Toys For Girls That Break Gender Stereotypes
Type ‘toys for girls’ into your search bar and you’ll likely be met with an ocean of pink. Pink make-up sets, pink dolls houses, pink scooters, pink fidget toys; it’s a fuschia frenzy! On the other hand, ‘toys for boys’ reveals equally regressive results of dinosaur guns firing foam bullets from their throats and toy cars sporting masculine coats of red and black paint.
Of course, searching ‘gender neutral toys’ pulls up more inclusive options, but doesn’t it make more sense for all toys to be considered gender neutral? We should find dolls and diggers when shopping for girls toys, and likewise for boys toys. In fact, gender needn’t come into it.
Essentially, it’s about choice. It’s not about encouraging girls to prefer blue over pink, or fire trucks over fairies, it’s about giving kids the freedom to be their authentic selves, and not limiting them to societal stereotypes which dictate the types of toys they are expected to play with.
This International Women’s Day, we are delving into this topic a little further by answering parents’ questions and uncovering 8 of our favourite playthings for kids of any gender.
Toys For Girls: Is There Such A Thing?
We’ve been making toys for almost 40 years and have seen many shifts and trends develop throughout that time. One of these movements is gender neutral play. If this is something you’d like to learn more about, here are a few insights that might help.
What are gender-based toys?
Gender-based toys are toys that are marketed to a specific gender, say dolls for girls and cars for boys. Certain characteristics separate what is considered a boy’s toy and a girl’s toy.
Toys targeted at boys will typically involve physical activity, building and construction, or competitive play, encouraging conflict and aggressively charged behaviours. While ‘girls toys’ focus more on creativity, domestic role-play, and appearance, fostering an expectation for nurturing behaviours and fixations on beauty as they grow into young women.
Why are girls toys pink?
Girls toys are pink because pink has been marketed as a feminine colour for over 80 years. It dates back to the 1940s when manufacturers realised they could earn a bigger buck from marketing toys to a specific gender. It’s believed that girls were appointed pink because it was closest to red, traditionally viewed as a more romantic and emotional colour, traits women were seen to possess.
What are the negatives of gendered toys?
Gendered toys can negatively impact a child’s development because they limit the learning opportunities exposed to them. ‘Boys toys’ tend to involve physical movement and active play, enhancing their gross motor skills, while ‘girls toys’ often require increased concentration and use of their fine motor skills. As a result, many boys grow to be quicker and stronger than their female peers, while girls outperform them in focus-based tasks like reading and writing.
What is gender neutral play?
Gender neutral play is all about motivating girls and boys to test out a wide variety of toys and activities, not just those that are marketed to their gender. In a gender neutral play session, princesses can hang out with pirates and dolls with dinosaurs! This way, children can reap the benefits that all toys offer them, helping them to grow into emotionally intelligent, well-rounded adults.
What's an example of a gender neutral toy?
A gender neutral toy is one that encourages kids to explore their own likes and interests, without being pushed to enjoy those that society has labelled appropriate for their gender. Examples of gender neutral toys include puzzles, games, pretend play sets, sensory toys, busy boards, stacking toys, shape sorters and animal figures.
8 Cool Toys For Girls
To mark International Women’s Day, we have chosen 8 inspirational toys that’ll show your little lass that girls can enjoy toy cars and construction play, too.
1. Mini Construction Vehicles
Introducing our marvellous new wooden Mini Vehicles! Sized for small hands, the construction range includes a Mini Digger, Road Roller, Tipper Truck, Crane Truck and Mixer, all built with chunky rubber tyres featuring deep treads for a realistic touch. We also have a Mini Fire Truck, Recycling Truck and Tractor (available in red and blue) in the collection.
2. Scientist Dress Up
Empower your mini Marie Curie to change the world with their own Scientist Dress Up set! Inspiring girls to experiment with real-world play, this fun kids costume comes with a white lab coat, ID badge, safety goggles, a magnifying glass, wooden test tubes and tweezers.
3. Wooden Tool Bench
Teach your daughter how to use a hammer, saw, screwdriver and spanner with this Wooden Tool Bench. The bench and tools are all made from FSC® Certified wood (FSC-C147826), so your littlen can safely learn how to use these tools without any risk of harming themselves. This is a brilliant way to boost kids’ life skills and problem-solving abilities.
4. CollectA Dinosaur Figures
Because girls love dinosaurs, too! CollectA is the world’s biggest manufacturer of toy animal figures and has a huge collection of 150+ dinosaur models. Every CollectA dinosaur figure has been hand-painted and designed with exceptional attention to detail, bringing these fascinating prehistoric creatures back to life in children’s playrooms!
5. Didicar Ride On
Young girl racers can whizz about on their very own set of wheels with the Fiery Red Didicar. Didicar is a unique, self-propelled ride on toy that’s 100% powered by kids; simply wiggle the steering wheel to drive! Didicar comes in 8 colours, so your miniature motorist can pick their favourite.
6. Makedo Tool Kit
Build, create, design and discover with the pioneering cardboard tool kits from Makedo. This Makedo Discover set comes with all your daughter will need for her cardboard creations, including two Safe-Saws, a Scru-Driver, Fold-Roller, 120 Scrus and two Mini Tools. With these, they’ll be able to craft anything from a cardboard castle to a cardboard rocket!
7. Young Inventor Lottie
Lottie Dolls is an award-winning doll brand developed in partnership with academics and child psychologists. They are based on the average proportions of a nine-year-old child, making them more realistic and relatable to children, and they all have exciting interests from fossil hunting to stargazing. Showing girls that they can be whoever they want to be, Young Inventor Lottie is ready for a busy day’s work in her yellow hard hat, workboots and tool belt, packed with a hammer, wrench, screwdriver, torch and scissors.
8. Construction Train Set
Budding tradeswomen can assemble their own building site with our wooden Construction Train Set. It comes with 50 play pieces, including a train engine with two carriages, two playmats, a container tunnel, a burst water pipe track, construction workers, signs, cones, and buildable houses. Add on our Big Yellow Crane or Recycling Skip accessory to extend the play possibilities!
Share The Love On International Women's Day
Does your daughter or granddaughter have a favourite Bigjigs toy that defies gender stereotypes? We'd love to see them in action! Tag @bigjigstoys on Instagram to share your snaps with us.