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Running head: SESSION PROJECT 4

Session Project 4- Toys and Television

John Mitchell
Ivy Tech Community College

SESSION PROJECT 4
Assessing Childrens Toys

Representation of Genderized Toys

I visited a Wal-Mart and observed the childrens toy section. There was very specific
organization in the way the toys were displayed and categorized. The aisles were categorized by
age, inside toys, outside toys, and the most obvious was by gender. There was a very distinct
difference between the girl and boy aisles because the boys had all plastic weaponry such as
swords, guns, bow and arrow, and even big punching gloves (the incredible hulk hands).
According to the textbook, preschool boys tend to be more aggressive physically, which can be a
factor for having weaponry in the boys section (Kail, 2015). The girl aisles contained Barbie
dolls, baby dolls, playhouse for dolls, and hair-designing toys. There was also a difference in the
color of the aisle from a long view because the boys were a darker color and the girls was
mostly pink or bright light colors.
The Stereotypical View
Yes, there was most definitely a stereotypical representation of the toys. The color of the
aisle that I mention earlier is a stereotypical view because it has been misrepresented that girls
like pink or yellow and boys like pretty much any other color. The Barbie or baby dolls that were
in the girl section was not in the boys section and no weaponry or super heroic characters were
in the girls section. I also noticed that the girls section had a kit for making bracelets and that
could suggest that girls are a bit more creative than boys. According to Maccoby and Jacklin,
girls have better effortful control (Kail, 2015). With that said, designing bracelets involves focus
consistency so maybe girls would do better with that activity.

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Presented Appropriately
I do not believe any of the toys are presented appropriately except for the toys that are
marketed for both genders. The stereotypes that boys like heroic themed toys and girls like

princess themed toys are not appropriate because children think this way because of the way they
are developed in society. I am not saying these toys are presented wrong but if a boy wants to
brush a princesss hair then that is what the child wants because maybe he wants to be a hair
stylist when he grows up. If a girl wants to dress up as a cowboy then let the child dress up as
one because being a child is experimenting the world. Putting limitation on what a certain gender
plays with is inappropriate. This marketing style is only for money because they do not care
about children. Greed will always overpower.
The Stereotypical Packaging
The packaging of a product can subliminally bring attention of a child towards the toy.
One of the ways packaging can be influential can be the picture on the box. Pictures on the boxes
can usually give you the gender that it is interested in. For instance, if the picture has a girl on it
then most likely it is a girl toy and vice versa for boys. The colors in the picture can give you
idea of what appropriate gender the seller is seeking. Action figures, Barbie dolls, accessories for
toys, or almost any other toy usually is visible through a plastic shield. This is enabling the child
to see what the toy looks like. Also, if they do not have plastic then sometimes the toy is zip tied
to a piece of cardboard, letting the child to be able to see and feel the toy.
The name of the product is usually obviously to the gender interest because if its a boy
then it will have a title that is heroic, manly, or boyish theme. The girls titles would have to do
with ponies, dolls, pink, princesses, make-up (fake), crafty, dress-up, or girly names that will
follow their stereotypical interest that the seller believes a girl likes.

SESSION PROJECT 4

I believe that a crafty building project toy that involves coloring or building things could
be marketed for boys and girls but depending on the name of the product it could astray from a
certain gender.
Marketing for Both Genders
Most of the toys are presented for a specific gender and age but there are some toys that
are represented appropriately for both genders. The toys I believe that are for both genders are
the board games, pool toys, bicycles, and outdoor stuff. The board games are just lined one after
another with no specific color or eye-popping features that are appropriate for a certain gender.
The bike area just shows bikes lined up and yes, you will come across an all pink bike that would
obviously be for a girl but most of the bikes are universal. The pool toys fit for everyone because
again no specific stereotype color features or anything that could appeal for the gender, for
instance a Barbie logo on a raft for a girl.
Appealing to Parents
The marketing of toys appeals to parents because the idea of finding where certain toys
are can be an easy process. If you have a daughter then you know to aim for the aisle that are
mainly pink and if the aisle is dark blue or red then, they know where to take your son. Being
able to see the toy through the packaging can give the parent the idea of hazards it can have or if
it is safe for their child to have.
Toys Contribution to Society
Toys can be an influential contribution to gender roles in society because children learn
roles and skills by playing with toys. Toys to some extent determine what skills and roles they
learn. Playing house or dress up toys is a stereotypical girl choice and the dramatic plays that
girls will mostly do, can prevent the boys from having that experience. The understanding of

