Gender Neutra

l Toy M

arketing:

Past, Pre

sent, and Fu

ture

by Sabina Le

ybold

1920s: Little Homemaker

“Every little girl likes to play house, to sweep, and to do mother’s work for

her.”

1970s: Gendered Ads Decline• Decline due to:– Women in labor force– Marriage and fertility– Second-wave

feminism

1970s: Gendered Ads Decline

1980s: TV Becomes Gendered

1990s: Little Princess• Explicit sexism color cues, fantasy

roles• Little homemaker becomes little

princess

What Now? What’s Next?• Target: reorganization by

theme/interest• Toys still gendered• Public reaction

What Now? What’s Next?• Why so gendered still?• Profitable to prevent hand-me-downs• Opportunity: broaden by

age/interests