Is it pink or nothing?
I get it, I get it! Pink is for girls. So say all the toy manufacturers and marketing companies and advertising agencies… And dolls houses are for girls. I know that. So they must be pink right? Apparently so.
At least that’s what I discovered when I went looking for a reasonably priced dolls house this week. I wanted to get one for Little Man. He’s at the age where he loves to play pretend – lovely imaginative games with his farm animals, and with his trucks and cars and trains, and with his Postman Pat and Fireman Sam figurines. So I wanted to add to these toys with a dolls house. I knew he’d love it, because I often find him playing with the one in his creche, and when we go to stores like Imaginarium, the large dolls house on display is the second thing he plays with (the motorised cars being the first!).
But…I didn’t want to support yet more pinkification – I figured once was enough. All I had to do was find a dolls house, reasonably priced, that wasn’t pink. I didn’t mind what colour we got – green, yellow, red, orange, blue, purple… I just didn’t want a pink one.
Is this the only colour little girls will like?
We considered getting Little Man a wooden house – but the only ones we could find in stores were EUR50 or more. Quite a bit more than I was considering spending. So I did some searching online, and I found a lovely house called My Happy Family, available in Smyths toy stores. And best of all, there are two colour options – a Pink roof, or a Blue roof. Okay, so you could argue that blue is just as much of a gender-specific colour as pink – but I figure when you put it on a dolls house, it balances out a bit!
Isn't it nice?
The first Smyths I went to only had a few pink ones in stock. “Not to worry,” I thought, “I’ll go to a large store instead.” And so I did. Sure enough, they had plenty My Happy Family houses in stock. All pink… So I asked a shop assistant if he could check in the back if they had any other colours in stock. After all, the photos on the packaging are all of the blue-roofed model. So surely that must mean that the blue-roofed model is at least somewhat popular? Nope. Apparently Smyths only stock the pink version.
I remember liking lots of colours as a child. What has changed in the years since then that the only colour little girls’ toys seem to come in is pink? Is there really no market for any other colour option?
Parents of girls – if there’s a pink option for a toy, is that the option you always choose? Is that the only colour your daughters want? Are the toy stores right not to stock the other colour options? Is it a waste of their time? Or do you buy pink because that’s the only colour toys for girls come in?
HA! Lisa, I had to run and check what the color we have… We just bought My Happy Family House for Luba- It is PINK! Funny enough, we bought and didn’t know what color the roof was. But, it’s such a great toy, Chris is enjoying this house as much as Luba. It’s a great value for such detailed toy, all the drawers and door of furniture are opens.
Ok, Pink or Blue?! If it’s a item of clothes for Luba, then it’s Pink! With the one big reason that for her two years of life she got only few (4-5?) new items of clothes, the rest are all handovers from her brother… it’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s all dark blue and black. So, yes, it must be pink;))
With the toys,- we just don’t think too much about it,- whatever we buy it will be – must be shared and will be played by our son and daughter no matter of the color! :))
My Happy Family House is great, it’s multicolored inside, you don’t notice the pink roof at all, if you ask me.:))xx
PS Not the best picture of my hand, sorry :))
HA! Lisa, I had to run and check what the color we have… We just bought My Happy Family House for Luba- It is PINK! Funny enough, we bought and didn’t know what color the roof was. But, it’s such a great toy, Chris is enjoying this house as much as Luba. It’s a great value for such detailed toy, all the drawers and door of furniture are opens.
Ok, Pink or Blue?! If it’s a item of clothes for Luba, then it’s Pink! With the one big reason that for her two years of life she got only few (4-5?) new items of clothes, the rest are all handovers from her brother… it’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s all dark blue and black. So, yes, it must be pink;))
With the toys,- we just don’t think too much about it,- whatever we buy it will be – must be shared and will be played by our son and daughter no matter of the color! :))
My Happy Family House is great, it’s multicolored inside, you don’t notice the pink roof at all, if you ask me.:))xx
PS Not the best picture of my hand, sorry :))
I don’t buy pink when I buy clothes for my daughter because my inlaws seem to buy nothing but pink for her. So, since she doesn’t really like the color to begin with I avoid it.
It’s not a colour I ever really buy for myself, so I can’t imagine I’d buy it for a daughter either.
I don’t buy pink when I buy clothes for my daughter because my inlaws seem to buy nothing but pink for her. So, since she doesn’t really like the color to begin with I avoid it.
It’s not a colour I ever really buy for myself, so I can’t imagine I’d buy it for a daughter either.
I’m having a girl and have gone out of my way to try and get a variety of colours for clothes, there’s loads of pink out there but i’ve managed to get some green, orange and red too. Blue zoo have some nice clothes that aren’t totally pink.
It’s hard work though isn’t it?! Pink is definitely the rule rather than the exception when it comes to girls’ clothes.
I’m having a girl and have gone out of my way to try and get a variety of colours for clothes, there’s loads of pink out there but i’ve managed to get some green, orange and red too. Blue zoo have some nice clothes that aren’t totally pink.
It’s hard work though isn’t it?! Pink is definitely the rule rather than the exception when it comes to girls’ clothes.