SESSION PROJECT 4
being a nurturer or the experimentation with emotions can prevent a boy from learning when

they dont engage in dramatic plays that girls have with theyre toys. The reason I mention this is
because the heroic theme that boys play is given them a better understanding of dominance,
which could lead to independency. I am not saying this is a bad thing but it proves that toys can
influence the way a child thinks. Developing growing ideas in their brains can define who they
are as a person, which can also influence what type of person they are, what job they will work,
or their education preferences.

Seeing is Believing: Gender Roles in Childrens Television Programming

Name of Program: Power Rangers

Day and Time of Program: Monday at 6:00 A.M.
Primary Audience: Boys
Why Would Children Like This Show?
Children, especially boys, would like this show because it is action packed. There is a
heroic team of ninja fighters that face bad people or villains that try to hurt civilians or plan an
attack. I believe the children like it because they know no matter what the ninjas face, that in the
end they will be victorious and defeat the evil villains. The funny cheesy comments that the
characters use can be another reason because to me they are ridiculously cheesy or even stupid
but it is appropriate for a young child. The explosions, fighting, and the suspense that is in this
action filled childrens show can bring the attention to a child and could even make the child
believe they could be a crime fighter or hero.

SESSION PROJECT 4
Gender Stereotyping

The stereotype I noticed the most was the people that needed to be saved from the power
rangers, were helpless weak women that happen to be gorgeous. It is usually a weak woman that
is being saved because most of the ninja are males and the romantic persona the show gives can
subliminally mean, if you are heroic then you can be with a beautiful woman. This can lead into
sex or any other acts that should not be going through a childs mind. The other incidence I
noticed was the girl power rangers were the stereotypical colors pink and yellow. The boys were
red, blue, and green. I was surprised to see girls as ninjas but of course they were unevenly
compared to the male ninjas.
My Likes
I liked this show because even though the girls were in stereotypical colored suits and
were out numbered by the boys, it still showed that girls could be heroic, too. I am a male myself
and I am attracted to action packed films so, I liked the explosions and fighting scenes. I know
they were cheesy but I know I can withstand watching power rangers compared to a girl themed
show. I guess I have put myself under the stereotypical likes of males.
My Dislikes
My dislikes of this TV show is the violence. This show perceives that the world is full of
violence and bad people. Yes, in a way this is true but giving the child the information can be
damaging. Violence and deaths that a child witnesses from TV shows can influence their
perspective in life and their understanding on what is considered right or wrong. According to the
text, a childs behavior can be more aggressive if they watch shows with violence (Kail, 2015).

Advertisements

SESSION PROJECT 4
The commercials in between the show were most definitely stereotypical because most

were advertising Legos, heroic action figures, or weaponry of some kind that was had the interest
of boys. It made sense to advertise for boys because the show was mainly for boys. There was a
commercial for girls and it was for shirt decorating. It involved shirts that you can draw on and
reused but the all the children in the commercial were girls and that can draw away attention
from boys. The pictures on the shirts were hearts, ponies, princesses, or anything associated with
girls and the colors of the markers that they use were pink, yellow, or lighter colors. This is
another example of representation of a toy that could be for both genders but the stereotypical
girl interests advertised made it seem like it was only for girls.

Reference Page

SESSION PROJECT 4
Kail, R. (2015). Children and their development (7th ed.) Pearson Education.