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| Engineer Debra Sterling & her first Goldie Blox construction story |
(Short on time but I wanted this out there ASAP, so please excuse the larger size of the excerpt - although there is much more to read at the link - and lack of additional sources and backstory!)Started by a female engineer, frustrated by the increasing rows upon rows of only pink and magenta options for girls, this woman sunk her life savings into building a new toy line for girls: building toys! (I think Brenda Chapman would be so proud!)
With help from Kickstarter and a very enthusiastic response (which got her twice her asked for amount for development funds) the new line "Goldie Blox" is already hitting ToysRUs shelves as you read...
✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ (click the "Read more" link below this line) ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒
It looks like she got the balance of what parents, women and especially girls, are looking for "just right". (And they can wear their tutus and tiaras or whistle while they work as well.)
Note: When I first read about this I dearly wanted to compile a list of resourceful fairy tale heroines who would have fit well with the Goldie Blox ideas (Fitcher's Bird comes to mind!) but that will have to wait for another time... In the meantime, HERE's a great page of "Mighty Girls" books someone put together on Pinterest.
Via Tor.com:
Female Engineer Spends Life Savings to Design Construction Toy for Girls
Women have been rallying for some time to overhaul the girl’s aisles in toy stores, tired of seeing everything packaged in pink, made for princesses, and only concerned with beauty or caretaking. But with tried-and-true brands like LEGO going out of their way to further remove girls from their central marketing, what can we expect besides more of the same?
Engineer Debra Sterling has figured it out. Because she knows little girls are more than princesses, and they deserve toys that engage their brains. With a brand new commercial to rally the troops, Goldie Blox is set to hit shelves.
First off, enjoy this incredibly badass commercial set to Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” featuring little girls constructing toys that better suit their needs and styles. They are fierce and unstoppable, and outraged that those rows upon rows of fuschia are letting them down.
...As she says, princesses and tiara-wearing can be fun for sure—but little girls are so much more than that. And they deserve toys that will prove it to them.
Goldie Blox’s first adventure is available at Toys’R’Us right now, with more stories on the way by the end of the summer. Support the future engineer in your family by giving her a head start!
See the whole story over at tor.com.
This looks fantastic! I agree with you about Fitcher's Bird. I was reading my collection of Grimm Fairytales only yesterday to discover that story and I was amazed that it wasn't better known than the disempowering "Bluebeard". Well, maybe I shouldn't be surprised. But it should be better known now!! :) The more I read fairytales, the more I discover that the majority actually have strong female characters, which is very heartening.
ReplyDeleteYes! I don't see fairy tale women as weak overall at all. I often try to imagine myself in those situations as I'm reading and think - wow they survived a lot, kept a cool head, were very wily etc etc It's not about swinging swords or using umbrellas as weapons that makes you strong. Often it's persisting, surviving, being resourceful and keeping a good heart and level head. I know I wouldn't measure up half as well in many of those circumstances. In fact, the majority of women I know would seem very weak by comparison, which is (yet another) reason I keep trying to reconnect people with fairy tales. They're are some truly rockin' women in there!
DeleteIt is good idea to always think poof a better idea to improve the learning power of both the young and the experienced persons.
DeleteThanks
Sanola Jerry
Plos Constructions