Gender-neutrality @ Harrod's

[partypony566]

Yes FiM is  a wide appeal..... But it's still aimed at kids, right? The show is not aimed at adult men. Sorry but its not. Theres nothing wrong in adult men or woman for that matter liking the show, Nothing at all. But thats not a huge target audience. Kids are the target of a kids cartoon. The same way that mlp toys are aimed at girls. It's the bigger market.

[Moss]

Yes FiM is  a wide appeal..... But it's still aimed at kids, right? The show is not aimed at adult men. Sorry but its not. Theres nothing wrong in adult men or woman for that matter liking the show, Nothing at all. But thats not a huge target audience. Kids are the target of a kids cartoon. The same way that mlp toys are aimed at girls. It's the bigger market.

If the show is aimed at kids in general, why not make the toys easier to access for both genders of kids? Since the show has such a wide appeal, it makes sense from a marketing standpoint to try to give the toys the same appeal. They'd probably sell more toys if they placed them in gender-neutral aisles. Adults aside, many boys are loathe to go into the "pink section." Why not try to widen the market by getting rid of that barrier?

[starlightcomet]

Yes FiM is  a wide appeal..... But it's still aimed at kids, right?

It's aimed at kids as much as Pixar is really, both being animations that aim to offer references and concepts for the adults to catch onto too whilst watching (e.g. The Big Lebowski ponies). I think in the West, animation in general is often considered "just for kids", though I think that idea isn't as prevalent in other places. That's another topic though. 

Kids are the target of a kids cartoon. The same way that mlp toys are aimed at girls.

They both involve multicoloured ponies. The show markets the toys just like the Monster High cartoons etc. market the toys, neither actually show toys but they're made so that people make an attachment and then recognise a likeness in stores. So if the cartoon is aimed at "kids in general", and gained a bigger market/audience for the effort, I think the toys could be defined that way too.

[tulagirl]

I wanted to add something about the idea that a change in the setup won't change anything.

You never know what will kick off a change--a change in the mind of one person, or a family, or all of society.  When the United States was founded, the idea of women voting was unthinkable.  "Everybody knew" women were irrational and couldn't (or shouldn't) make up their own minds.  Before WWII, "everybody knew" women couldn't handle complex industrial jobs, like welding.  In the 1950s, "everybody knew" that pants were For Men--only men! 

Our society is not static, and it never was.  So maybe Harrod's will stick with this policy, maybe they won't.  Maybe it will make them more money, or maybe less.  God help us when we decide what's right based on how much money it produces.

The point is just because now, today, "pink aisle and blue aisle" are considered normal today doesn't mean that they are inevitable or ideal.

This is very insightful and very true.  I am truely sorry that people have suffered so much as children in these ways.  I am sad that the opinion of the kids and peers around them made them feel less of a person. I don't know why I did not go through that as a child. I was a very "girly" girl that loved playing sports and loved boy things along with my skirts, pink and hair bows.  The boys and I got a long super great as I played better with them at times than the girls because the drama element was removed and we could just have good fun.  I never had any child attack me because of this. My best friend in grade school would just patiently wait for me at the end of recess to finish a fine game of soccer with the boys.  I had a horrible childhood and my self esteem was shattered by other things.  I live with that damage today. The one thing I have learned though is that I have to make a decision for myself to be who I am and not let the opinions of others affect me. I think I had that strength as a child in this way from the very beginning.  However, I had weaknesses in other areas that maybe some of you would find odd.  I have watched a lot of changes take place around us.  While I doubt a toy store will be the one move that will change the internal self esteem of a child, that doesn't mean I don't recognize that some have the issue.  Sadly I do believe that the issue here is wherever the money is and the profits are to be made that is how things will be set up.  No matter what people would like to see happen, I really do believe that things revolve around the advertising target.  Companies will make the most money this way. I really do see though that there is an understanding in the advertising world that children with special needs and children with different cultures should be represented in ads.  However, sometimes mistakes are still made in these areas on TV.  Changes can always happen, but it really will depend on what the majority of people are willing to spend their money on.  If the company sees that putting a MLP in a blue box decreases sales they will have meetings and change that.  I don't think they are sitting there thinking, "how are we damaging the kids for life by doing this?"  Those of us who are educators have spent a lot of time trying to help society understand that culture, gender roles and a child's needs have to be included in advertising in some way.  I took a whole class on this in college and it was amazing how many advertisers were following this concept and equally amazing how many were not.  We have a lot to consider and a lot to change and it is my hope that in the mean time a child will be empowered by the correct nurturing inside their home enviornment. Thats a perfect place to start, not the only place, but the right place to start.  

[Malicieuse]

Yes FiM is  a wide appeal..... But it's still aimed at kids, right? The show is not aimed at adult men. Sorry but its not. Theres nothing wrong in adult men or woman for that matter liking the show, Nothing at all. But thats not a huge target audience. Kids are the target of a kids cartoon. The same way that mlp toys are aimed at girls. It's the bigger market.

And it is still aimed at girls in the first place. Making a decent cartoon for girls was the main goal of Faust. A show that showed different ways of being a girl. I don't like people who are trying to pretend that FIM is super "gender-neutral" or even "manly" (seeing this in the brony community a lot) as if the concept of a good "girly" show is unthinkable.

[starlightcomet]

There is a crossover influence that went into making the show.

I wasn't so much a Barbie girl, but Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony, I was obsessed with those. But my brothers were into Transformers and G.I. Joe. My older brother was a rabid comics collector. I was just as fascinated by that stuff and it was there for me to play with, I didn't have to go after it myself.

