Toys R Us to drop "boys" and "girls" labels/marketing

The toy store has bowed to pressure from campaign group Let Toys Be Toys to stop promoting toys as gender specific over concerns about the impact this has on children when they are growing up and developing their personalities.

Toys R Us will now draw up plans for how to make its marketing more inclusive, and remove explicit references to gender in store. Adverts will eventually show boys and girls playing with the same toys, such as kitchens, toy guns and lego.

Let Toys Be Toys, a campaign group run by parents, has called for the removal of gender bias, saying it restricts childrens choices.

Megan Perryman, Let Toys Be Toys campaigner, said: "Even in 2013, boys and girls are still growing up being told that certain toys are for them, while others are not. This is not only confusing but extremely limiting as it strongly shapes their ideas about who they are."

Toys R Us announced the move after meetings with the campaign group. Roger McLaughlan, managing director of the toy store, told the Independent: "We will work to ensure we develop the best plan for our customers."

Tesco, Sainsbury's, The Entertainer and TK Maxx have all agreed to remove 'girls' and 'boys' signs from the aisles following pressure from Let Toys Be Toys.

Harrods also launched its toy collection last summer based on theme rather than gender.

Last year the Swedish branch of Toys R Us launched a gender neutral advertising campaign at Christmas, showing girls shooting a toy gun and boys and girls playing together in a kitchen.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10288057/Toys-R-Us-to-stop-gender-biased-marketing.html

fvck yeah, bring on the genderless dystopia

The toy store has bowed to pressure from campaign group Let Toys Be Toys to stop promoting toys as gender specific over concerns about the impact this has on children when they are growing up and developing their personalities.

Toys R Us will now draw up plans for how to make its marketing more inclusive, and remove explicit references to gender in store. Adverts will eventually show boys and girls playing with the same toys, such as kitchens, toy guns and lego.

Let Toys Be Toys, a campaign group run by parents, has called for the removal of gender bias, saying it restricts childrens choices.

Megan Perryman, Let Toys Be Toys campaigner, said: "Even in 2013, boys and girls are still growing up being told that certain toys are for them, while others are not. This is not only confusing but extremely limiting as it strongly shapes their ideas about who they are."

Toys R Us announced the move after meetings with the campaign group. Roger McLaughlan, managing director of the toy store, told the Independent: "We will work to ensure we develop the best plan for our customers."

Tesco, Sainsbury's, The Entertainer and TK Maxx have all agreed to remove 'girls' and 'boys' signs from the aisles following pressure from Let Toys Be Toys.

Harrods also launched its toy collection last summer based on theme rather than gender.

Last year the Swedish branch of Toys R Us launched a gender neutral advertising campaign at Christmas, showing girls shooting a toy gun and boys and girls playing together in a kitchen.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10288057/Toys-R-Us-to-stop-gender-biased-marketing.html

fvck yeah, bring on the genderless dystopia

Aljosa23

Oh boy... Oh girl...

[QUOTE="Aljosa23"]

The toy store has bowed to pressure from campaign group Let Toys Be Toys to stop promoting toys as gender specific over concerns about the impact this has on children when they are growing up and developing their personalities.

Toys R Us will now draw up plans for how to make its marketing more inclusive, and remove explicit references to gender in store. Adverts will eventually show boys and girls playing with the same toys, such as kitchens, toy guns and lego.

Let Toys Be Toys, a campaign group run by parents, has called for the removal of gender bias, saying it restricts childrens choices.

Megan Perryman, Let Toys Be Toys campaigner, said: "Even in 2013, boys and girls are still growing up being told that certain toys are for them, while others are not. This is not only confusing but extremely limiting as it strongly shapes their ideas about who they are."

Toys R Us announced the move after meetings with the campaign group. Roger McLaughlan, managing director of the toy store, told the Independent: "We will work to ensure we develop the best plan for our customers."

Tesco, Sainsbury's, The Entertainer and TK Maxx have all agreed to remove 'girls' and 'boys' signs from the aisles following pressure from Let Toys Be Toys.

Harrods also launched its toy collection last summer based on theme rather than gender.

Last year the Swedish branch of Toys R Us launched a gender neutral advertising campaign at Christmas, showing girls shooting a toy gun and boys and girls playing together in a kitchen.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10288057/Toys-R-Us-to-stop-gender-biased-marketing.html

fvck yeah, bring on the genderless dystopia

MrGeezer

should we just refer to each other as "it" and "they" now? Talk about bowing down to the pressure of the most extreme minority. 

