Tis The Season 1: Gender & Pop Culure's Toy Shopping Fieldwork

Little Heroes

My little cousin’s birthday is coming up soon, so I wanted to get him a toy that he would enjoy. Like most 5 year olds I know, Jason is obsessed with superheroes: his favorite is Superman. As I started to peruse the toy offerings that Amazon.com had to offer, I started to notice a pattern.

Toy Story

...The Toys 'R Us song is very straightforward:"I don't want to grow up/I'm a Toys 'R Us kid/There's a MILLION toys at Toys 'R Us that I can play with!/MORE bikes, MORE trains, MORE video games/It's the BIGGEST toy store there is!"Consumerism is not the only issue at play here (pun intended); because toys and gadgets are introduced at such an early...

Blue Jeans and Coca-Cola - Nov 13, 2008 (4 days ago)

We R Toys - Children Learn Gender through Toys

...person is shopping for toys for a child, what is one of the dichotomist classifications? Any website or catalog will more than likely ask you to choose between either “for a boy” or “for a girl.” In each of these classifications and sections, you will find a gendered-biased selection of hegemonic normative toys for the different sexes; everyon...

Rebel with a Culture Blog - Jul 25, 2008 12:44 AM

The Journey through Target

...prompt the toys we play with as a child, shaping the child’s role in society. Target was my first stop when I started shopping for my friend’s nephew, a boy named Charles, 9 years old. He’s smart, wide eyed and comes from an interracial one parent house hold. I want to appease him because he is staying with her and her family all summer and I d...

Stef's Gender & Pop Culture Blog - Jul 25, 2008 1:02 PM

What Teaches Girls To Be Made of "Sugar and Spice" vs. Boys To Be Made of "Snails and Puppy Tails"?

...stereotypes their toys are already feeding their infant minds. Among all their toys, a few stood out to me: the Leapfrog LittleTouch LeapPad (in pink), the Evenflo Exersaucer Mega – Tea for 1-2-3, the Fisher-Price Dreamland Soother (also in pink), Infantino’s Mallory the Monkey, and the Fisher-Price Musical Fairyland Gym. After looking up the to...

Maria's Gender & Pop Culture Blog - Jul 25, 2008 12:42 AM

Gendered Toy Consumerism

...a childhood toy, we can find difference based on gender between the toy preferences of boys and girls. We will never see a male child playing with Barbie Ballerina or a female child engaging in play with a Power Wheel Ford F-150 in any televised commercial or advertising display. Toy products marketed for children as young as newborns suggest ge...

Aneka's Gender and Pop Culture Blog - Jul 24, 2008 11:56 PM

Consumerism and the Female Youth

...stereotypes through toys. In addition to learning ‘appropriate’ gender rules, today’s popular toys (such as board games and computer games) socialize girls to be consumers. Deciding to test this gender-consumption theory, I asked a nine-year-old girl to make a wish list of three different toys, which I analyze below:Toy #1: Webkinz stuffed anima...

Down with Prince Charming! - Jul 31, 2008 9:50 PM

Toy Shopping Field Work

...I went shopping at the nearest Walmart to find clothes and toys for my 7-year old goddaughter Joy. I wanted to get her a couple of light shirts and skirts, seeing as how the weather has been getting pretty hot lately. I also wanted to get her a couple of learning toys since the school year is about to start up again. Upon my arrival, I immediate...

Linda's World of Gender & Pop. Culture (My Blog) - Jul 24, 2008 11:09 PM

Emma's Wish List

...getting new toys, candy or whatever floats her boat at the moment. However, when I have her, tantrums don’t bother me and she knows that. I will only buy her certain toys that I approve of. I tend to stay with educational toys such as books, puzzles, or games but there have been times where I will by her the princess toys she craves. Her fav...

First one ever - Jul 24, 2008 9:27 PM

Family Guy and Identities

...takes her shopping, which did not work out too well. With a play of luck Meg receives a makeover which transformed her from an average looking high school girl into this sexy, blonde, pop icon. As Meg is receiving her makeover Peter decides to form a rock band. This, however, fails. Meg’s new sexy looks saved Peter’s band from failing comple...

Missy Mood Input - Jul 18, 2008 1:52 PM

Barbies, Homemakers, and Gender Inequality as the “New” Black

...just a toy. Before getting a new toy may have been difficult because parents were working or doing other tasks. So taking time out to go to the toy store was out of the question after an exhausting day. But in 2008 the world of online shopping has become a great source. Online shopping is really easy, especially if an individual is looking for t...

