Do We Need A Gender Neutral Easy-Bake Oven?

Planning on going Christmas shopping this weekend?  If you are shopping for the kids look at some of the gender specific items being sold.  One item that has popped up in the news this week is Hasboro's Easy-Bake oven and it's color and who they target advertising to. 

A 13-year old girl from New Jersey started an online petition on Change.org, to force Hasboro to drop its all-girl advertising and girl themed packaging in hopes that boys can ask for the classic toy this season.

Kid's both boys and girls love to help in the kitchen, we know that moms and dads share duties in the kitchen, so why not make a non-gender specific Easy-Bake oven?  The 13-year old girl feels that if Hasboro keeps the oven pink that very few boys will ask for a pink relic of so-called "women's work."

The Easy-Bake oven has been around since 1963 and has never featured a boy in advertising, commercials or it's packaging.  The ovens, almost all of which are pink or a girlish purple, are marketed to tween girls.  I don't have little kids any more and haven't shopped at the major toy stores in a while, but I do recall looking at a flier from one of the stores showing a toy iron and ironing board for girls.

This was surprising to me, seeing that these days that for most family's chores are shared duties, and laundry, cooking, ironing, cleaning, etc. are done by both sexes.  If we all follow the 13-year old girls lead maybe next Christmas we will have a gender neutral Easy-Bake oven and Hasboro will sell twice as many, just a thought.