3AW listeners react to campaign to make toy packaging gender-neutral

A campaign has arisen to remove gender-centred packaging on children’s toys.

Julie Huberman, co-founder of ‘Play Unlimited’, told Neil Mitchell toys should come in a range of colours and feature both sexes on the packaging.

‘Toy companies should stop using pink and blue as code for ‘this is for boys and this is for girls’,’ Ms Huberman said.

‘Girls might also be interested in playing with trucks, but I think they’re discouraged from that because of the way things are marketed.’

Ms Huberman said companies should be given guidelines and recommendations as to how to market their products.

‘I would like to think that toy manufacturers would do this on their own, but I don’t think they actually will.’

Click play to hear Ms Huberman’s interview

But several 3AW listeners called in dismissing the idea.

– It doesn’t really matter. I’ll still pick the barbie for one and the gun for the other.

– My daughter’s Barbie has a blue handbag. What do we do with that?

– If something’s green, purple, black, orange, or yellow, and it’s something they like, it’s something they’ll choose.

Click play to hear 3AW listeners’ reactions