Japan Toy Makers Recast Childhood Play through Diversity Lens

Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)–Some Japanese toy makers are redesigning their products to reflect diversity and reduce gender stereotypes, aiming to broaden the world children see through play as gender roles become less rigid. Toys, often encountered in early childhood and influential in shaping later values, have long mirrored social norms. Once commonly displayed in stores as items “for girls” or “for boys,” products are now increasingly marketed without such rigid divisions. Toy makers are gradually shifting in ways that reflect a broader effort to rethink the world children see, one that better accommodates diversity. “Products that embrace diversity and can be enjoyed by anyone are expected,” an official from Tomy Co. said, describing the development philosophy behind its long-running “Licca-chan” fashion doll line. The official added that toys function as “a microcosm of society.” Since its 1967 debut, the beloved doll has been redesigned repeatedly to reflect children’s changing surroundings. A dollhouse released last year, for instance, incorporates family-oriented activities such as bowling. Purchases by boys are also on the rise. “We hope messages about embracing and respecting diversity, including gender diversity, will reach children naturally through play,” the official said. At the “Licca-chan On/Off Exhibition,” which opened on Wednesday in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward, the fashion doll is presented not only in office attire but also in relaxed outfits worn at home. Organizers said the display conveys the idea that both “one’s ideal self” and “one’s everyday self” are essential parts of one’s identity. A woman in her 50s from the city of Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, who visited the exhibition smiled at a display showing Licca-chan in a suit jacket paired with sweatpants while working from her messy room, saying the scene reminded her of her daughter. Bandai Co.’s popular Tamagotchi games, in which players raise characters, have also evolved. “Tamagotchi Uni,” released in 2023 with global markets in mind, avoids culturally specific greetings such as “Merry Christmas,” opting instead for the more neutral “Happy Holidays.” Even so, developers say one principle has remained unchanged from the outset. “We have established and upheld rules to maintain a worldview that does not hurt people,” said Yuri Okamoto of Bandai’s Toys Department. Efforts to curb stereotypes extend beyond toys. “I made a point of depicting female school principals,” Natsuko Kawada of the Gakken Educational Research Institute, who edited children’s learning magazines and preschool workbooks, said. She was mindful to avoid depictions reinforcing gender-based divisions of labor. For example, she said, editors avoided the traditional nickname “midori-no obasan” for female school crossing guards in green jackets, so that children would not associate certain civic roles with a specific gender. Itsuko Dohi, a professor of social psychology at Kobe Shoin University, said unconscious bias is strongly shaped by childhood environments, and it is important to create surroundings that do not emphasize gender differences. Changes, such as some schools introducing slacks into girls’ uniforms, show that boundaries between boys and girls “are gradually weakening,” Dohi said. She added, however, that gender disparities remain in some occupations, including teaching, where the balance of men and women still varies by subject. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]