" PoP CuLtUrE aNd WhY iT PoPs" - Jun 30, 2008 4:49 PM

Children in a Toys World

...to the toy store to buy my birthday presents, I am giving you a wish-list! All of these presents are from www.toysrus.com, where Grandma helped me search (and write this letter) for the presents that I want.Imaginarium Glitter Suite Dollhouse (so my Barbie’s have a house to live in)Barbie Fashion Fever Raquelle Doll (so I can dress her up!!)8 ft...

Sarah Lauren - Jun 30, 2008 8:29 AM

Gendered Consumers/ Engendering Consumerism - Toy Shopping

...Toys are cultural products that are marketed to innocent children in order to gender them. People are brought up on consumerism; it is all around each one of us and it is almost impossible to escape. If we are born biologically as males and females, then American toy companies make it their business to construct the “boy” and “girl” genders. Chi...

Juliana's Pop Culture Blog - Jun 29, 2008 2:33 PM

Blog Post #1 - Children's Toys' Effect on Gender Identity

...in the toys and games we play with as children. This belief is widely shared among many societies. So you can believe me when I say I was very surprised to see that on the homepage of the Toys R Us website there is no search that you can do by gender. There is a “SHOP BY AGE”, “SHOP BY CATEGORY”, and “SHOP BY BRAND”, but nowhere on the homepage ...

Erin's Gender & Pop Culture Blog - Jun 30, 2008 9:57 PM

Blog Post #1

...s toys wrongfully back up these stereotypes further facilitating the understanding of normative gender roles. Several years removed from the Easy-Bake Oven crisis, I phoned Connor to inquire about four or five toys currently on his “must have” list. Without hesitation he replied the video game Call of Duty 4, Lego Airplane Set, Guitar Hero, and ...

Pop Culture Blog - May 27, 2008 5:11 PM

Blue & Pink: The Socialized Gender Roles of Children's Toys

...s toys. Products and toys marketed for children partake in methods of gendered socialization, because these gender-specific (gender bias) toys have become socially normalized.On one popular children’s toy website, toys are categorized into several different groups, each displaying a picture and a short description generalizing which toys it cont...

Whatev is Whatev - Jun 30, 2008 5:34 AM

Toy Shopping- Selling Gender Identity to Youth

...s toys, it was expected to find that “girl” toys would be feminine and domesticated, and that “boy” toys would be masculine and nature oriented. The first place to look in my mind was Babies “R” Us and its partner Toys “R” Us. In searching these websites, I was hoping to find what toys were clearly aimed for girls and what was aimed for boys a...

Gender in the Media - May 27, 2008 5:11 PM

Gendered Consumers/Engendering Consumerism

...that big toy companies are sending with their products are encoded with all kinds of philosophies, values, and ideals about today’s society. In particular, nearly every product on the market is advertised towards a specific gender. Take Transformers and Barbie Dolls, for example. The very use of the words “action figure” and “doll” are cues towa...

Danny Boy's Blog - Jun 30, 2008 9:54 PM

Blog Post #1

...affected by toys, teaching behaviors, and advertising. Before I observed the classrooms, I expected boys and girls to learn their behaviors from engendered toys and different types of media. While I found no evidence to support my theory from the center, this does not mean that the internalization of gender roles does not take place through thes...

Dawn's Gender and Pop Culture Blog - Jun 28, 2008 11:06 PM

Toy Shopping- Selling Gender Identity to Youth

...s toys, it was expected to find that “girl” toys would be feminine and domesticated, and that “boy” toys would be masculine and nature oriented. The first place to look in my mind was Babies “R” Us and its partner Toys “R” Us. In searching these websites, I was hoping to find what toys were clearly aimed for girls and what was aimed for boys a...

Gender in the Media - May 19, 2008 8:35 PM

Sugar N' Spice and Everything Nice, That's What Girls are Made of... Right?

...s toy market provides a large and seemingly disturbing variety of gadgets and accessories that, according to society, should define the lives of female youth. Items such as vanities and makeup kits provide little girls with weapons that allow them to mark and mess themselves and not knowingly, reconsider her appearance. The famous “Pretty, Pre...

Nat's Blog - Jun 28, 2008 7:32 PM

Toys and Normalized Gender

...and toys, just to name a few. Toys make for an interesting case study on the gender cues they provide to children. First, it is important to determine whether or not toys are actually gender specific. Next, we seek to identify examples of these toys in large, accessible, and frequently used market places, specifically those designed for girls...

P.Mooney - Jun 29, 2008 8:01 PM