My Little Pony, Awl Growed Up (is this where pony play comes from?)

Now it is pretty clear that 'My Little Pony' is not pure horse.  It isn't just neotenised to look like an ultra-cute baby, it is blended with the characteristics of a human baby.  This is hardly uncommon.  Many toys have been animal-human-baby combinations since the advent of the teddy bear.  But somehow we don't really notice the species blending so long as it is big-eyes and harmless.

 

Then there is Strutz.  The My Little Pony that goes where no furry (for the most part) dares to go.  That is to say, a sexy human-animal blend whose private parts are not humanoid.  These My Little Whores'es come complete with 'love you long time' racial stereotyping.  Pale (Sierra), tan (Rio) and with narrow eyes (Milan).  Just an aberration, right?  This product had a short and unprofitable life and mercifully became extinct.

But then we had Bratz Babyz Ponyz, bring the unnecessary 'z' to the animal kingdom and reprising the trope of the pony with bedroom eyes.  Interestingly again the pony seems to be racially coded: black (Sashay), tan (Bonita), brown (Pursia), and white (Celeste).  There is an online game and dolls. In the game your pony needs shoes, eyes shadow and a nice bob hairstyle.

Looking at all this preening of quasi-humanoid ponies makes me feel like the whole thing is a training ground for pony fetish play.

 

See Also:

• This Is Just Wrong on So Many Levels

Costume Ninja, Gender Stereotype

Ninja costumes for children were available only for boys.


Ninja costumes for adults are available only for women--and it doesn't really look like an outfit for stealth or combat. (Unless there is a secret ninja move called "cleavage of death").

More About Plastic People

Papo apparently has a familiar perspective on the role of a woman on a farm.

That said, isn't odd that dogs are generally seen as masculine, cats as feminine.

What's with that?

p.s. my Halloween outfit is a puppy dog costume. Puppy dog, the "puppy" is important.

Earth to Schleich

I confess, I like Schleich toys. Or as I prefer to call them Schleich plastic vinyl scale models.

But, anyway. I have one message for Schleich.

You see this figure depicting a woman who is apparently married to a farmer, jointly owns a farm with him, lives on that farm and is doing farm work? This is not a "farmers wife", this is a farmer who just happens to be female.

Wake up and smell the equality.

Mattel superverts "Barbie Girl"

Logically speaking 'supervert' would be the opposite of 'subvert', and Mattel is a master at it.

Do you remember the song "Barbie Girl" by Aqua?

Do you remember how Mattel tried very hard to sue for copyright infringement (and failed because the song is a parody and so "fair use").

And yet today, over ten years later, I saw a TV advertisement for a barbie doll with hair you can style that used the distinctive hook from the song.

And that's not all, look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u-bWHFDf6M

I guess money always wins in the end?

See also:
Barbie Girl embraced by Mattel
Years Later, Mattel Embraces ‘Barbie Girl’

For the record: Baby Glutton

For the record, breast feeding is normal, natural and admirable. If a girl imitates breast-feeding with a doll after seeing it, that would be perfectly normal play.

But, at the danger of agreeing with the Daily Mail, designing a doll for the specific purpose of simulating breast feeding, complete with strap-on nipple, is ... odd. And "odd" is putting it mildly.



I don't know, maybe it is fine in the context of Spanish culture, but making this an export product was, IMHO, a mistake. Or maybe I am a throwback because it never bothered me that newborn dolls came with bottles. Not that I would consider, even for a second, giving a young girl a newborn doll unless she asked for it.

Oh well. It won't be the first time I was caught being a hypocrite.

But until people are ready to see actual breast-feeding in public without blinking, complaining or deleting it from facebook, I doubt it will be considered a fine recreation activity for the 5 to twelve set.