Found in 3 comments on Hacker News
DanBC · 2013-02-07 · Original thread
> My point being, toy-making sounds like an awesome job

Unfortunately, toy making and designing is a vicious ultra-competitive business, dominated by a few huge companies.

The book "The Real Toy Story: Inside the Ruthless Battle for Britain's Youngest Consumers" is interesting. And the biases (as you can tell from the title) are pretty clear.

(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Toy-Story-Ruthless-Consumers/dp...)

DanBC · 2012-05-19 · Original thread
Depends how good the research is. But, knowing how much money is in the toy industry (an eye watering amount, even compared to some tech businesses) I suppose it's good.

But then just because it's researched doesn't mean it's good. Why do girls now prefer the narrative form of a previously creative toy? Why do lego blocks need a back story? Is that something that girls have always wanted; is it something that's created by changes in society; is it beneficial to girls? Is it possible harmful to boys to not have the narrative toys? (Although, with all the ROBOT BATTLE IN SPACE stuff hat lego has done for years I suppose they're just re-balancing an existing skew).

There's a lot of research about the "princess phase" which is why most toys for girls are boxed in that disgusting pink - purple combination.

This book is quite good. The biases are clear.

(http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Real-Toy-Story-Consumers/dp/0552...)

DanBC · 2012-03-04 · Original thread
Toys are big business. There is intense, secret, weird testing done with toys and children.

Why is everything aimed at girls the same kind of hideous pink? Because they've tested it, and pink works.

Here's a reasonable (the biases are clear) book explaining some of the stuff that toy manufacturers do.

(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Toy-Story-Ruthless-Consumers/dp...)

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