Easy Bake Ovens,Makhaidos

[QUOTE="Makhaidos"]Easy Bake Ovens,Aljosa23

There was a time when pink wasn't a girl's color. It was just a color. There doesn't need to be a lot of gender differentiation in toys. Let kids play with what they want. 

There was a time when pink wasn't a girl's color. It was just a color. There doesn't need to be a lot of gender differentiation in toys. Let kids play with what they want. 

jimkabrhel

should we just refer to each other as "it" and "they" now? Talk about bowing down to the pressure of the most extreme minority.

awptical

And apparently their laws (at least some of them anyway, maybe all of them) no longer use the phrase "pregnant women", they now say "pregnant persons".

[QUOTE="awptical"]

should we just refer to each other as "it" and "they" now? Talk about bowing down to the pressure of the most extreme minority.

whipassmt

And apparently their laws (at least some of them anyway, maybe all of them) no longer use the phrase "pregnant women", they now say "pregnant persons".

  Yeah because... males totally get pregnant too.:roll:  

[QUOTE="whipassmt"]

[QUOTE="awptical"]

should we just refer to each other as "it" and "they" now? Talk about bowing down to the pressure of the most extreme minority.

mahlasor

And apparently their laws (at least some of them anyway, maybe all of them) no longer use the phrase "pregnant women", they now say "pregnant persons".

  Yeah because... males totally get pregnant too.:roll:  

There was a time when pink wasn't a girl's color. It was just a color. There doesn't need to be a lot of gender differentiation in toys. Let kids play with what they want.

jimkabrhel

Most boys will probably gravitate towards "boys toys" anyway, if that is the case teachers should let that be. Boys shouldn't be pressured into playing with girls toys or have teachers suggesting to them that they play with "girls toys".

[QUOTE="mahlasor"]

[QUOTE="whipassmt"] In one Swedish School they don't use the words "him" or "her" anymore. http://theweek.com/article/index/216779/swedens-confusing-gender-neutral-preschool

And apparently their laws (at least some of them anyway, maybe all of them) no longer use the phrase "pregnant women", they now say "pregnant persons".

Makhaidos

Yeah because... males totally get pregnant too.:roll:

....and how is this going to stop parents from deciding what they will buy for their kids? And if a parent didn't care, what was stopping them from buying it for their kids before?

[QUOTE="Makhaidos"][QUOTE="mahlasor"]

Yeah because... males totally get pregnant too.:roll:

whipassmt

[QUOTE="Aljosa23"]

[QUOTE="Makhaidos"]Easy Bake Ovens,Makhaidos

[QUOTE="Makhaidos"][QUOTE="Aljosa23"]ffffffffffffffffffff, lucky kids. I always wanted one of those. :(

whipassmt

I wonder if that will make it harder to find the appropriate stuff, if there are no signs saying "girls" or "boys".

I thought that this happened a while ago.

[QUOTE="whipassmt"]

[QUOTE="Makhaidos"] There have been a few cases of FTM transsexuals becoming pregnant post-op. So yes, men can get pregnant too.Makhaidos

Well, what you said isn't relevant to what mahlasor said as he was obviously referencing sex, not gender.

Not that it really matters. You can remove the boys and girls labels, but everyone's still gonna know that G.I. Joes are a "boys" thing and Barbie is a "girls" thing. Little boys don't avoid Barbie because Barbie is in the girls section at Toys R Us. Little boys avoid Barbie because it's obviously some girly $hit and they wouldn't be caught dead playing with one (unless "playing" involves setting it on fire).MrGeezer

Or use their GI Joe's to beat up Ken and take Barbie as a GF. 

[QUOTE="whipassmt"]

[QUOTE="Makhaidos"] Me too. But I couldn't get one, because my parents said they're "for girls." Which is what this campaign is trying to put a stop towards.Makhaidos

[QUOTE="Aljosa23"]

The toy store has bowed to pressure from campaign group Let Toys Be Toys to stop promoting toys as gender specific over concerns about the impact this has on children when they are growing up and developing their personalities.

Toys R Us will now draw up plans for how to make its marketing more inclusive, and remove explicit references to gender in store. Adverts will eventually show boys and girls playing with the same toys, such as kitchens, toy guns and lego.

