Empowered Playtime

A desire for more positive role models for children gets a response in toys

Implications - Replacing the celebrities and princesses of days past, positive role models are taking over the toy sphere, specifically for young girls. The fight for gender equality has come far in the past few years. To keep this going, the focus is now turning to teaching children to continue with the progress through subtle measures like adjusting playtime to reflect a more empowered ideal.
Workshop Question - How is your brand reflecting the shift in how consumers think about gender? How could you do that in a way that reflects well on your brand?

Trend Themes

  1. Positive Role Models in Toys — The trend towards featuring positive role models in toys, particularly for young girls, to promote gender equality and empowerment presents opportunities for designers to develop more diverse, educational toys that inspire children to learn and play while fostering independence, curiosity and creativity.
  2. Inclusive Toys — Developing inclusive toys, such as ethnically diverse dolls, gender-neutral dollhouses and toys for LGBT children to promote diversity, respect and acceptance presents opportunities for designers to invest in creating toys that foster meaningful concepts in children at an early age.
  3. Female Empowerment in Media — The increasing demand for greater gender equality and empowerment is driving the trend of more ads and products featuring strong, female protagonists, particularly in the male-dominated entertainment industry, which presents opportunities for developers to create new, thoughtful ways of portraying gender in media.

Industry Implications

  1. Toy Industry — The toy industry must stay current and relevant by investing in meaningful ways to promote diversity and inclusivity in toys for children.
  2. Entertainment Industry — The entertainment industry can promote and support gender equality by creating diverse content that accurately reflects society and encourages positive role models for young audience members.
  3. Design Industry — Designers can invest in creating toys and media that positively influence children by promoting gender equality, inclusivity, respect and acceptance, with a focus on empowering and inspiring young girls.
3.2
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
5 Featured, 44 Examples:
175,483 Total Clicks
Date Range:
Aug 14 — Nov 15
Trending:
Mild
Consumer Insight Topics:

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