I love this 1981 Lego ad, sent in by Nora R. (found at Flikr):
This is what I looked like as a kid. Except that I have naturally curly hair that my mom couldn’t control, so add a halo of frizz sticking out everywhere. And it’s been a while since I’ve seen an ad that shows a girl like this–wearing clothes and playing with a toy that aren’t meant to be specifically “feminine” in our current version of that. She’s playing with regular Legos–not some special version for girls that makes a shopping mall or purse or tube of lipstick! And she’s beautiful!
I’ve seen other ads from the ’70s and ’80s, particularly for Tonka trucks, that show girls like this–in clothes that look like they’re actually made for playing instead of making a fashion statement, and playing with toys in the same way boys would, even if it means getting dirty (gasp!). When we see ads that always show girls in pink, playing with “girl” versions of toys, or engaged in passive activities, that’s a particular marketing choice, not some inevitable, obvious way girls need to be depicted to sell products.
[Note: In the comments, we’re getting a lot of love for the Legos. That’s fine and all, but I must speak up for Lincoln Logs, which were way more awesome if you wanted to build corrals to hold your Breyer horses.]
[Note 2: Holy crap! Someone remade the “Thriller” video with Lego people! I have to admit, Legos probably work better for this purpose than Lincoln Logs would.]
NEW! Nov ’09 I found three more examples of ads that seem devoid of gender differentiation (here, here, and here):
Comments 149
Amy — July 17, 2009
Aw, that is so cute! I wish more ads today were like this one.
jfruh — July 17, 2009
That pretty much looks like every Lego thing I ever built as a kid. I think they're marketed now much more in terms of building the specific thing each playset is designed for (i.e., build the Harry Potter castle!) but I'm assuming kids still do that once and then throw all the bricks into their huge Box O' Legos.
hoshi — July 17, 2009
i was a huge lego fan as well. ^_^ (oddly enough, i also have naturally curly hair that my mom couldn't control. weird....)
i actually sorted my legos by color and stored them in different shoe boxes. i built MASSIVE houses with secret passages and floors that you could lift up.
but there is one thing about this ad that's bugging me, and i can't stop staring at it... her head looks disproportionate to her body. i know that kids are like that for a while, but something looks off. maybe it was the camera angle. *^_^*
anywho, i direly wish that legos were still marketed like this.
Jennifer — July 17, 2009
This is wonderful. Thank you for sharing this one; I'm moved by how simple and perfect it is.
Laurie — July 17, 2009
This is me as a kid too. I ADORED my legos. And overalls.
FreshPeaches — July 17, 2009
How wonderful! I wish they still made ads like this.
And I had a HUGE bucket of legos as a kid. They were AWESOME!
Kelly — July 17, 2009
"i was a huge lego fan as well. ^_^ (oddly enough, i also have naturally curly hair that my mom couldn’t control. weird….)"
ME TOO! woah. We have too many curly-haired lego fans now.
Duran — July 17, 2009
I think the implication that white girls play with legos, while girls of color don't, is objectionable. So white girls have the engineering skills and hand-eye coordination to build beautiful [sic] structures, but girls representing more diverse ethnic backgrounds don't? Or perhaps it's that the other girls can't afford such a modern and intellect-stimulating toy, or, worse, wouldn't want to train to be civil engineers? Either way, the ad is appalling to the sensibilities.
See how stupid you all sound?
Gwen Sharp, PhD — July 17, 2009
I actually didn't play with Legos all that much--I was a Lincoln Logs girl. I was always frustrated that I couldn't build the things shown on the container, though.
Penny — July 17, 2009
Hey Gwen, that's okay--I was partial to Tinkertoys myself. We had legos and Lincoln Logs too. Sometimes we combined all three kinds of building toys in the same structure, inhabited by the little Playskool people they don't make anymore because they were a choking hazard.
Jennifer — July 17, 2009
I guess I don't get it, Duran. If we're all so stupid, and if you hate the site admins so much (I've seen you insult one of them on numerous occasions before), why do you still visit the site?
If I felt such hatred for a blog, its maintainers, and its readers, I would probably stop visiting it. Personally, I don't have the energy or the time to devote so much of my internet browsing to frequenting sites that I DON'T like.
Anne — July 17, 2009
Jennifer,
Normally I would say "willful ignorance aggressively maintained" when describing someone like Duran, but it goes beyond that. He's so incredibly threatened by these discussions that he can't walk away. He needs to brow beat us into thinking his way because losing his precious, precious privilege is the scariest thing in the world and he must fight to keep it. He's so caught up in that fear that it blocks his ability to see things for how they are or learn anything new.
We should all feel sorry for him (and that Larry guy who pops up on here occasionally too).
Kristin — July 17, 2009
I remember going over to visit my (male) cousin's house specifically so I could play with his legos since nobody would ever get me any.
jose — July 17, 2009
Gwen...that made my day! There's an authenticity in the presentation of that little girl that is missing in modern advertising. That's how I see my five year old...authentically beautiful without any help from Madison Ave.!
