Publications

Publication details [#63193]

Hudak, Kasey Clawson. 2017. Deceiving or disrupting the pink aisle? GoldieBlox, corporate narratives, and the gendered toy debate. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies 14 (2) : 158–715.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
Routledge

Annotation

Using the coordinated management of meaning theory as a guide, this paper explores critiques and commendations of toy company, GoldieBlox Inc.’s, aim of “disrupting the pink aisle.” Despite of capitalistic enterprise, it is claimed that GoldieBlox’s corporate narrative engages in an imperative social skill that its toys still lack: critical reflection. Albeit GoldieBlox’s toys are rudimentary in their science, technology, engineering, and math designs, the company’s corporate narrative—driven by its origin story, mission and vision statements, and marketing strategies—challenges a 100-year-old gendered toy tradition and prompts significant questions of gender representation and improbable beauty ideals in our children’s toys.