Gender neutral toy catalogue - opinions?

[Rosse]

Apparently this Swedish gender neutral toy catalogue has become world news: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/9703127/Swedish-toy-catalogue-goes-gender-neutral.html

Personally I can't believe how some people find this offensive or "wrong", really, this is how kids play! Why force the "girl toys" and "boy toys" on them? I'm happy to see marketing and commercials finally starting to catch up to modern gender norms!

How do you feel about it, is it a welcome step in the right direction, or has "this feminist thing gone too far"?


Edit: The full catalogue can be viewed here: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/cd73c6ee#/cd73c6ee/52

[Whippycorn]

Brilliant! 

So refreshing. Like so many things about Sweden.

[Pony Adventures]

I always look at representation is catalogues and I must say, this is quite refreshing. I love it!

[Beachball]

It's taken long enough (decades) for a store to see the potential of a gender neutral catalog.

With stores having carried girl paraphernalia with skulls (cutesy ones but still they're a symbol of death) for a long time and will do so for a long time from now, I don't see why people would be shocked by a toy catalog having a girl with a toy gun. If the boy with the doll was instead holding a real baby, people wouldn't complain there.

[Winter Bones]

I think this is excellent news! Little kids shouldn't have to worry about fitting into gender roles, in fact, I don't think anyone should worry about something as stupid as that. If a toy is fun, it's fun, and that's all there it to it.

[cobalte]

Wow this is really quite cool to see. Also interesting that it comes in response to that company getting a smack in the butt by the ombudsman about gender stereotyping! People don't bat an eyelid here to that kind of thing. Do approve!

[kaoskat]

You know....... Usually these things make me angry because they are insisting they change toys to be gender neutral by taking away my beloved pink or blue or something like that, but this isn't altering toys to be gender neutral, it's showing both genders playing with things as they are. I like that. I'm of the opinion our toys don't need neutering, our attitudes do, and that's what this is. Toys should just be toys. I approve!

[melodys_angel]

What kat said. That and I see kids play with 'opposing gender' toys all the time.  When you are 5, you dont care if you are playing with dolls or girl characters..or a ninja turtle or pirate. Its more the parents that freak out, I find.

And girls, who hasnt played with a super soaker or similar as kids?  That was what it was..and would probably be like the early gaming systems (genesis v.s. nintendo) being for boys only...but they werent.

[NoPonySpecial]

Oh brother. Well, you can never please everyone, someone will always be offended about something. At least this is a step in the right direction!

[Vintergatan]

Brilliant! 

So refreshing. Like so many things about Sweden.

yup gotta love Sweden

About time, is all I have to say.

[LuvlyMelody]

Well, you can never please everyone, someone will always be offended about something.

I find your vagueness very offensive...

THEY'RE JUST TOOOOOYYYYYYSSSSS?! Why are people getting all butthurt over which toys is for which gender group?! If you don't like your children playing with toys that could be for either girls or boys, let them play with a stump, Jax and a ball, pickup stix, or even a slinky!! (Unless I missed the news articled that Slinkies are now boy specific toys)

[Vintergatan]

I understood that NoPonySpecial is talking exactly about those people that get offended by these adds? Not that they were offended by it?

[starrypawz]

(If you think the outrage is bad read the Daily Mail version of the article)
I think its a good thing personally. Toys aren't gender based its what people push that makes them so.

Going off on a tangent a bit I saw this post on tumblr about a little girl who got in trouble for doing a school assignment wrong. They had a chart with 'for boys' 'for girls' and it had different toys written down, and the girl noticed some stuff was for 'both' so she added her own section to the chart and wrote some stuff in there and apparently 'she did it wrong' 

[Dibbles]

I love it. There's nothing wrong with it. It's very realistic. My brother played with one of my baby dolls for a while when he was a kid, and I played with a lot of his cars, podracers, and other toys. It's great to show kids that playing with whatever toys you choose is fine and that it's okay to be different, too. I think it's great that we are redefining the terms "masculine" and "feminine." Good for Toys R Us, and good for Sweden.

[Rosse]

starrypawz - Ugh yes, I had to chose carefully which article to link to... some were so biased!

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/thomaspascoe/100021481/swedens-insane-anti-discrimination-laws-have-created-a-generation-of-lost-women/
I don't know who Thomas Pascoe is, but blogs like this border on trolling, imo. Everything he states is either completely false or completely misinterpreted and out of context