Cedar — July 17, 2009
I stared at this ad for a very long time, just not getting it. I can't really explain it, but the idea of an ad with just a little girl playing with a non girl-gendered toy was so strange, so straight-forward to me, I was convinced there something I was missing, a smirky little joke or self-conscious reference.
gem — July 17, 2009
Have you looked at Lego lately? It's really hard to get just plain boxes of the stuff (at least where I am in Canada). I'm disappointed with it. I find it is sold in themed boxes -- who wants pink pony Lego? No me. I want to buy a box of 300 pieces just so my kid can create something out of her own imagination.
Nataly — July 17, 2009
Anne, you are so right.
Legos always used to frustrate me as a child because I couldn't build anything other than a square house. But once we went to a place where you'd build Lego structures to try and withstand simulated earth quakes and that was awesome.
Penny — July 17, 2009
Gem--at Legoland you can buy Legos by the pound, any colors or sizes or shapes you like--mix and match if you like--they're in bins just like nuts and beans at Whole Foods. And they have tables stocked for building nearby. (Best part of Legoland, in my book.) I wish they sold them like that elsewhere.
Angela — July 17, 2009
Ive been reading for a while, and it seems like Duran never has anything nice to say about the articles and frequently reminds us how useless she/he thinks the articles and authors are. Give some constructive criticism at least on how to improve the posts, or if you really hate soc images so much maybe you should stop giving them so much traffic. Really, there are better ways to express your opinions than just insulting people, for example explaining your points or veiws.
Angela — July 17, 2009
Penny- Toys R Us and other large chains should have an entire section devoted ot what you describe :D
Bagelsan — July 17, 2009
I played with Legos a bit, but I particularly liked K'nex as a kid -- my sisters and I would build the toughest, sturdiest little cars we could and then send them off the 2nd floor banister (whichever one exploded the least won.) And we'd try out the larger motorized projects with our dad. We had a Merry-Go-Round that actually went around, and once we built a Ferris Wheel with seats that were on little axle piece so that they would swing properly and carry things in them. My dad was pretty stoked about out interest in this stuff 'cause basically everyone in his family tree was an engineer of some type. :)
(And I *had* curly blonde hair as a kid but I grew out of it. :p)
Colette — July 17, 2009
I work at a day camp/day care and I actually took the Legos away for a time because everyone (boys and girls) were fighting over them. We need MORE but don't have the money... some day though! :D
Penny — July 18, 2009
Penny- Toys R Us and other large chains should have an entire section devoted ot what you describe :D
See, that's what I get for not going into Toys R Us! Most of my kids' Legos are gifts, or handmedowns (which is another way to get them without "sets").
Depeche Mode — July 18, 2009
"My penis is incredibly small."
See how pitiful you sound, Duran?
Yoni — July 18, 2009
Aww, that is such a cute ad. I'm glad they had a girl playing Legos. Changes a part of my perceptions of what "long time ago" was like. It's refreshing not to see dolls. :)
Morgiana — July 18, 2009
I don't get it. I know that Gwen's work is threatening Duran's special privilege and that he feels intimidated, but...
If he can't even hold his own in a dialogue, has no awareness of the meaning of the word "dialogue" and STILL has not convinced the rest of us that his bigoted world view is right, what is making him come back? We don't go around trolling conservative forums and hacking the KKK website. (At least, I don't.)
My Theory: I think Duran wants some wuv and attention. All alone and no one is visiting him. Awww. All his comments are generally inflammatory, vile and are easily destroyed by logic, plenty of examples, evidence, etc. They don't serve any purpose than to draw attention, like Perez Hilton's blog. Maybe someone should send him a fuzzy huggy bear that says "It's alright!" and "Cheeeeer up!" when you hug it's tum tum.
CJ — July 18, 2009
I'm just trying to figure out when 1981 became vintage.
suzanne — July 19, 2009
We just took our 2 youngest boys to Legoland from New Hampshire, and as my 8 year old said: Trip. Of. A. Lifetime.
here's my feeble attempt to blog about our experience...
http://frugalfeasts.blogspot.com/2009/07/legoland-usa.html
Lady Lee — July 19, 2009
I spent a lot of time making Lincoln Log corrals for my Breyer horses. That was genuinely my favorite activity - after playing with little plastic cowboys and indians, of course.
Janet Quinn — July 20, 2009
I suggest the ad works because we're connecting to the emotional high we felt when creating freely as children. We feel inspired. At this age my neighborhood had a spy club. Our essential equipment included water pistols that looked like automatics and "invisible" wire, aka fishing line. We'd design and create elaborate courses with the wire strung across several back yards. Then (for hours) we'd have to crawl/jump/traverse without touching the wire. We got to sneak around and take the other guys' team out with our water pistols. And we had to watch Jonny Quest, Get Smart and Man from Uncle each week if we wanted to stay in the club. Pure joy.
gem — July 20, 2009
I know we get different toys in Canada but it's hard for me to fathom that you can buy generic assorted Lego.
