Union Between Worlds

 

From: Katie

            When you walk through the toy isles of any store, there is a stark contrast between toys marketed to boys versus girls. The two isles of toys have been cultivated for years, ensuring that both markets have a guaranteed customer base with little to no overlap. And theoretically, there is nothing physically stopping children from choosing toys from the different isles, there are many aspects as to how children will interact with these toys. The girls are given dolls and animals to nurture and decorate, while the boys are given cars and action figures to crash and fight. But what were to happen if the children’s separate spheres of play were to cross over more?

My topic for this assignment focuses on the themes presented in the article “The ‘Two Cultures’ of Childhood” specifically inspired by the segment in Toy and Activity Preferences where they modified a “My Little Pony” toy to a point that “Both boys and girls classified the altered pony as a boy’s toy” as opposed to a girl’s toy (Rudman). This image depicts two different children’s toys, both of which have been modified. The left is a small unicorn that has been painted black, hair cut short and colored red, with sharp teeth a mean look on its face. On the right is a Mortal Kombat character named Baraka who wears a Barbie wedding dress, crown and veil, holding a bouquet of flowers. The two are standing side by side, as if these two were getting married, with the background blurred to draw extra attention to the two objects. With the picture being very focused on the two toys, the audience is compelled to consider why these two would be considered strange. It is still obvious what the two items used to be and who they would have been advertised to, as the shape of the pony is very soft and flowy while Baraka is sharp and bloody around the face. Although, Baraka may still be identified as a boy’s toy since it was not as heavily modified as the pony.

While getting the toys ready, I realized how much fun I was having with these two as if I was a child again. Especially when getting Baraka ready I felt a strange fascination on how surprisingly well the Barbie dress fitted over the action figure. Even if it is a tight fit with one of the straps snapping, I could very well see a pair of siblings do a similar type of play together. While I do not foresee toy companies actively encourage boys and girls playing with these toys together, a child’s imagination could make anything happen.

 

Works Cited

Rudman, Laurie A., et al. “The Two Cultures of Childhood,” The Social Psychology of Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations. The Guilford Press, 2015, 59-63.