To the fine feminists here at DU...

[originalpckelly]

What should be done about children's toys that feature sexist stereotypes. Can't dolls wear normal shorts? Or pants?

[NYC_SKP]

1. Not sure, but I think trolls are without gender, the clothes make the man, or woman...

And I find that Shocking!

Let the trolls be free!

Let them go nude!

[cliffordu]

12. Free the trolls!!!!

:rofl:

[John Q. Citizen]

17. They need a troll with a burka.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. OMG.. she's sooooooooooooooooo cute!

[originalpckelly]

9. I thought I'd post something for the irony challenged.

[babylonsister]

3. Oy, but

:rofl: I remember them! I guess I'm not a feminist.

[maddezmom]

4. were those before or after Smurfs?

I'm so old I can't keep the timeline straight anymore. And where do Cabbage Patch kids fit in? :D

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. order: trolls, smurfs, cabbage patch

[BlooInBloo]

13. No way - smurfs were first.

I thought.

[hlthe2b]

15. Troll dolls marketed first in the 60s.. I had them as a kid...

Troll dolls, originally known as Leprocauns and also known as Dam dolls, Gonks, Wishniks, Treasure Trolls, and Norfins, became one of America's biggest toy fads beginning in the autumn of 1963, and lasting throughout 1965. With their brightly colored hair and cute faces, they were featured in both Life Magazine and Time magazine in articles which commented on the "good luck" they would bring to their owners. The troll doll is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a Kewpie doll.

Trolls became fads again in brief periods throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, with as many as ten different manufacturers (such as Russ Berrie, Jakks Pacific, Applause, Hasbro, Mattel, Nyform, Trollkins and Ace Novelty) creating them.


The Smurfs date to a Belgian cartoon from 1958 but were not really introduced widely to the West until the Hanna Barbara cartoon show in the 1980s.


Source of both: Wiki

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. wow. I had no idea the Smurfs dated from 1958

[babylonsister]

6. Hahaha! They were smurfs, I'm thinking. nt

[The empressof all]

7. Trolls were first big in the 60's

I remember having them when I was a kid.

[originalpckelly]

8. They came back in the 90s...

that's where this comes from. I had a red haired troll doll, it must have had clothes, but it were nakey all teh tiem en muh house!

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. I remember them mostly being red haired. Other hair colors came later.

and I remember them being naked.

[originalpckelly]

11. Yep,

I guess they were all nakey then.

[BlooInBloo]

14. Oh shit - didn't realize they had a previous life.

[Liberal_in_LA]

19. Yep.

[Warpy]

16. Depends on your culture

After all, Chinese men once wore the robes while women wore the pants. Women had to work too damn hard to wear dresses, I guess, even though some of the higher caste ones did their work hobbled by foot binding.

Even here, some brave men are starting to wear kilts full time while women tend to cling to jeans and slacks, again because we have to work too damn hard to worry about some stupid skirt getting caught in the works. In addition, we don't have to get hobbled by high heels if we avoid skirts.

Still, people my age who thought they'd be able to raise children free of sexist stereotypes generally found the kids had other ideas: Susie's Tonka truck got swaddled in a blanket and put to bed; Billy's Barbie was held by the feet while he pointed her head at you and yelled "Bang!"

I suppose the bottom line here is that you should just leave the poor trolls alone. Sob.