I've always looked at my work feeling like I was trying to make stuff for girls and then accidentally getting guys interested as well. I think that it was because of growing up with my brothers and being exposed to these more boy things -- boy shows or boy comic books -- stuff that's typically considered for boys, I think I might somehow be smooshing them together. I liked Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony, but I didn't like the shows or the books for them. I liked the shows and the books for the stuff my brother was into.

I wanted to see girl characters in what is considered these typical boy situations, saving the world or more kind of action adventure-y kind of stuff. I wanted to see Strawberry Shortcake doing that kind of stuff. They didn't do it that way.

[Continued on page]

http://blogs.laweekly.com/arts/2012/05/lauren_faust_cartoons_for_girl.php?page=2

(( Edited to add credit and such. ))

[ashes]

I'd be more apt to believe Lauren Faust wanted FiM to have appeal to boys if she made those comments right when the show launched, and not after it's popularity.

[starlightcomet]

I'd be more apt to believe Lauren Faust wanted FiM to have appeal to boys if she made those comments right when the show launched, and not after it's popularity.

I don't think it's saying that it was 100% intentional, just that the crossover influence had been there as a child and an inner desire deepdown for the two worlds to mesh.

I think its apt for this thread though, a girl who was exposed to toys that are traditionally considered "boyish" (Transformers, GI Joe) or "girly" (Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony), then coming full circle to make a show that blends them resulting in a wider appeal to kids in general through those subconscious childhood influences. 

[cyanide]

when i was a child, i loved MLP , rainbow brite , stuffed animals etc. but i hated barbie and dolls and other typicall girly toys such as cleaning/cooking like toys. But i also loved robots, dinosaurs , teenage mutant ninja turles and boyish toys!

But i hardly got any because "it was for boys" and it annoyed me for a long time. luckily aside from my female friends i had a brother and also a male friend , wich made it possible for me to borrow their toys to play with.
I remember me borrowing my brothers robot that went on batteries and went around "shooting lazors" etc =P, and hiding under the bed with my ponies, pretending i was being chased by an eeeevil robot that i had to hide and not get seen by!

Lol i remember this boy i used to play with, we used to take turns in what we'd play with, one day we'd go to my house and play with ponies (he played too!), and the other day we went outside playing with small metal-cars and built citys/roads etc. also we collected pogs (small round play cards 'ish) and micro machines, oh how i loved these toys!

Its actually kind of cute when i think of it now afterwards =) how we switched play-theme different days. i actually have contact with this old friend as of today! (im 24).
lovely memories!

My parents had no problem with me loving boy toys (and also tv series etc), and thats nice! even if i didnt get boy toys for my birthday etc.
I also remember toy sections being less separated in the 80's, what happend? =/ 

[Rosencrantz]

My mom was a pretty big adherent of pink aisle for girls, blue aisle for boys. I sometimes tell her it was frustration over her refusing to let me play with ninja turtle toys that I grew up to be transgender.

Not that I minded the ponies much, ponies are obvs awesome. I just... I liked Donatello too. I might have stood a better chance if they hadn't been separated into very clear 'LINE DIVIDE'.

As it is, when I was in target a few weeks ago the toy aisle had something along the lines of BOYS TOYS on a sign where all the star wars and pokemon was located, and I was all

[Malicieuse]

There is a crossover influence that went into making the show.

I wasn't so much a Barbie girl, but Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony, I was obsessed with those. But my brothers were into Transformers and G.I. Joe. My older brother was a rabid comics collector. I was just as fascinated by that stuff and it was there for me to play with, I didn't have to go after it myself.

I've always looked at my work feeling like I was trying to make stuff for girls and then accidentally getting guys interested as well. I think that it was because of growing up with my brothers and being exposed to these more boy things -- boy shows or boy comic books -- stuff that's typically considered for boys, I think I might somehow be smooshing them together. I liked Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony, but I didn't like the shows or the books for them. I liked the shows and the books for the stuff my brother was into.

I wanted to see girl characters in what is considered these typical boy situations, saving the world or more kind of action adventure-y kind of stuff. I wanted to see Strawberry Shortcake doing that kind of stuff. They didn't do it that way.

[Continued on page]

http://blogs.laweekly.com/arts/2012/05/lauren_faust_cartoons_for_girl.php?page=2

(( Edited to add credit and such. ))

I have seen that before and i still think there is something wierd about all of that.
She says she disliked the old show yet half of the FIM main cast is based on characters from the old show (Firefly, Surprise and Posey). Not just the design but the personality too.
Than she says she "wanted to see girl characters in what is considered these typical boy situations, saving the world or more kind of action adventure-y kind of stuff". But that stuff happened all the time in the old show. The stories had a lot of adventure and fantasy to them. I think almost just as much as in the shows aimed at boys. She was a fan of Firefly so she must have seen "Firefly's Adventure". That special was pretty dark.
So i find it kinda iffy that Faust is acting as if everything MLP related was really "frilly" untill she came around...

[starlightcomet]

She does say she was still obssessed with My Little Pony etc. either way. Maybe her interest in the show itself gradually waned as it went on to other iterations. She does mainly specify Strawberry Shortcake at the end too but can't say I've seen that show. Candid interviews can sometimes wash over intricacies, but I do still find it apt, the specification of Transformers etc. She did also of course do animation work on a action drama film about a giant robot, so these kind of things bleed into each other with influences. So it would be cool if someday robots and such weren't considered "for boys" or ponies "for girls" etc.