I’m A Terrible Person Because I Want All The Toys Just Released On The ‘Worst Toys’ List
The Campaign For A Commercial Free Childhood has just released its “Worst Toys Of 2012” list and you guys! I would so totally buy some of these! Not shockingly, the Lego Friends Butterfly Beauty Shop has made the list:
just for girls and so jam-packed with condescending stereotypes it would even make Barbie blush. Bye-bye square, androgynous figures; hello, curves ”˜n eyelashes! And at the LEGO Friends Butterfly Beauty Shop, your little princess won’t need to worry her pretty little head about icky boy things like building. Instead, she can ”get primped and pretty and have some serious salon fun,” ”shop for makeup and hair accessories,” or ”gossip out on the bench by the scenic fountain.”
I get why the CCFC takes issue with this, mostly due to the sucky sexist copy written in the toy description, but as a mom who has some Lego-lovin’ kids, I can tell you, both my son and daughter play with the Lego friends line, and all the bricks has been absorbed into the old-school BOY Legos, and anything girl-centric from the Friends line has been used to for everything from building towers to making barricades to constructing skyscrapers that are then destroyed by plastic dinosaurs. My kids don’t play with these fully aware of the gender stereotypes pre-built into them, they are just excited to have more Lego pieces to play with. I think the CCFC needs to realize that most kids aren’t organized enough to separate “boy Legos” from “girl Legos.” At the end of the day, they are all prone to get trapped in the vacuum hose or getting underfoot by a slipper-less parent anyway.
Next we have the The Put Me In The Story App by Jabberwocky Kids, which is an app where parents can transform best-selling children’s books into e-books starring your own children. The CCFC is concerned that the app turns kids into “narcissists.” Have they never met a three-year-old before? Tiny children are total narcissists! It’s their job! All they care about is their needs, their wants, their feelings, and starting to learn that they are their own little beings, separate from their parents. It’s a normal phase of childhood behavior, and I’m sorry, if it’s comic books or graphic novels or even e-books starring your own kids, reading is something that should always be encouraged. Raising readers is one of the most important things parents can do for their children. If they get them started by letting them star in an e-book I really don’t see an issue, if it results in a kid who loves books.
And finally, the 7-11 Slurpee Maker. I can see where the CCFC is concerned with empty calories and a commercialized convenience store product aimed at kids, but as an adult I can tell you that on a hot summer day, making a Slurpee run and after getting it home, dumping in a few glugs of good vodka is one of the best trashy treats ever. It’s like a magarita but with no annoying strawberry seeds to get in the way of your alcohol consumption! I may have to revise my wish list to Santa.
(photo: amazon)
