"For the past 100 years, toys have inspired our boys to be thinkers, builders and inventors. Our girls deserve more," says the start of the "GoldieBlox" toy commercials, set to a music-box melody of what goes on to be a cover of Queen's "We are the Champions." Cut to the shot of a little girl, dressed in a leotard, nailing ballet slippers to her skateboard, while another crafts a side-car for her bike so that her teddy bear can go for a ride. These images build up to the sight of a bunch of girls storming the "pink aisle" at the toy store, and GoldieBlox's intention is made even clearer: "Disrupting the pink aisle with toys for future engineers."
Because girls can be engineers too, which most people might already know. But from the statement on GoldieBlox's website, only about 11% of them actually are, as 89% of the world's engineers are male. Founded in 2012, GoldieBlox appears to be looking to inspire young girls to open their minds beyond the pink aisle - presumably Barbie dolls and princess toys - at the toy store, while also introducing girls to the exciting world of engineering in a way that girls will connect to by combining a book and a construction toy geared toward a young female audience.
GoldieBlox offers a much-needed female engineer role model who is smart, curious and accessible. She has the potential to get girls interested in engineering, develop their spatial skills and build self-confidence in their problem solving abilities. This means that GoldieBlox will nurture a generation of girls who are more confident, courageous and tech-savvy, giving them a real opportunity to contribute to the progress made by engineers in our society.
The intention of the book and construction toy is great on its own, but what I love about the commercial is that I don't think it's trying to look down its nose at little girls who like girl things. It seems to recognize that a "girl" isn't just one thing. She isn't simply a "princess" if she likes pink and a "tomboy" if she likes to build or invent. Both of the girls showcased in the ad are dressed in pink. One of them sports a pair of glamourous star sunglasses, and then she gets to work fashioning a sidecar for her teddybear. And some girls like to get muddy, like one of the girls seen in a "More than just princesses" t-shirt near the end of the ad. Another girl can be seen with black lines under her eyes, which indicates that she plays sports. The message seems to be that girls can be whatever they love to be, and some of them might also love building and inventing. And the earlier they discover that, the sooner they can develop that interest into a passion that could take them into adulthood.
For a better understanding of what GoldieBlox is all about, and to see the CEO, Debbie, watch the video below:
