Gender Roles of Toys

Toys R Us in the Right or Wrong?
  Toys R Us is one of the top children’s toy stores in America. It has a strong past, prosperous present and promising future.   With an average layout of 60,000 square feet, you’re bound to find what any child is looking for.   The toys for the boys are in one area of the store, while the toys for girls are in another.   The store merchandise has a lot to do with the passing along of gender stereotypes, as male toys are portrayed as more active and female toys as more passive. Toys that may be considered gender neutral, such as games and puzzles, are located in a different section of the store. The packaging for gender specific toys are color-coded, with the boys’ toys mostly wrapped   in blue, a manly color, and the girls, mostly in pink, a girly color. Do children actually take the time to notice that the two different sections are clearly marked by different colors? In my limited amount of research, this matter seems to be considerably downplayed by most children, who really just want their damn toys! I personally believe that Toys R Us clearly stereotypes girls by selecting and marketing toys that educate young girls on life inside the home, while focusing on the working world for the boys, consequently outside the home.  

The majority of boy’s toys at Toys R Us take on a roll of adventure and physical activity, most of which take place outside of the home. When I was a child about 90% of my play time took place outside, as I see the boys around my neighborhood playing outside throughout the day. Growing up as a boy, the best place for playing was obviously outside, demanding increased durability for boys’ toys. Take Tonka Trucks for example, which are made and marketed toward the male gender. They demonstrate versatility by being able to be played with inside as well as outside. Outside is probably more exciting for young boys, because they can fill the dump truck up with dirt, dig ditches and have their own mini-construction...