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Toy industry analysis
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As a child growing up, I always enjoyed visiting my grandparents' home, and playing with their various selections of toys that they themselves had played with as children. Comparing my grandmothers' doll to one of my own, I found the difference in clothing quality and style to be quite remarkable. The affect of change and its consequences play a particularly fascinating role in Gary Cross's "Spinning out of Control." I wish to focus on how toy industries such as Mattel and Hasbro survived over the years adapting to the changing times and the ever altering interests of children. As well as to discover why it seems that toys for the male gender seem to expand and develop much more than those created and built for females.
If someone were to walk into a toy store today, they would be hard pressed to locate a toy that did not have some type of label or brand plastered all over it. Rather than going to the store and buying a doll or a wooden train set as my grandfather did as a child, shoppers are now fighting to locate the 'top' brand in order to please their children at home. Toy companies such as Mattel, Lego, Hasbro, Playmobil and Nintendo make up but 5 of the top 10 rated toy companies that exist. These factions have faced their own fair share of trials and tribulations over the years in order to remain on top and the best of the best. As a result, they are more than capable of adapting to the needs of their consumers, and delivering top rated product ready to entertain. An example of this is shown in Cross's work:
The key difficulty had always been finding winners in a very unpredictable toy market. This was more complex than simply meeting changing consumer demand. Toymakers produced the demand for playthings as well ...
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Such a statement could not be altered in any way when it comes to explaining the consequences of the gendering of toys. Children cannot grow up as well rounded citizens when they have only experienced a small portion of what it means to be human. Both genders must cross over and break down the barriers that are causing this divide. Cross quoted Lego Chief's Godtfred Christiansen, stating that he himself "claimed his blocks provided 'unlimited' and timeless play, stimulated activity without violence, and were gender neutral." (Cross p.220) As a child my brothers and I received Lego kits as gifts; only these kits consisted of random blocks and pieces as opposed to strict plans that required every piece to be put in a proper place. Now there are pink kits for girls with oversized female characters, and dinosaurs with lasers strapped to their heads for boys.
I will not impose “gender specific” toys on them or tell them that it is not acceptable for a boy to play with a baby doll or tell my future daughter that it is not allowed for her to pretend sword fight. My children will be able to decide what they like and what they do not like and I will not allow anyone to decide that for them. This assignment has definitely opened my eyes to the market that is out there stereotyping children without much notice. Taking time to actually look into what is being done with toys and society with children has broadened my understanding and awareness of the impending problem that children are being faced with. I hope that one day we will see an end to gender stereotyping so that my future children will not be forced to feel out of place if they do not identify with a specific feeling or emotion that a boy should have or a girl should have. It sickens me and breaks my heart that things so minuscule such as toys can have such a negative effect on lives, especially on such a young children. This ideology of gender segregation should not be supported or further produced because it is harmful to the children that are directly or indirectly being affected by
In order to fully comprehend the how gender stereotypes perpetuate children’s toys, one must understand gender socialization. According to Santrock, the term gender refers to the, “characteristics of people as males and females” (p.163). An individual is certainly not brought into the world with pre-existing knowledge of the world. However, what is certain is the belief that the individual has regarding him- or herself and life stems from socialization—the development of gender through social mechanisms. For instance, when a baby is brought into this world, his or her first encounter to gender socialization arises when the nurse places a blue or pink cap on the baby’s head. This act symbolizes the gender of the baby, whether it is a boy (blue cap) or a girl (pink cap). At the age of four, the child becomes acquai...
I noticed the girls’ toys engaged fine motor skills more than the boys’ toys did. The girls have several different types and sizes of dolls to choose from – however, this also makes dolls or items used with dolls (Barbie clothes, doll clothes, doll houses, Barbie cars, and doll furniture) over half of all the products in the girls’ section. This shows the stereotypical attitude that all girls like to nurture and will someday be expected to be mothers and the primary care giver for their children. Other toys I noticed that were very stereotypical were the child size vacuum, broom, and kitchen set. Even at this young age we teach girls it is part of their role to cook and clean.
Even though our country supports equality in gender, differences still exist. This issue of gender and sexuality of our society has had one of the biggest impacts in my life since I was raised with five brothers. Since birth, I was immediately perceived by my parents as my gender role of girl and daughter. My brothers were given action figures, cars, and guns to play with. I was given the traditional girl toys Barbies, baby dolls and kitchen sets. Of course, I enjoyed my traditional girl toys but it might have been nice to have a choice and be able to have the same toys as my brothers to play with. I eventually concluded that I should be satisfied with whatever toys were given to me by my parents.
