Kids’ Gender-Exploration Kit

The fine folks at PG Toys contacted me and asked if I would write about their first kids’ toy project, The Gender-Play-Doh Kit. The kit includes:

• A convertible bag
• Lipstick
• Nail Polish
• Clip-on Earrings
• Make your own bracelet!
• Black makeup for drawing on facial hair
• Suspenders
• A Bow-Tie
• A set of flash cards with fun vocabulary for gender education.

I’m all for kids exploring the gender spectrum, and for learning new vocabulary to prepare themselves for life in the 21st century, whether they follow non-traditional gender paths or know someone who has. I have to ask myself the key question, though: Would I buy this for my son?

The answer is no, but more because of how the kit was executed than because I’m against gender exploration (I’m not.) Maybe it’s the marketing photo, which shows the male items next to the toolbag, and the female items next to the purse. If they’re espousing gender play, why not show the lipstick near the toolbag and the bow tie in the purse?

I have to question, too, some of the items included. How many men these days wear suspenders and bow ties? Will kids relate these to “things worn by those who express themselves as men” or as “things worn by old fogies”? A long clip-on necktie would have been a better choice. A man’s wallet would be a good addition, too. I’m also having trouble in that the objects represent the ends of the gender spectrum but not the middle as well. Why not add, say, an ambiguous pair of sunglasses?

I wonder about the obviousness of the bag labels as well. Often kids learn best when they don’t know they’re learning. The kit might get more use if it contained a plain toolbag and purse, not ones that proclaimed “My Gender Tools” or “My Gender Purse.” I’m thinking of the old advice given to actors, “Show me, don’t tell me.” Instead of the labels, PG Toys could put Velcro dots around the whole thing, and include a set of felt flowers, butterflies, and sports hats and balls. If a child wanted a toolbag with flowers or a purse with footballs, so be it.

The gender-vocabulary cards are a good idea, and it would be nice to see these made available as a stand-alone pack for those of us who already have both purses and toolbags in our kids’ toyboxes. Going back to the “show me, don’t tell me” theory, though, I can’t help wondering if a storybook incorporating these terms would be more effective. How many kids will say “Hey, mom, let’s go through the gender flashcards again,” vs. “Hey mom, let’s read that cool story about the kids who found the magic wand [or whatever the plot is]?” Older children might like the directness of the flashcards, but elementary-schoolers, for whom the kit seems designed, might absorb more through a story.

Finally, Hasbro may raise an eyebrow (bushy or plucked) at the use of the term “Play-Doh.” I’d advise PG Toys to avoid the lawyers and change the name.

That’s a lot of criticism, but I hope it’s constructive, because the idea of giving kids the means to explore concepts of gender and self is long overdue. I’m happy to see people starting to tackle this.