In the new GoldieBlox ad, GoldieBlox continues to push the envelope on breaking down barriers for little girls before hitting puberty, with a GoldieBlox action figure in time for the holidays.  In the ‘GoldieBlox v. the Big Sister Machine’ ad, you see ‘Big Sister’ on a tv screen repeating the line ‘You are beauty, + beauty is perfection’, to lined up little girls, dressed in pink dresses + heels, as they take too-skinny, too-pretty dolls that look a lot like Barbie, from a conveyor belt.  Then suddenly, salvation is theirs in the shape of a girl with frizzy hair, overalls + Chuck Taylors, complete with hammer, to destroy the machine!  And like a phoenix, from the decimated machine, a GoldieBlox doll complete with wild hair + sneakers appears.

According to Time magazine, ‘The original GoldieBlox began as a boxed toy that included a storybook + the wheels, gears + other building materials girls needed to construct machines that would help the character Goldie + her friends.  Sparking interest at a young age is the key to closing this gender gap: Studies show that girls lose interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers as early as age eight.’

Although some efforts have been made in the creation girls toys that instill strength + the value of an education, they still lack a true understanding of the concept like Legos with Friends.  GoldieBlox creator Debbie Sterling told Time, ‘The Lego Friends line has definitely been getting girls to play with Legos.  But I don’t think it’s been inspiring girls to want to be engineers. It’s continuing to inspire girls to look pretty + decorate.’  

With the tagline ‘Other dolls are built for fashion, Goldie is built for action,’ here’s to hoping the pink aisles for girls continue to get watered down enough to appeal more to smarts than looks!

(via TIME)