The iconic Mr. Potato Head from Hasbro is now simply the gender neutral Potato Head. Also this year, LEGO, WildBrain, and Mattel launched the Everyone is Awesome set, the Teletubbies Pride collection, and UNO’s Play with Pride deck in celebration of Pride Month.

This hour on Where We Live, we discuss diversity and inclusion in the toy industry, and its impact on child development.

We hear from experts on the trends and changing norms in the understanding of gender and how diversity must go beyond tokenization by toy manufacturers.

GUESTS:

Diane Gervais: Owner, Amato’s Toy and Hobby Middletown 

Jeffrey Trawick-Smith: Professor Emeritus, Center for Early Childhood Education, Eastern Connecticut State University, and Author of Young Children’s Play: Development, Disabilities, and Diversity 

Ellen Lambert: Advisor – Equity, Inclusion, & Diversity, the Toy Association and the Toy Foundation

Eileen Foley: Toy Curator and Owner, Little Acorn Learning LLC, Redding, Connecticut