion in a thread" mode.  Is that okay?

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/06/28/196605763/girls-legos-are-a-hit-but-why-do-girls-need-special-legos

Specifically...

Lego Friends triggered the ire of Joy Pochatila, a scientist and mother of two small girls. Her first reaction to the line was dismissive. "Why can't they just play with regular Legos? Why does it have to be girl-driven?" she wondered.

Is this really an issue? I wondered because I've bought my daughter legos in the past--Spongebob Legos--which are pretty gender neutral.  We've gotten her some lego Friends but she never really embraced Legos like my son did.  Personally, I don't think that there's anything wrong with the Lego Friends collection as it increases choice.  Legos are cool. I STILL play with them.

I'm just  not sure if this is just inane social justice or if there's a legitimate thing here.

inane social justice.  My daughter has a bunch of these, and the thing is, they aren't all traditional-gender-role driven.  I mean one my daughter has is a cafe.  So it is a girl that is cooking, sure, but she's also running her own business.  Another one is a magician.  Another a girl that likes to play rock and roll. 


So this isn't Barbie-land, teach girls to be good little wives...I think there is a fairly expansive imagination to them.

Check out the link that Pixie posted. The videos are pretty good at explaining the issues with the gender segregated Lego experience.

[AFK]

Again, you can still get gender-neutral lego block sets so I don't see why this is an issue.  I mean, sure, it is an issue if you let the TV and the TV alone influence what your kids want to play with.  Otherwise, the parent has full control over that situation.