Swedish toy firm drops gender roles for Xmas
Published: 24 Nov 12 08:30 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/44628/20121124/
Sweden's largest toy chain said Friday that its toys are "gender neutral" after picturing boys holding baby dolls and banishing girls from the dolls pages of its Christmas catalogue.
- Sweden plummets in income equality ranking (15 May 13)
- Asthma and allergies on the rise for Swedish kids (13 May 13)
- Swedish kids start daycare earlier: report (12 May 13)
"With the new gender thinking, there is nothing that is right or wrong. It's not a boy or a girl thing, it's a toy for children."
The country's advertising watchdog (Reklamombudsmannen - RO) reprimanded the company for gender discrimination three years ago following complaints over outdated gender roles in the 2008 Christmas catalogue, which featured boys dressed as superheroes and girls playing princess.
"For several years, we have found that the gender debate has grown so strong in the Swedish market that we ... have had to adjust," Nyberg said.
A comparison between this year's Toys R Us catalogues in Sweden and Denmark, where Top Toy is also the franchisee, showed that a boy wielding a toy machine gun in the Danish edition had been replaced by a girl in Sweden.
Elsewhere, a girl was Photoshopped out of the "Hello Kitty" page, a girl holding a baby doll was replaced by a boy, and, in sister chain BR's catalogue, a young girl's pink T-shirt was turned light blue.
Top Toy, Sweden's largest toy retailer by number of stores, said it had received "training and guidance" from the Swedish advertising watchdog, which is a self-regulatory agency.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Man wounded in schoolyard shooting
Panic broke out at a Gothenburg school on Friday evening as one man was wounded in a shooting which could be linked to a violent robbery that took place in the area on the same day. READ () »
Teen girl admits to Instagram 'slut-shaming'
A 15-year-old girl has admitted to setting up the Instagram account that caused hundreds of teenagers to riot in Gothenburg last year, but her 16-year-old friend has denied involvement. READ () »
Fierce hockey rivals go head to head
Ice hockey World Championships co-hosts Sweden and Finland continue their long-standing rivalry on Saturday with a place in the gold medal match at stake. READ () »
Scandal ousts Stockholm economics school head
The president of the Stockholm School of Economics, one of Sweden's most prestigious universities, has been forced out in response to a scandal over his hiring of a high-ranking official who'd been convicted of insider trading. READ () »
'Sweden next in line for housing market crash'
Sweden tops a list of countries that risk suffering a housing market crash, Germany's Commerzbank has warned, citing the slackening off of Swedish property prices as a harbinger of a potential downswing. READ () »
Sweden's drug testing industry plummets
Sweden's once flourishing pharmaceutical testing industry has been decimated in recent years, suffering an 85-percent drop according to new figures that industry experts describe as "deeply troubling". READ () »
Danes invade Sweden for Eurovision final
With Denmark tipped to win this year's Eurovision final, The Local's Patrick Reilly caught up with a few Danes who'd crossed the divide to be in Malmö for Saturday night's final. READ () »
American 'prince' says no to Swedish citizenship
Christopher O'Neill has asked Sweden not to grant him royal status, meaning Swedish Princess Madeleine's future spouse will technically become neither a prince nor a Swede. READ () »
- 18/05 Man wounded in schoolyard shooting »
- 17/05 Danes invade Sweden for Eurovision final »
- 17/05 American 'prince' says no to Swedish citizenship »
- 16/05 Eurovision superfans swarm southern Sweden »
- 16/05 Naked Swede dresses down American Apparel »
- 16/05 TEDx looks to get Stockholmers thinking »
- 15/05 Ten secrets to a smooth transition to Sweden »
- 15/05 Swedish photographer cleared of manipulation »
- 15/05 Swedes slam American Apparel over 'sexist' ads »
- 14/05 Swedish court jails exorcist parents »
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
In cooperation with DoToday
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
UK and Sweden sign Defence MOU »
"Yesterday in London, Swedish Defence Minister Karen Enström and the UK Minister for International Security Strategy, Dr Andrew Murrison signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UK and Sweden for Military Exercises and Training. The main purpose of the MOU is to define the legal status of military personnel of one country when invited to..." READ »
- 16/5 08:32 Be British, be sincere and be bold (Brits Mean Business)
- 13/5 22:40 Week 20 matches (Stripes News)
- 26/4 02:20 Stockholm Taxi Wars: Über fail (Boston Blatte)
- 16/05 Rob for Russian Speaking
- 16/05 pet carrier
- 16/05 Big Sister/ Nanny
- 16/05 I need an apartment any where in or near to Stockholm
- 15/05 English speaking babysitter
- 15/05 Lookinf for track driver job!
- 12:33 In need of a home in Uppsala from August...
- 12:26 Does any business owner needs a partnership
- 09:38 Online Shopping (Womens Clothing)
- 08:25 Posting parcel from Sweden
- 23:01 Where to buy rubbing alcohol?
- 22:21 Drinking laws in Sweden confused!
- 20:46 Questions concerning MV
- 19:25 My scary encounter with Swedbank.
- 18:07 Stay in Sweden when residence permit expires
- 17:39 Questions Regarding Swedish Literature
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
By the way, sorry for mentioning God, I'm sure this is somehow offensive for people of different faith and/or atheists. And I sure don't want to be bitten by all the different "watchdogs" that are calling the shots nowadays, at least in Sweden.
Does it qualify as a hate crime when I don't agree with those measures and think they are not even hysterical, but might even turn out damaging for the children? It increases chances of mis-imprinting of role models due to lacking gender identity. But then again, there's nothing wrong with being gay or feeling "in the wrong body"! Even if it's man-made. But I guess psychotherapists and sex reassignment surgeons need to make a living somehow.
Toy dealers, your job is to sell toys to children. Any restrictions that others may wish to impose on you about how to do that job can only diminish the effectiveness of your job if you accept them. The PC police don't care about your bottom line. They are sexists themselves, anyway.
Egalia is a school in Sweden that practices "gender netutral" education. Little boys and little girls will not be told about puppy dog tails and all things nice but rather pink, toy guns and other gendered attributes of childhood are banned.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2011/06/27/egalia-gender-neutral-schooling-and-school-voucher-programs/
Yes, equality is a great thing, but equality *imposed* from above is, simply, absurd.