For the most recent issue of The Toy Book, I had a chance to research trends in the doll industry, and one that stuck out is an increase in dolls with potential appeal for boys. Arklu, the creator of Lottie Dolls, is planning to introduce its first boy doll, Kite Flyer, this fall. Meanwhile, Haba will be introducing Fritzi, a doll that has no assigned gender—Fritzi can be a boy doll for boys, or a girl doll for girls. There’s also Grandmas2Share, which is marketing grandmother-themed dolls as playthings for children of both genders.
This widening of the doll market makes perfectly good business sense. Kids are playing with traditional toys for fewer years than prior generations, so this is one way to maximize the profitability of new waves of dolls. Secondly, the toy industry has already seen plenty of reverse gendered toys going in the opposite direction, and culminating in successes like Nerf Rebelle and Lego Friends (If you need a refresher on reverse gendering, I invite you to check out our own Magdalene Michalik‘s commentary, Let Kids Play With What They Want!, published on this very blog back in March). If traditionally boy-centric toys have been successfully translated for girls, dolls like Fritzi and Kite Flyer seem like the next logical step.
Now one might argue that boys have had their own versions of dolls all along, in the form of action figures (There is certainly credence to this: In pictures, the original, 12-inch-tall G.I. Joe: America’s Moveable Fighting Man doesn’t look all that different from some of the fashion dolls currently on the market!). But what I would cite as the major difference between most action figures and dolls like Fritzi is the type of play each is poised to inspire. When I recently spoke to an Arklu representative, they said Kite Flyer is meant to inspire play patterns similar to Toy Story‘s Woody. If you’ve ever watched that movie, it’s clear that Woody inspires pretend play in his owner, Andy, but a sort that is relatively lighthearted and down-to-Earth.
Compare that to some of the more popular action figure brands for boys, which seemingly exist in a universe that is more fantastical. However, it’s also laden with seemingly endless guns, fisticuffs, and explosions. And many of these popular toy brands for boys serve as the basis for movies, TV series, comic books, etc., which only reinforce the themes surrounding those toys. Now for the record, I believe in the imaginative power of children and their ability to create any kind of scenario from their toys (Growing up, I saw G.I. Joe attending plenty of tea parties in dolls houses, and despite his military background, he can be quite the refined gentleman). But what I can’t help wondering is, in the case of boys’ imaginative play, why must the starting point be a robot laden with missiles? Or a gunship? Or a sword-wielding ninja?
When I see doll companies showing an interest in reaching out to boys, I wonder if that means parents are surveying the action figure landscape, and wondering, “How about toys that will inspire imaginative play, but of a less ‘edgy’ kind?” Will these new dolls turn out to be what they’re looking for? Only time will tell.
For more commentary from Phil, check back often. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Toy Book as a whole. We hope that you will share your comments and feedback below. Until next time!