Take a look at the Toys-r-us Canada web site and look at what Lego they sell.
http://www.toysrus.ca/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2585829&cp=2585829&clickid=leftnav_brand_txt
It's all themed.
Lucy Johnson — July 21, 2009
I love it! Bring back the 70s and 80s! I was that little girl, but had short hair so I acutally looked like a 'boy'. Progressive parents eh?
Lucy Johnson — July 21, 2009
A little boy in 'girls' clothes in an ad? Even if 'dressing up'? I reckon it is unthinkable...then and now...does this exist?
Lucy Johnson — July 21, 2009
As to why 'girly' things are seen as so unanimously appalling...why is this? Can't girls be girly, or even boys be girly?
Lucy Johnson — July 21, 2009
Still I am trying to send this blog entry to facebook, delicious, without much luck for some reason...darn...
Lucy Johnson — July 21, 2009
Goodness knows where the multi-racial lego thing might fit in...I had lego as a kid...people were always giving us the nurse set stuff...or was that play people? I'm forgetting...
Lucy Johnson — July 21, 2009
Interestingly the girl does have red hair though...
Evan Monaco — July 22, 2009
Not nice. Glad We don't live in THAT time now.
Life is great!
Joe Kroll — December 23, 2009
The Lego ad shown here came to my attention in the context of an article published in the "Guardian" (UK). It appears in the print version only, but the article might interest readers of this blog nonetheless:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/dec/12/pinkstinks-the-power-of-pink
Steph — January 16, 2010
Ohmigosh! I had that McDonalds cart and I LOVED it! I just gave it away last summer. The pie with a face was a whistle! Good times, good times. :)
Mia — May 30, 2010
I grew up in the 70's and 80's, and it was NOT just the age of girls being allowed to do boy things. It was probably the golden age of dolls for boys. My Buddy, anyone? It was a conscious decision on the part of adults, for sure, but we heard a lot of "It's ok for girls to play with trucks and for boys to play house," from TV and teachers alike.
As a parent now, I find this hard line between the sexes in clothes and toys pretty appalling, not because I have a political ax to grind, but because I have a 5-year-old daughter who loves Superheroes (mainly Batman and Spiderman) and it kills me when she gets mean-spirited teasing on the playground for it. Kids aren't stupid. They pick up quickly on the gender norms around them and those being marketed to them, and they are quick to enforce them as well.
On a more visceral level, the whole princess-shopping-fashion thing that seems to dominate products for girls really does make me want to hurl. Girls aren't that vapid... unless you WANT them to be.
Luke — March 4, 2011
If you look hard enough, you can still see some gender-ing of the kids:
Playskool ad: All the boys are engaged in activities- the left boy is walking outside of the house, suggesting he's "going" somewhere; the center holding a basketball, suggesting he's physically active; the rightmost one is literally being active. Both girls, on the otherhand, appear to be passively standing in place- the one in the house hanging out the window like a cat or houseplant, the one by the slide is an encouragement "accessory" for the boy on the slide.
1st Fisher-Price ad: The boy is wearing glasses and holding a clipboard, implying, respectively, (in the pop cultural way) intelligence and possession of knowledge/command of the situation. The girl is again simply part of the display; the way her hand is placed on the truck's "rollbar" isn't so dissimilar from a Wheel of Fortue girl showing the letters contestants guess.
2nd Fisher-Price ad: The girl is the servant/waitress hidden behind the counter, with her toy headset on, handing food to some imagined customer (likely the child whom FP wants to buy the McDonald's playset), equating lower social status and being a girl. Admittedly the boy, simultaneously peaking out from the playset and holding the merchandise half to himself and half to the imagined customer, is less difficult to typecast.
My position on gendered advertising is likely quite different in its origin from the rest of the posters here, as well as the blogger's without a doubt, so I'll not go into my feelings on this issue as a whole.
Pannadol — December 21, 2011
Vs Lego for girls today: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/lego-targets-girls-with-block-and-awe-campaign-20111221-1p5lq.html
Nadine Wettlaufer — December 28, 2011
I have a lot of respect for the points many feminists are making RE: the new "LEGO Friends" sets. And I LOVE LEGO. BUT I would argue that a lot of people are also viewing "non-girly" LEGO through rose-coloured glasses and believing it is gender-neutral. Often it NOT.
For example:
- we are trained to see "boys" toys as being inherently more neutral and universal than "girls" toys. So we often see "normal" LEGO as more neutral than it actually is.
- the toy market in mainstream Western society is extraordinarily gendered and dichotomized, and has been for years (though not uniformly so)
- building toys are still gendered male in mainstream Western society. I hate to tell you, but it is true. It's nice that some people believe this has gone away, but there are many places where it has never gone away!!!
- the LEGO people are called mini-figures (minifigs for short). This calls to mind the dilemma of dolls versus action figures. And LEGO is trapped by this paradigm too...
- the ratio of male minifigs to female minifigs is extraordinarily disappointing in many lines, though there has been some recent improvement!
- And the RACE/ETHNICITY issues in LEGO are deeply embedded and often terribly sad and maddening! (even though there are occasional moments of improvement)