I've said this a billion times but I'll say it again. Pink is just a color. Mazzy LOVES pink but I don't think she is particularly "girlie". In addition to Disney Princesses, she likes Thomas the Train, Cars, and most recently, has started asking questions about the Ninja Turtles.
Questions like, "Can I have that Ninja Turtle table and chairs set?"
To which my answer was, "Over my cold hard dead body."
I also don't think liking so-called "feminine things" like cupcakes and fashion means girls aren't as smart or as strong as the boys. Last time I checked, fashion involved machinery and lots of math. (And cupcakes are DELICIOUS.)
Somewhere along the line, Mazzy began to refer to girl things as "pretty" and boy things as "cool". Then she'll say she is pretending to be a boy when she wants to play with "cool" things. I keep telling her that girls can be cool and play with trucks too, but she is adamant this isn't the way the world works.
Sadly, she's right, because studies show girls typically lose interest in "boy things" like math and science by age eight.
A company called GoldieBlox is betting this lack of interest stems from lack of options in the "princess aisle". They are making a new line of construction and engineering toys designed to appeal to girls.
Yes, GoldieBlox is pink and girlie. But it was created by Debbie Sterling, a Stanford engineer, who researched gender differences, talked with Harvard neuroscientists, and observed children’s play patterns. The toys leverage girls’ advanced verbal skills to help develop and build self-confidence in their spatial skills. So that fifteen years from now, our girls might play a part in a world that is increasingly created by engineers.
GoldieBlox and The Spinning Machine
You want to get something for your daughters for the holidays? THIS IS IT.
GoldieBlox came out with this video the other day called "The Princess Machine" and I showed it to Mazzy this morning. It gave me such pleasure to say, "You want to see something COOL?" and show her a video of a bunch of girls.
GoldieBlox is one of four finalists to get their commercial to play during the Superbowl. How great of a statement would THAT be? You can vote for them here.
For more toys designed to help girls develop an interest in engineering, check out "10 Toys to Help Princesses Master Math and Science".
That is an awesome idea for little girls. My boys wore tiaras and had dollies and tried on the dresses I made for gifts. Now those are girl things. But my oldest loves babies,loooooves them. Wants babies, wanted me to have more and was devastated when I had surgery two months ago to have my babymaker taken out because it was sick. He was so sad. We do pinterest together, my boys and I. Make crafts, sew simple projects, do those rainbow loom bracelets. We bake a lot. It’s challenging to overcome the gender roles but we choose boyish colors and designs. I wish more toy companies would do like this company is doing. For both boys and girls.
This is the most frustrating thing with kids and toys.. I have one of each (boy and girl) and it works both ways. My boy would have LOVED to get an easy bake oven or a slushy maker, but they are ALL PINK and only have girls on the box and he doesn’t like pink! Boys can like to cook too! I thought Lego coming out with Legos specifically geared towards girls was a step forward, but the “girl” Lego’s were just planting flowers and sitting around a pool…not buildings and cars and airplanes. I know the colors shouldn’t matter, but kids like what they like and why do toy companies make it difficult?
Oh my gosh, if I had a daughter I’d be all over this!! Good for them, I’m gonna go vote now! 🙂
OMG. LOVE LOVE LOVE. That song had me pumping my fists and banging my head. That was awesome!
No doubt that there is a need for this. I’m still curious though how many parents still follow the princess/pink-construction/blue thing. I wonder if this is more in metropolitan areas like NY and LA or are we now everywhere. I always want to puke when going thru the pink aisle at the toy store. Are you freaking kidding me? Oh and don’t get me started on the pink washing machines and vacuum cleaners, yet the boys get doctor sets and tractors. UGH!
Oh my gosh. I’ve had that complaint about the “princess aisles” at stores too! I mean seriously, what kind girls and women are these toy makers trying to make?
And same goes for boys. My toddler loves cooking, so I was thinking of getting a pretend kitchen for the kids. But they were all pink and purple with girl decorations! I just wanted a neutral one that, preferably, looks more like the real thing – instead of a hyper-girlied-up piece of *bleep*!
You mean Thomas the Tank Engine right?
Have you seen the awsome Ikea-kitchen for kids? It’s not only absolutely gender-neutral but also really sturdy. And they have the cutest felt veggies to go with it.
We got our boys one from kidkraft.com. It’s still standing after two years of boyish play. It’s blue but they have vintage red styles too.
Wow, just heard that GoldieBlox didn’t have permission from the Beastie Boys to use this song. BB contacted GoldieBlox about it, and GoldieBlox turned around and sued them! I love the message of their ad, but it’s a shame they opted to use a song for which they didn’t have the rights!
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/the-beastie-boys-fight-online-video-parody-of-girls/?_r=0
I had heard about GoldieBlox and was really excited about the concept (I was also buying Lego Friends for my 5-year old, she loved them. Unfortunately, the toys are of poor quality and not that imaginative. My daughter was done playing with them within an hour and went back to her Legos. Then, I heard about the Beastie Boys issue and I am officially done with the company. Integrity is one of the first things I want to instill in my child and this company doesn’t seem to have it.
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