Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>What time is the three o'clock parade?<<< They have a shirt with that on it now. Disney's Stupid Line of Clothing for Stupid Guests! ™ That was brutal. Now I feel bad. LOL.
Originally Posted By leemac That toy observation really had me scratching my head as it just doesn't sound right. I can't think of any recent toy that was orientated towards boys that was readily adopted by girls. I can only go by anecdotal evidence (is that an oxymoron?) but you just don't see girls wandering around with Buzz or Woody very often - they are still very much boys' toys aren't they? You also rarely see girls clutching male plush - although I guess Mickey does bridge that divide - but you typically see boys with Goofy or Pluto. It just all seems to easy to say that girls will play with both boys' and girls' toys. Or is down to the fact that parents buy girls' toys for girls? I'm sure that girls may be more comfortable playing with boys' toys but it doesn't seem that they are naturally inclined to choose them over toys targeted at their own demographic. Ultimately most Fantasylands are geared towards girls anyhow because the rest of the park tends to lean towards boys (in theory of course). The expansion's problem wasn't the fact that it was targeted incorrectly - it was the fact that stuffing low capacity Meet 'n' Greets into an 18m annual attendance park was knuckle-headed even by Jay standards. It needed an urgent rethink because it wasn't going to work or appeal to everyone.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >> It just all seems to easy to say that girls will play with both boys' and girls' toys.<< "Easy" or not, it's a well known truism of the toy industry. Girls will, indeed, play with Transformers, construction sets, cars, Cars, pirates, cowboys and astronauts. Boys (aside from the very young) have no interest in dolls, dishes, dresses, princesses, Barbie, fairies, and fashion. Or those Pretty Ponies, for that matter. As stated before, there are always exceptions. There is also not any intention to stereotype what is "appealing" to each gender. It's just the reality of working in the toy industry.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: I wish there was a way for us to know exactly how many boys secretly play with girl's toys when no one is looking. ORWEN: We could find out by gazing into our crystal ball! ORDDU: And, in fact, we already have. But we don't want to 'out' anyone publically, do we? Just think of the embarrassment. ORWEN: Starting with a certain nasty old biddy who claims to HATE the 'prissy princesses'. But just the other day I caught her playing with-- ORGOCH: --Hold it right there, sister! If'n ya opens yer big fat mouth any wider I'm gonna put a curse on ev'ry one a those Krispy Kreme's ya brought home with ya this mornin'!!! ORWEN: (pause) I think I'm kinda in the mood for something sweet. I'll leave this topic for the rest of you to finish...
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<Ultimately most Fantasylands are geared towards girls anyhow because the rest of the park tends to lean towards boys (in theory of course).>> I'm not sure I agree with this. If you just take MK's Fantasyland as an example, most of it appeals to both boys AND girls. Aside from the Snow White ride, most of the attractions in the current version of Fantasyland would appeal to both genders. The new stuff that was announced would obviously have shifted Fantasyland's appeal strongly towards one gender, so I'm glad to hear they are having a re-think on what they are adding to that area. Princess Meet-and-Greets have absolutely no appeal for most people over the age of 10.
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt << I wish there was a way for us to know exactly how many boys secretly play with girl's toys when no one is looking.>> I have 2 girls, they have A LOT of male cousins. Trust me, BOYS PLAY WITH DOLLS! Boys play with kitchen sets, boys feed babies & like Barbie. Young ones paint their toe nails & put on tutus! The uptight fathers get mad & the little ones cry & scream "Well why cant I do it too, why can girls have all the fun"? Just my observations that's all.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>Trust me, BOYS PLAY WITH DOLLS!<< Very young children (pre-school) play with everything. But at a certain point, most (not all) kids tend to switch to fairly gender specific play patterns. It's odd, too, that it really cannot be controlled. A few anecdotal examples... Close friends had a little girl, and decided they would not "let" her engage in stereotypical "girl play." They provided a wide range of toys, with an emphasis on gender-neutral playthings. To their consternation, at about 4 or 5 she began clamoring for bunnies and butterflies. She had no interest in construction sets-- even blocks. In color choices she was drawn to pink, purple and lavender. I also recall seeing a little boy in a "progressive" toy store in LA. His mother was loudly exclaiming that they would never, NEVER have toys that encouraged hostility in their house! No weapons, and nothing to do with competition. Meanwhile, around the corner, her son picked up a toy broom, tucked it under his arm like a rifle and proceeded to "gun down" the stuffed animals on the shelves. I grew up in a family of four boys. We had a doll baby in the house, and I can recall cuddling and carrying it around when I was very young. I also would have tea parties for my stuffed animals. But at some point I lost all interest in that play, and switched to cars and building sets. There was no pressure, or even any real thought about it. I did have a brief flirtation with Barbie when I was about 10. A neighbor girl had a truly awesome setup, and would ask me to come over and play "Ken." Me, I was only too happy to do so when I discovered that Ken had the biggest, coolest sport car I had ever seen. The play pattern I settled on was pretty consistent: Ken would drive madly all over the house, with a stop off every now and then to offer Barbie a ride. These are all anecdotal examples, but pretty typical.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper This conversation is making me miss playing with toys... I want my Lego sets, haha.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 Deb beat me to it..... I was just going to tell Hokie that no one ever outgrows Legos! I just asked for them this Christmas as they are the only "Christmas Village" I have ever been interested in. Took them long enough!
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 I have three huge crates of legos. The grandchildren don't like them as much as my kids did.
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt ^^^your Granddaughter just made a face & shook her head "no" at the mention of Legos. Weird kid!
Originally Posted By DlandDug <--- HATED Legos as a kid. I was very happy with my American Bricks (actual brand name). <a href="http://www.architoys.net/toys/images/AMBRICK9.JPG" target="_blank">http://www.architoys.net/toys/...ICK9.JPG</a> Legos were next to impossible to pull apart, as I recall. They were also so many weird colors. And, back on topic (sorta), has anyone here seen the "Legos for girls?" They're pink and lavender and have little flowers 'n butterflies 'n stuff. Very... girly.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 **Noting to self that this is the 98th post and wondering if EE will fall asleep at the wheel again.....
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer I'm here, I'm here! LOL. I do have class in a hour, though... And I adored the "technic" line of Legos. Bionicle was a great thing. LOL.
Originally Posted By Mary2013 DlandDug, I wonder how much of your anecdotal evidence was influenced by the little girl seeing other girls playing with certain toys and wanting the same? My experience with all my nieces is if their friends have something, they MUST have the same thing.
