Toy makers put diversity in play

Companies aim to make more kids feel included

Toys R Us has carried an exclusive line since 2013 called Journey Girls, which includes a wheelchair and a crutch set. Its partnership with American Girl to carry the Truly Me collection starting this month will include dolls that also use crutches, diabetes kits and wheelchairs.

While Lego has had larger figures before that use wheelchairs, the minifigure introduced this year comes as part of the “Fun in the Park” set, mixed in with several figures that don’t.

“The designers were thinking about what might you see in the park in the city,” said Lego spokesman Michael McNally.

Lego mini-figures had been yellow so that children could imagine their own identity for the characters. “We’ve always been about helping kids find themselves,” McNally said. But in 2004, it introduced flesh tones when representing real-life personalities.

Experts say it’s critical for children to play with toys that don’t perpetuate stereotypes about what’s considered beautiful. They say the toys children play with have lasting impressions on their careers and their confidence.

“Kids need to see themselves in the toys and objects they interact with,” said Elizabeth Sweet, a sociologist and lecturer at California State University in Sacramento.

For building toys, GoldieBlox was among the first to disrupt the pink aisle by offering construction sets aimed at girls. But it also realized it needed more racial diversity, and last fall introduced a black character called Ruby Rails and has since added a Latina engineer called Valentina and other characters.

Many experts have been closely watching the moves made by Mattel, particularly with its iconic Barbie, whose business has been rebounding amid a makeover after seeing its sales suffer. The nation’s largest toy maker last year launched the Barbie Fashionista collection that offered more skin tones, eye colors and facial structures. This year, it added three body types — curvy, petite and tall. Spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni says the company is also looking to add different body shapes to the Barbie career line and the Fairytale doll collection.

Racial diversity can also be key. American Girl, owned by Mattel, this year launched a doll whose story is that she is growing up in civil rights-era Detroit. WalMart’s My Life As doll collection has expanded the number of skin shades available, and Hasbro is adding more skin tones to its Baby Alive doll for next year.

Companies also are starting to think differently about toys that have traditionally been aimed at boys or girls. The White House held a conference on gender stereotypes in media and the toys, drawing executives from major toy companies.

Target phased out gender-based signage in the toy aisle last year. It also was for a time the exclusive seller of Mattel’s DC Super Hero Girls, including Wonder Woman and Batgirl, which were the first six-inch action figures designed for girls. They join other female characters in the action figure aisle that include Black Widow and Star Wars heroine Rey, says Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of TTPM, an online toy review site.

Wal-Mart is selling its first 18-inch boy doll this holiday season under the My Life As brand, and Hasbro plans to launch a boy doll under the Baby Alive brand next year.

John Frascotti, president of Hasbro Brands, cited My Little Pony, which originally was aimed at girls, and Nerf, which was traditionally for boys. Hasbro found the brands attract both boys and girls, so three years ago, it launched Nerf Rebelle that was styled for girls. As for My Little Pony, it’s expanding into comic books, usually more a domain for boys.

“We are focusing on storytelling and worrying less about gender,” he said.

RICHARD DREW/AP Toy companies are selling more inclusive products, including Barbie dolls, above, in many shapes, sizes and skin tones, as well as others with disabilities.