I’m not sure what to get my daughter for her 2nd birthday, but I am sure of this - I will not be getting her a toy from the little girls toy aisle at Walmart. The girl’s toy aisle isn’t labeled “girl’s toy aisle,” but you get cued into the fact that it’s the place to find girl’s toys because the walls of the aisle are shaded pink and lined with doll after doll. And to top it off, there isn’t even a great variety of dolls – the choices are basically babies or Barbies.
Now, let’s start with the toy babies. Maybe it’s just me, but I think that childhood is a time to encourage imagination and a world of infinite possibilities. Parenthood is a wonderful gift to be sure, but there is more for the imagination to explore in childhood. Now don't get me wrong - I love babies. Certainly keep some of the babies in the toy aisle. However, there are so many creative toy designers out there that I just can't believe babies and Barbies are the only options Walmart could find to put in the girls toy aisle. At the very least, shouldn't there be a little more of a selection? Walmart has considerable power when it comes to negotiating with their suppliers, why not use that power to encourage innovation in the toy department and create a greater selection of toys that would really encourage imaginative play? (By the way, the Hobby Lobby has the best selection of science kits for kids that I have seen.)
As for the Barbies on display… I was hard pressed to find a non-Princess Barbie, but when I looked closely I found a box with career Barbies from the new “i can be…” collection. The selection in the box at Walmart was: Pet Vet, Chef, Doctor and Ballerina. Doctor is an admirable career to be sure. I’m impressed by that aspiration. However, the doctor’s outfit on the Doctor Barbie was like no doctor I’d ever seen. Barbie "i can be...Doctor" is wearing a short red skirt above mid-thigh length and a form fitting white lab coat accentuating her small waist with a colorful shirt underneath.
Wait a second, I did see a doctor like in the Victoria’s Secret catalogue. Sure, sure! It was part of the Sexy Little Things Halloween collection.
As I left Walmart and looked at the motto “We sell for less” writ large upon the side of the building, I couldn’t help but think it should really say “We settle for less… especially when it comes to toys for girls.”
