Pink LEGO kits, oh my…

LEGO kits were one of the few toys I really did play with as a kid. My mother will tell you that I spent most of my time figuring out new ways to put them away…a little puzzle unto itself. Not as creative an exercise as one would hope for–but still, it was challenging. And perhaps because I had older brothers there was nothing unusual about the fact that I played with LEGOs. When I look back on it, I realize that most of my other friends who were girls did not do a lot of construction sets.

So when we started the toyportfolio I was particularly looking forward to trying out my LEGO skills once again. I have to tell you, it’s still a lot of fun. I’m not sure how I feel about the new pre-sorted bags that make the “oh man, where is that one little piece” search a thing of the past.

The first batch of new LEGO kits just arrived. A happy day around here - vehicles, city stations and Duplo sets for beginners.

But there is also a new tub of PINK LEGO bricks…oh my. The label on the front has two seemingly female figures (they have long “blockish” hair), a pink vehicle, and a small structure with a white picket fence. There are also instructions for making a horse (of course).

In the early 90s, pink building blocks were a big thing (not at LEGO) but at their competitors at the time. I found the themes most upsetting (a stable, a house and a mall). Why were girls not being inspired to build skyscrapers, arenas? The whole gender agenda lead to our Gender Free toy list that we put together every year.

While the prospect of pink bricks doesn’t thrill me (although I do have to admit, they are very appealing for their eye-catching uniqueness)–there is also something to be said for the research that indicates that kids benefit from playing with construction toys. Having hands on experiences with spatial relationships helps kids excel in math. Don’t we also want that for our daughters? So, I suppose — if this is the only way we can get girls to build, it has its value. I just believe that the themes need not be so limited to the spheres of home, stables, and shopping. In fact, just a tub of colorful LEGO bricks that also includes the two shades of pink here–would be fun for anyone to play with.

I’ll be interested to see how parents and kids respond when we have them tested.

Gender Free Toys: Do they exist?

Sometimes it feels that for some reason, some group of toy makers, somewhere have determined that girls can only play with pink toys. A new innovative toy is introduced and within one season, there’s always a new “pink” version. Even great classic toys like Monopoly and Twister are now pink-a-fied. Perhaps it’s my formative years in the 70s women’s movement, but why must it be pink? Several years ago when scientific studies indicated that playing with building blocks developed important visual perception skills that helped kids achieve higher math scores — toy makers responded with building kits for girls (a good thing)–pink and lavender (unfortunately), and the themes: build a mall, a stable or a cottage (even more upsetting).

I have nothing against pink. Ok, as a kid I did. Much to the dismay of my mother, I really preferred the Hot Wheels tracks that my brothers played with to the dream dollhouse she bought me (that stood without a homemaker for most of my childhood). I have since apologized for not really getting into the whole “doll” thing either. My worst playdate — being sent to a house where the effusively pink bedroom was chockful of huggables and dolls — both sisters were very excited to play dolls. I never went back. They were well meaning, but it just wasn’t my thing.

As a professional toy reviewer (and mother of two boys), I quickly saw that there was also a problem on the other side of the equation. Boys tend to get two types of presents: things that move and things to build- that’s pretty much it. When we first started toyportfolio.com, a mother was surprised that I suggested a toy kitchen for her son. “Do you want him to grow up and feel comfortable in a kitchen?” I asked. This is where it starts. When my younger son and his friend took their dolls (yes, both my sons loved huggables and dolls) in their strollers to the park, an adult commented loud enough for everyone to hear “only in Greenwich Village”. He then asked the boys (almost three years old) what they were doing. “We’re playing daddys” they both chimed. It was one of my proudest parenting moments. They parked their “babies” and ran off to play on the climbing equipment.

Throughout the years we have kept track of what we call the GenderAgenda in Toyland. Our annual book has a gender-free list of toys and products that bend the gender agenda. We applaud toy kitchen makers like Step 2, Little Tikes and Small World Toys–that have broken away from the stereotypical pink kitchen.

So what can you do?

Buy building sets for your daughter - the more open-ended the better!

Buy a gender free ride-on (they also have the added advantage of being enjoyed by younger siblings no matter what their gender).

Buy your son some dishes and a toy kitchen. Your future daughter-in-law will love you for it.

Buy board games for both - playing games enforces not only reading, math and language skills- it’s an important way of introducing negotiating skills - something we all need!

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Since we didn’t publish our book this year, I thought I’d share our GenderAgenda list with the caveat that with the exception of the Cat In The Hat Game and the Kidizoom Camera, we did not test any of these toys for lead.

ActiviTot Developmental Mat (Tiny Love)
Amazing Baby Sound Balls (Kids Preferred)
Cosmic Catch (Hasbro)
Go Baby Go Stride to Ride Lion (Fisher-Price)
Hyper Dash (Wild Planet)
Cat in the Hat! I Can Do That! (I Can Do That!)
Kidizoom Camera (VTech)
Kitchen Appliances (various makers)
Retro Rocket (Radio Flyer)
Trikke 5 (Trikke Tech)
Word Whammer Fridge Phonics (LeapFrog)
Ultimate Lego Duplo Set (Lego Systems)