My observations have led me to believe that the people in charge of merchandising have far more narrow-minded ideas about gender roles than people in charge of the TV shows inspiring said merchandise.
Most kids TV shows have strong role models and interesting characters of both genders, but you would never know it from the toy aisle. Wendy from Bob the Builder is a regular casualty of this kind of thinking.
I was really outraged to see how girls were rendered invisible and unimportant in the Harry Potter Lego - I would be all over that stuff for my daughter, but you're hard pressed to get one female character to every six male. Many many Lego versions of Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, Snape and Draco, and even generic boy characters, but does the Quidditch set have an Angelina Johnson? Does it hell!
Likewise, there are almost no appealing boy/male dolls among the Barbies and other super-girlie toys. I really don't think children are remotely as close minded as toy manufacturers think they are, ESPECIALLY in the under four age group.
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Most kids TV shows have strong role models and interesting characters of both genders, but you would never know it from the toy aisle. Wendy from Bob the Builder is a regular casualty of this kind of thinking.
I was really outraged to see how girls were rendered invisible and unimportant in the Harry Potter Lego - I would be all over that stuff for my daughter, but you're hard pressed to get one female character to every six male. Many many Lego versions of Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, Snape and Draco, and even generic boy characters, but does the Quidditch set have an Angelina Johnson? Does it hell!
Likewise, there are almost no appealing boy/male dolls among the Barbies and other super-girlie toys. I really don't think children are remotely as close minded as toy manufacturers think they are, ESPECIALLY in the under four age group.