The toy industry makes it seem acceptable that only certain toys are suitable for one or the other gender by marketing them as such. For a parent to differ, it would mean stepping out of the box, possibly alienating their child from others with a choice that might seem odd. Rather than making their child feel or appear awkward, parents continue to support the gender biases found in toys, thereby promoting gender socialization. It is important however, that parents, as role models and consumers, must be diligent in their choices and make decisions that will help either negate or balance out gender biases in
Toy stores are perfect places for a sociologist to use their sociological imagination. Gendering and racism is thought to be something that is socially constructed as opposed to biologically constructed. Gendering starts during infancy, and around 2 years old children start to internalize these gender differences. I argue that children’s toys help socialize children into gender specific roles. Toy stores, like Target and Toys R Us help us understand what types of toys help to gender children. I will explain how the toys in the toy aisles differ and compare. Not all toys are either male or female, some toys are gender neutral.
First off, I will describe the role the toys are playing when it comes to the socialization process for boys and girls. The masculine wrestling action figures and construction vehicles are showing boy 's their gender roles. In the book, “You May Ask Yourself”, defines social roles as “the concept of gender roles, set of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as male or female” (Conley, pg 130). In the store it is fairly easy for parents to find which part of the store will fit their kids gender roles. For parents with young boys, all they have to do is look for the blue in the store. When looking for the girl toys, parents just need to find the pink. Parents are actively doing gender in their child
Francis’s study analyzes three to five-year-old preschool students as well as their parents about their views about toys and viewing materials based on gender. The study showed that parental beliefs shaped their child 's opinions of gender roles based on the toys they played with. The parent 's idea of what is female and what is male is transferred onto the toys their child plays with which in terms developed their child 's stereotype of what is male and female based on their toy selection and color. In the article “How do today 's children play and with which toys?”, by Klemenovic reference that a child 's view on gender stereotypes is developed by their parents who train them on how to use the toys. Klemenovic (2014) states "Adults start training in the first months of a child 's life because knowledge of objects is the outcome of other people 's behavior towards us" (Klemenovic, 2014, p. 184). Young children’s development of gender stereotypes is largely influenced by his or her parent’s actions and view on what they consider male or female. A parent’s color preference and toy selection can influence a child’s gender bias or association to a specific
Executive summary of the event. In this business case, a shift from seasonal to monthly production of toys will change the seasonal cycle of Toys World's working capital needs and necessitate new bank credit arrangements. It has to analyze the company's performance, forecast fund needs and make a recommendation. The case introduces the pattern of current assets and cash flows in a seasonal company and provides elementary exercise in the construction of the pro forma financial statements and estimation of fund needs.
Girls are supposed to play with dolls, wear pink, and grow up to become princesses. Boys are suppose to play with cars, wear blue, and become firefighters and policemen. These are just some of the common gender stereotypes that children grow up to hear. Interactions with toys are one of the entryway to different aspects of cognitive development and socialism in early childhood. As children move through development they begin to develop different gender roles and gender stereotypes that are influenced by their peers and caregivers.
competitors and their successes, one now sees by contrast what LEGO is and is not. To continue
As a consultant for Toys, Inc., I have been called in for my advice by the company’s president, Marybeth Corbella; on which of the two proposed options would be best for the company and for the customers as well. Toys, Inc. is a 20-year-old company that produces toys and board games, our company has a reputation built on quality and innovation. Although we have been the market leader in our field, the sales have become stagnant in recent years, and sales have begun to decline when comparing them to the sales in the past. With the company’s managers attributing the decline of sales on the economy, the company was forced to reduce production costs and layoffs in the design and product development departments; this action will hopefully increase
We should follow in their footsteps. We should remove gender-specific toy marketing and its negative effects such as pressuring children into certain jobs, hindering their learning, and sometimes even leading to them be bullied. One of the main reasons we should remove gender-specific marketing from children’s toys is that it pressures them into certain career choices. As Grinberg quotes from psychology professor Deborah Tolman many of children’s decisions about what they are interested in are developed through their play. Therefore, by marketing them to one gender or the other we are, “[leaving] out a whole range of possibilities,” (Grinberg).
The History of Adapted Toys After years of studying the role of playtime and its impact on children, there is widely acknowledged
Considering that most people point out the differences amidst one another. This is how we separate female from male. The human eye collects information that traces back to our inner thoughts. With one look, a person can judge and point out differences at the object of choice. This, for some, can be a big problem. Singling out a person 's differences can cause some to feel not equal. In the eyes of some men, women are usually seen as delicate creatures with a high level of emotion. For some women yes this accusation can be true. But not all women are programmed the same way. Men and women both have a tendency to have this picture in their mind of what a real female or male should look and act like. This thought comes into place with toys. Such as barbies. Girl barbies are commonly exhibited as somewhat curvy, surpassingly skinny, perfect hair and unblemished makeup. As for the boys, the standards are completely different. Barbies for boys are typically muscular, slightly tan, and ideal hair. Each of these different toys is usually encompassed with manly or girly accessories of choice. But why can 't a girl 's accessory be a motorcycle? or a skateboard? What about a guy barbies not having his own barbie house? The little details at times can mean more than is led on. A campaign called, “Free the nipple” evolved in 2014. It has touched on the fact that men can go topless without a care in the world, but women have