A Touchy Subject

Want to spark a toy marketing debate? Mention 'girls' toys

By Richard Gottlieb -- Gifts and Dec, January 1, 2010

[This is the second in a series of articles that analyzes the results of the Building Our Future Toy Conference. The conference, which took place last October in New York City, was put on by Richard Gottlieb's USA Toy Experts in conjunction with Playthings. The purpose of the conference was to explore the future of the toy industry and of play. In order to accomplish this, we brought together 21 thought leaders from a variety of disciplines both inside and outside the toy industry. We asked them to discuss a series of topics. The conversations were sometimes vigorous, sometimes funny and always interesting. These articles serve to synthesize the participant's thoughts so that we can get a clearer picture of the opportunities and risks ahead. In this month's article, we take a look at the topic of toys for girls.]

The most passionate discussion during this year's Building Our Future Conference occurred around the topic of girls' toys, and dolls in particular. Several women at the conference were passionate in their belief that toys for girls had to do what toys for boys do—challenge them. Their concern was that dolls and similar nurturing products do not equip girls for the challenges of the work place. In fact, they believed such toys possibly hindered girls in their careers and society. They posited that this was a major reason that more girls did not go into the sciences. In short, they wanted to see a far broader range of toy offerings for girls.

Others believed that dolls and other nurturing toys were important in that they fulfilled a natural propensity that girls have for nurturing. In fact, one participant stated that the toy industry was not in the business of social engineering. In other words, that it should not be in the business of changing society. This caused another participant to respond that social engineering was exactly what the toy industry had been doing for years. By providing products like Barbie, with its extreme anatomic proportions, and baby dolls that reinforce the idea of women as caretakers, the industry has always had an outsized impact on how girls see themselves.

What makes a toy a 'girl's' toy?

The conversation also explored what makes a great toy for girls. Chris Bensch from the Strong National Museum of Play had set the table for the discussion of girl toys by showing us the image of a pink locomotive (pictured) that had been introduced by Lionel in the 1950s. Lionel's thought was that by painting a boy's toy pink, it would instantly become a girl's toy. Not a great idea; it was a disaster.

Similar attempts to add the color pink to a boy-friendly product by other toy companies have also fared poorly. There is obviously much more to a girl's toy than its color. After all, as one conference participant pointed out, girls will play with boys' toys, no matter what the color, but boys will not play with girls' toys—nor something pink.

So, what makes a toy a "girl's" toy beyond just painting it pink or designing it based on traditional concepts of nuturing play? It seems, according to some of our attendees, a great story line is essential. As one participant put it, don't just make Lego bricks pink; give girls a background story around which to build with their Lego set. In other words, give them a story line about horses and they will build a barn to hold the horses.

Other attendees felt that a great girl's toy should provide a platform for social interaction. They noted that the toy industry could take a cue from virtual world websites. It seems virtual worlds for children 13 and under are predominantly visited by girls. While they are visiting these sites, these same girls are very involved in social networking and playing games. Similar activities are taking place on cell phones.

That wasn't all. Other attendees pointed out that older girls love to go online and create their own original content. This can be in the form of art, YouTube videos, etc. Accordingly, some conference particpants saw a big opportunity for the toy industry to create products that fulfill this need in younger girls.

The impact of toys in society

I have to say that this was one of the most fascinating and compelling discussions that I have been a part of in years. I was very much struck by how important toys are in creating and reinforcing the way society sees females, and how females see themselves.

The toy industry may very well may engage in social engineering; not through intent but by default. It is important that we recognize that the simple toys we make truly have a social impact on the present and the future. Should we think about what we do and its potential impace? Yes. Should we change what we do? That is up to each individual company and person to decide.

Secondly, I was struck by the fervor of the some of the women at the table. There is apparently a segment of the population that feels very strongly about the need for girls to be liberated from what they see as stereotypical play patterns. I have no idea how big that population is, but it is certainly passionate. Consider last year's dust up over former Harvard president Larry Summers' statement that women were not naturally disposed to the sciences. He was almost run off the campus. So, do not underestimate this issue.

Finally, as a result of this conversation I asked myself some questions that you may want to consider as well about the ways that girls' toys are marketed:

Why do we divide departments into girls' toys and boys' toys? What would happen, not just for society but for our businesses, if we did not label products as for girls or boys but let the children and their parents decide which toys are for whom?
Why are dolls and action figures merchandised in separate departments? Aren't they essentially the same product? What would happen to sales, what new products might be conceived and what kinds of reactions might we receive from the public if they were sold side-by-side?
If you merchandised dolls and action figures together and ran dolls from left to right and action figures from right to left, what would go in the middle?

The future of toys for girls

So, what is the future of girl toys? My sense from the debate was that we are going to see two trends: A continuation of traditional play patterns based upon gender; and the rise of toys that feed a new generation of future house husbands and female business leaders. There will be "dolls" and other toys that will encourage these boys to nurture and there will be "action figures" and other new toys that challenge these girls to lead and explore.

Whether the toy industry engages in social engineering or just gets dragged along by society's coattails can be debated. We are, however, a fully integrated part of the society in which we live and we will, through the toys with which the members of that society play with in their formative years, have a major impact on the men and women of tomorrow by the products we offer them today.

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