(no subject)

[yubsie]

Things that make me sad:

We were at McDonald's yesterday. They have gendered toys for Happy Meals this month. Now, almost invariably the "boy" toy is infinitely cooler than the "girl" toy, but this time it went even further than usual. Girls are apparently supposed to get Strawberry Shortcake.

Boys get freaking STAR WARS.

Comments

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

The gendering of toys in this society is out of control.

And it's especially bad when we don't get Star Wars.

[yubsie]

There's really absolutely no reason Star Wars couldn't be a gender neutral month. Have they learned nothing from the story of little Katie and her water bottle? (Though really, the boys' toy has always been more interesting. My mother spent a lot of time telling clerks she had three boys because my sister and I would get jealous if our brother got a toy that did stuff and we were stuck with a doll)

[hm-yrie.livejournal.com]

What

The

Hell


I'm so going to McDonalds and ordering a Boys Happy Meal now. And when they say "but you're 30 and a girl" I'll explain "girls like Star Wars." Maybe I'll wear all my fandom shit.

NO! Better yet! Who wants to DRESS UP and go to McDonalds? Star Wars costumes FTW!

[yubsie]

... there is a certain appeal to the costume plan.

[nixmom.livejournal.com]

WTF!?!?!?
Getting my keys and my daughter and going to McDonalds. Two happy meals please! Strawberry Shortcake is pussies, give me a damn jedi!

[yubsie]

There are lightsabers! Why do they think girls want a doll that doesn't do anything when they could get light up lightsabers?

[utah-yoda.livejournal.com]

I have two girls, so don't get me started on the gendered happy meal toys. They only get kids meals when Grandma is buying, anyway, and last week they got Transformers toys that light up. My MIL was furious; "Why would they give boy toys to girls?" Since it was her birthday, I decided not to verbally tear her head off. I should probably send a thank-you not to the employee for giving my kids the cooler toy.

[yubsie]

My coworkers would tease me because I would trip over my tongue asking parents which toy it should be by the full names rather than just "Would you like a boy toy or a girl toy?". I figured even if my mother hadn't spent years telling order takers that she had three boys rather than two girls and a boy, the mere fact that it was the "boy" toy we were opening up to play with in the break room was a hint that a lot of girls would probably prefer it too.

And I would get very annoyed when they'd say "girl toy" only to have their daughter inform me that she would prefer the other toy. I did not ask them whether their child was a boy or a girl, I asked which toy she wanted.

[seryan.livejournal.com]

You are awesome. I approve of this action.

[yubsie]

I knew full well there were a lot of girls who didn't want a stupid doll that you couldn't even change the clothes on, thereby limiting her role in any story.

[seryan.livejournal.com]

You'd think/wish/hope that by now there'd be LESS gender-specific nonsense. Instead I could almost be certain there's MORE.

[yubsie]

I'm pretty sure that when I was a kid, the gendered toy thing was once a year for Hot Wheels/Barbie.

Of course, that's the other thing. When they do the gendered toys, there's a HUGE variety for what they'll do for the boy toy, but the girl toy is always some sort of doll.

[jemmadove.livejournal.com]

Aw, I always liked them both. :( I guess I'm bad at being girly AND bad at being geeky. :P

[helplessdancer.livejournal.com]

I don't eat fast food anymore but I'm really really really tempted to go to McDonalds, get a happy meal, and make them give me a frakking Star Wars toy and do all this while dressed nicely in a professional looking suit.

[lady-padme.livejournal.com]

They don't light up. I got one of those. They suck. And as for Strawberry Shortcake vs. Star Wars, the McDonalds near us didn't even have Strawberry Shortcake. They had some other doll thing that consisted of the bust of a doll. She had a big head and hair and you got a comb to comb her big hair. * shivers * It was creepy. But the Star Wars toy was a disappointment. It was a stupid lightsaber that DOES NOT light up. It just extends or retracts. Blech. We actually wanted the Pokemon toys but they ended the promotion the day before we went. My kids were very disappointed.
As for gendering the toys, what's wrong with a grown woman asking for a happy meal with a boy toy? I do it all the time.

[somadanne.livejournal.com]

Here if you order a Happy Meal, they ask whether yo want the girl toy or the boy toy.

[yubsie]

Yeah, that's standard procedure. It just annoys me that the better toy is always the "boy" toy. When I worked there I used to stumble through the full names of both toys because I figured a lot of girls would want the toy the we were playing with in the break room instead of the doll. And then I'd get annoyed when people wouldn't actually check with their daughters before answering and then the girl would pipe up that actually, she would prefer the other toy.

[djcati.livejournal.com]

I always ask for the toy by name if I get a Happy Meal during one of those months. "Girl toy or boy toy?" "BATMAN."

... I may start saying that even when Batman isn't one of the options.

(And yeah, I was one of those girls who would correct my parents when I was a kid. FUCK BARBIE, I WANTED HOT WHEELS.)