M&S to only sell "gender neutral" toys
Marks and Spencer has confirmed that their toy ranges will be gender neutral from Spring 2014.
The store announced their decision on twitter yesterday afternoon following criticism over their separate toy ranges for male and female children.
Shoppers accused the store of “casual sexism” for its “Boy’s Stuff” and “Little Miss Arty” ranges.
The criticism started when twitter user Jane Merrick complained over the branding of a Marble Run game she had planned to buy for her daughter was heavily branded as “Boy’s Stuff”.
The store has since changed their online description to “kid’s stuff” but the toy’s box still features a prominent logo of a skull and cross bones with “Boy’s Stuff” written on it.
Several shoppers also took to twitter following Jane Merrick’s complaint, with shoppers complaining that the branding was inappropriate.
The store eventually replied to a complaint by Labour MP Stella Creasy, they wrote: “Hi Stella, we've listened to customer feedback and by spring next year all of our toys will be gender neutral. Thanks."
The store has claimed that they had actually been planning the decision to stop gender specific advertising for several months and that the plans would be implemented from spring 2014.
Campaign group “Let Toys Be Toys” claim that gendered advertising for children has been falling out of favour in recent years.
In a recent survey the group found that 60% fewer shops use “boy’s” and “girl’s” signs compared to last year.
Kerry Brennan, one of the Let Toys Be Toys campaign’s founders said, “While there’s still a long way to go to address sexism in the toy industry, the changes in major retail chains like Debenhams are just brilliant to see.
“They’ve replaced pink and blue ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ signs with new colourful signs that say ‘Vehicles’, ‘Superheroes’, ‘Soft Toys’, and ‘TV Characters’, among others. Everything is much easier to find and children are no longer being sent the message that science and adventure are only for boys, crafts and nurturing play only for girls.
“Through the grass roots efforts of a small group of dedicated volunteers, the support of over ten thousand parents and educators, and the willingness of many retailers to listen to the concerns of their customers, a year after the campaign began we can clearly see the difference that consumer voices are making on this issue.”
The campaign group is currently criticising WH Smiths and Buster Books for its sale of “Big Beautiful Colouring Book for Girls and “Big Brilliant Colouring Book for Boys”.
