The Best Toys for Girls...

I have been faced with questions numerous times along the lines of what toys are best for girls- or more specifically, what toys my daughter likes best. I'm disappointed to say that nearly every time, people have found the toys I suggested strange, even inappropriate. I'm sorry, but what's so strange about a girl who likes Miley Cyrus, the color pink, and Legos?

Granted most Lego sets are marketed primarily to boys. We don't see very many female Power Miners, for instance. But then, thinking back to my own childhood, I wonder if there ever was a time when the best toys were ever marketed to girls or at least to boys and girls equally. Sure, I had some dolls as a kid, I played dress-up, and I remain to this day a pretty big fan of unicorns. Still, I preferred playing with my brothers' Star Wars and GI Joe figures. Why? Because with those I could engage in imaginative play that wasn't just a recreation of everyday life or a reinforcement of traditional gender roles. Always being Mommy to my Cabbage Patch Kids or serving as Barbie's personal stylist got boring. I needed to also be Princess Leia or Scarlett, and I was always disappointed that the adventure-filled worlds in which my brothers played didn't include more than one or two token female characters.

Of course people would write my interests and concerns off as those of a tomboy, not of a normal girl at all. But who's to say who's a normal girl, anyway? I've noticed that most girls pretty quickly outgrow Barbies and Disney Princesses- long before they outgrow the need for imaginative play. Yet what is available specifically for girls? I was disappointed when I actually saw a pink packaged car and track set called- I kid you not- "Race to the Mall." Like even in this 21st century it's still unacceptable for girls to be interested at all in cars except as a means to indulge their stereotypically zealous shop-aholism.

But I was not disappointed with my daughter's initial reaction. "Bleah!"

Her beloved Power Miners, Star Wars, and Secret Agents Lego sets, on the other hand, keep her hands active with building and keep her imagination engaged in concocting crazy and fun adventures. Also, she shares her Legos very nicely with her brother, who is equally passionate about those plastic building blocks.