GoldieBlox

• On the positive side, dolls like Barbie can serve as a canvas for imaginative storytelling and role-playing.
• Additionally, Barbie play can promote fine motor skills as children dress and accessorize the dolls.
• Barbie dolls come with predefined appearances and characteristics, which can limit the range of narratives a child may explore.

Addressing stereotypes

• While Mattel, the maker of Barbie, today features Barbies featuring multiple skin tones, hairstyles and body types, the original Barbie may reinforce certain stereotypes, particularly related to whiteness and gender roles.
• And while the Barbie brand has evolved, many unfortunate decisions were made historically.
• When children play with dolls and toys, they are not just having fun, but also absorbing messages and attitudes from their playthings.

Influence on gendered outcomes

• Researchers name play in early childhood as one of the powerful early influences on later gendered outcomes.
• For example, psychology researchers Emily F. Coyle and Lynn Liben explored the impact of gendered toy packaging in five-year-old children’s STEM play with their mothers.
• Further exploration of young children’s early STEM play patterns may effectively influence later outcomes.

Creative fusion in play

Encouraging children to modify and personalize their play experience in a variety of ways can mitigate some of the stereotypical gender-specific effects of Barbie-like dolls. Repurposing common materials to craft intricate settings and props, children are empowered to envision boundless scenarios. Creative fusion allows children to transform ordinary items into extraordinary elements within Barbie’s world. For example:
• As children engage in collaborative play and work together to construct shared goals, they practice communication, teamwork and negotiation.
• Using ordinary items also nurtures an early awareness of environmental consciousness in children, teaching them the value of repurposing materials, reducing waste — and the wondrous capacity of imaginative play.