Evidence seems to be suggesting that gender-stereotyped toys in the mould of Barbie are on the way out, after LEGO’s set of female scientists sold out in three days.
The set, proposed by a Swedish geochemist, consists of a paleontologist, a chemist and an astronomer all dressed casually – a marked difference from the supermodel-thin, overly-made-up ‘Entrepreneur Barbie’ (dressed head-to-toe in pink, of course) that was released last month.
And the success of the LEGO scientists seems to indicate that companies and consumers are turning away from ‘traditional’ toys.
Playmobil have a pair of female judoku, Disney have released a female African-American doctor doll, while the Little Thinker doll collection includes figures like Florence Nightingale and Frida Kahlo (complete with trademark monobrow).
‘I think it’s equally important for boys to be exposed to these sorts of things,’ Carolyn Danckaert, whose site promotes the toys, told The Guardian.
‘It’s really important for them to have a sense of women’s contribution to history, to know that they can be strong and confident creative characters.’
Dr Ellen Kooijman, the geochemist who proposed the female scientist LEGO set, did have one grievance however: the scientists wearing lipstick.
‘I strongly discourage wearing makeup in the lab, because it may cause contamination of the samples,’ she told Rorar Rude Tranbaek, a LEGO spokesperson.