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Mattel, the company that has conquered the world of the doll by dividing it into idealized Barbies and Kens, is launching a new range of gender neutral dolls for boys, girls and children in between.
The new line, launched on Wednesday and called Creatable World, is intended to reflect our culture "as the world continues to celebrate the positive impact of inclusivity", says Kim Culmone, Mattel executive who led the team that designed the new dolls.
Available in different skin tones, each doll comes with two wigs of different lengths – hair types include curly, straight and braided – and several wardrobe options that allow children to style the doll with "short or long hair, or in a skirt, pants or both, "said Culmone. Each kit, as they are called, costs about $ 30.
Gender beliefs and opinions are evolving rapidly and creating new marketing opportunities, including in fashion, publishing and toys. But Mattel says dolls are not neutral Barbies, says Mattel..
They are meant to be "relatable", not "suck" like Barbie, said Michelle Chidoni, a Mattel spokesperson. And they're not supposed to be adults, like Barbie and Ken, but they've been "designed specifically to look young and neutral from a gender perspective," said Culmone.
To develop dolls and their accessories – all components are original – research and design lasted 18 months – Mattel worked with doctors and gender identity specialists, as well as 250 families across the country , including children of all gender identities. "We told them what they had in the dolls and what they were looking for," Culmone said.
What did the researchers learn? "The children did not want them to be told that boys had to play cars and that girls had to play with dolls," Culmone said.
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With regard to parents, the researchers found growing concern about sex toys for their children – although a generational gap on the subject was certainly obvious, said Chidoni. "Even though it was something innate for the kids, it was something that in some cases was a bit harder for their parents to understand," she said. .
Culmone acknowledged that "this product line is not necessarily for everyone".
"Some parents may be uncomfortable thinking that the toy creates a situation in which it will be necessary to discuss the gender with their child," she said, "but it is a family decision really personal. "
And although Mattel does not want to interfere in the political sea on the subject, "we see this as a matter of play and not politics," said Chidoni. Gender identity has become highly politicized in recent years.
The Trump administration overturned the Obama administration's transsexual policies regarding schools, prisons and military service. And in recent years, many school districts have faced controversial legal issues regarding the use of bathrooms by transgender students.
Despite this increasingly difficult climate, the toy industry has maintained a relatively proactive approach to the issue, moving away from women's toys and children's items.
In 2015, Target announced that it would not use more signs to label toys for girls and boys in their stores. That year, the Disney Store banned the designations of girls and boys from its children's halloween costumes, lunch boxes, backpacks and other accessories, tagging all items "for children. " And Amazon no longer uses gender categories for its toys.
And if Creatable World dolls are the first to approach the gender identity of a large manufacturer, others are available. In 2017, the company Tonner Doll Company announced the Jennings Jazz doll, inspired by the girl of the same name, who became famous at the age of 6, in an episode of "20/20" ABC dedicated to transgender children and to their families. The same year, a Canadian non-profit organization that helps transgender children and their families introduced the Sam Nesting Doll, an educational toy representing a stage of exploration of the genre at each layer.
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