One Toy At A Time

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that it’s the year 2020. And I don’t mean that in the sense of how strange this year has been, and how many people want it to finally be over (including me). But, in the sense of “can you believe this is happening in the year 2020?” For example, I recently received a message from a group, who are going to remain nameless, who said their offices were closed but that you could leave a message or send a fax. A fax? Seriously? This isn’t 1995, this is 2020.

But a more poignant story comes from that of 7-year-old Vivian Lord. Last year, Vivian was playing with the iconic plastic toy soldiers when she realized that all of the army men were literally men. There wasn’t a single female represented in the group. Women have been involved in the US military for a long time, including being able to hold combat positions since 1983 and tactical air positions since 1989. And yet that was not represented in the toys that Vivian was using. It is the year 2020, right?

Now I grew up as one of three brothers, and so one of the things that I found surprising when we had daughters was how gendered toys were, or had become. There were specific boundary lines, often delineated by color and other things to say that this is what boys play with and this is what girls play with. Now there has been some improvement in this area in recent years, with both boys and girls show playing with a play kitchen for example, and I know because we just purchased one. But for Vivian, she was still playing with all male soldiers.

And so Vivian decided to do something about it and wrote a letter to the manufacturer asking them to make female soldiers. Jeff Imel, the CEO of BMC Toys, said he had never gotten a letter like that from a child before, and he moved the creation of female soldiers to the top of the priority list.  And so under many Christmas trees this year, for the first time, there will be 22 different options of female soldiers. And Vivian says “I will play with them every day.”

If you don’t think that pointing out disparities, this is 2020 after all, can make a difference, or that one person can make a difference, just ask Vivian. She has changed the way that children from now on will see themselves, and others, in this role, and in many other roles as well. Perhaps Pixar might even consider putting in female army soldiers into any new Toy Story films they might make. And, I bet that Vivian also understands her ability to change the world, one toy at a time. May we learn the same.