Let Toys Be Toys, a campaign group run by parents, has called for the removal of gender bias, saying it restricts childrens choices.

Megan Perryman, Let Toys Be Toys campaigner, said: "Even in 2013, boys and girls are still growing up being told that certain toys are for them, while others are not. This is not only confusing but extremely limiting as it strongly shapes their ideas about who they are."

Toys R Us announced the move after meetings with the campaign group. Roger McLaughlan, managing director of the toy store, told the Independent: "We will work to ensure we develop the best plan for our customers."

Tesco, Sainsbury's, The Entertainer and TK Maxx have all agreed to remove 'girls' and 'boys' signs from the aisles following pressure from Let Toys Be Toys.

Harrods also launched its toy collection last summer based on theme rather than gender.

Last year the Swedish branch of Toys R Us launched a gender neutral advertising campaign at Christmas, showing girls shooting a toy gun and boys and girls playing together in a kitchen.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10288057/Toys-R-Us-to-stop-gender-biased-marketing.html

fvck yeah, bring on the genderless dystopia

MrGeezer

The toy store has bowed to pressure from campaign group Let Toys Be Toys to stop promoting toys as gender specific over concerns about the impact this has on children when they are growing up and developing their personalities.

Toys R Us will now draw up plans for how to make its marketing more inclusive, and remove explicit references to gender in store. Adverts will eventually show boys and girls playing with the same toys, such as kitchens, toy guns and lego.

Aljosa23

[QUOTE="jimkabrhel"]

There was a time when pink wasn't a girl's color. It was just a color. There doesn't need to be a lot of gender differentiation in toys. Let kids play with what they want.

whipassmt

Most boys will probably gravitate towards "boys toys" anyway, if that is the case teachers should let that be. Boys shouldn't be pressured into playing with girls toys or have teachers suggesting to them that they play with "girls toys".

This isn't about pressuring kids one way or another. It's the opposite, by giving kids the choice without obvious bias. For the longest time, my nephew's favorite color was pink, but he also played with traditionally boy's toys as well.

I'm not going to yank a doll out of my son's hand if he chooses it. Hell, I had a Cabbage Patch Kid when I was growing up and I had several male friends who did too. 

[QUOTE="whipassmt"]

[QUOTE="jimkabrhel"]

There was a time when pink wasn't a girl's color. It was just a color. There doesn't need to be a lot of gender differentiation in toys. Let kids play with what they want.

jimkabrhel

Most boys will probably gravitate towards "boys toys" anyway, if that is the case teachers should let that be. Boys shouldn't be pressured into playing with girls toys or have teachers suggesting to them that they play with "girls toys".

This isn't about pressuring kids one way or another. It's the opposite, by giving kids the choice without obvious bias. For the longest time, my nephew's favorite color was pink, but he also played with traditionally boy's toys as well.

I'm not going to yank a doll out of my son's hand if he chooses it. Hell, I had a Cabbage Patch Kid when I was growing up and I had several male friends who did too.

[QUOTE="Aljosa23"]

[QUOTE="Makhaidos"]Easy Bake Ovens,Makhaidos

FFS...  While a lot of toys such as lego's, lincoln logs, and some dolls should not be labled by any gender, I don't see anything wrong with marketing a play makeup vanity set for girls.  

Political correctness has gotten a little out of hand in this country... #fatpeoplerights

Anyway, boys and girls will play with whatever they feel comfortable with. Most boys will stick with blue, red, and green coloured toys while girls will typically go with pink, purple, and yellow. I think it's stupid that toys aren't labeled but what do I know.

Anyway, boys and girls will play with whatever they feel comfortable with. Most boys will stick with blue, red, and green coloured toys while girls will typically go with pink, purple, and yellow. I think it's stupid that toys aren't labeled but what do I know.

lowkey254

Nothing stops kids from choosing their toys....LJS9502_basic

Lol political correctness.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]Nothing stops kids from choosing their toys....JustBeYourself

Assuming that all kids can read these signs.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]Nothing stops kids from choosing their toys....JustBeYourself

Stupid. Who are they going to market barbies and GI Joes to? Come on...

So stupid.

very happy :) great move by toys r us.

[QUOTE="JustBeYourself"][QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]Nothing stops kids from choosing their toys....LJS9502_basic

This seems exactly like the kind of non-issue that people will get really upset over.