Girls' toys and games
[3] A variety of global toy companies have marketed themselves to this aspect of girls' development, for example, the Hello Kitty brand, and the Disney Princess franchise.
[citation needed] In Western countries in recent years, girls' toys and games have shifted towards a dominant use of the colour pink.
One British parent launched a campaign called Pinkstinks against retailers marketing educational toys to girls in pink.
Childhood age segments that are popularly believed to be identified by psychologists were in fact invented by children's clothing and toy manufacturers.
Peggy Orenstein has drawn attention to research by Daniel Cook (a "historian of childhood consumerism"), that reveals the marketing origins of the age group known as "toddler": Trade publications counselled department stores that, in order to increase sales, they should create a "third stepping stone" between infant wear and older kids' clothes.
They also advised segregating girls' and boys' clothing no later than age two: parents whose sons were "treated like a little man" were thought to be looser with their purse strings.
In India, marketing research shows children in the 8- to 14-year-old age range, predominantly girls, shifting their preferences away from traditional products towards mass-marketed merchandise such as the Disney Princess and Frozen franchises.
They were originally a less edgy variation on the girl-group character acts such as the Mary Jane Girls organized by Rick James and Vanity 6 created by Prince, with an intended teenage audience.
[11] Marketing to tween girls is a full-fledged entertainment industry trend today, with toys and merchandise associated with television shows, music groups and celebrities, for example Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.
[12] The company Mattel uses idea they know will sell best, in addition to this they make sure the dolls have a certain appearance; small waist, thin legs, and large breasts.
The toys along with the messages they send about body images are then mass produced to be sold to the audience of mostly girls ranging from toddlers to tweens.
[13] The dolls often lack many features that would help make them more realistic, and send believable body image message to girls.
The Tamagotchi is an egg-shaped computerized toy that mimics a pet, and requires that the user update it regularly to feed it and provide other care.
Large traditional toy companies such as Hasbro have also created game applications for the iPhone and other smartphones, which are increasingly being used by children in affluent countries.
This study found that children had differential comfort with toys packaged for their own experienced gender but resulted less attention and mastery of the specific STEM concept.
[19] Children in Ancient Greece played with dolls made of rags, wood, wax or clay, sometimes with moveable arms and legs.
[20] When a young woman was to be married in Ancient Greece, she would sacrifice her dolls and toys and other youthful possessions to Artemis the night before her wedding.
Fashion dolls were prototype samples of clothing styles, passed between adults who were involved in designing or purchasing expensive dresses and suits.
