Editing Gender neutrality (section)

==== Children's toys ====
{{Further|Gendered associations of pink and blue|Girls' toys and games|Boys' toys and games}}
{{multiple image
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| image1 = ‘Libertad para jugar’, la campaña municipal a favor de los juguetes no sexistas 01.jpg	
| alt1 = Freedom to play. Campaign of the Madrid City Council	
| image2 = ‘Libertad para jugar’, la campaña municipal a favor de los juguetes no sexistas 02.jpg
| alt2 = Freedom to play. Campaign of the Madrid City Council
| footer = ''¡Libertad para jugar!'' (Freedom to play!). Gender neutrality in children's toys campaign, by the [[Madrid City Council]]
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In the marketing of children's toys, gender-specific marketing has been very prevalent. According to a study conducted in 2012,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Auster |first1=Carol J. |last2=Mansbach |first2=Claire S. |date=1 October 2012 |title=The Gender Marketing of Toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Store Website |journal=[[Sex Roles (journal)|Sex Roles]] |volume=67 |issue=7–8 |pages=375–388 |doi=10.1007/s11199-012-0177-8 |s2cid=143551702 |issn=0360-0025}}</ref> "children learn about the toys seen as appropriate for their gender not only from adults and children but also through the media, which serves as an important source of socialization and gender socialization." Color palettes and types of toys are gendered characteristics of the toys marketed to either boys or girls. The results of the study mentioned above, showed that "toys that were pastel colored were much more likely to be marketed as toys for 'only girls', while bold colored toys were much more likely to be marketed as toys for 'boys only'" and also found that blue was a more gender-neutral color. Action toys, like cars, weapons, and building toys are marketed toward boys, while toys that have to do with beauty and domestic work are marketed towards girls.
According to Lauren Spinner, "Portrayals of boys tend to emphasize masculine gender roles and stereotypically masculine play and toys, whereas portrayals of girls tend to emphasize feminine gender roles and stereotypically feminine play and toys".<ref name="Spinner"/>

An additional study done in 2014 focuses on labeling of toys, "for girls" and "for boys", paired with explicit colors, pink and blue, and gender stereotypes in children. In one study, novel items were presented to children, painted different colors and labeled differently. A nutcracker was presented to the children as blue and labeled "for boys" in once instance, but to other children it was pink and labeled "for girls". The results of the studies found labeling profoundly affected the children's liking towards toys, and the other study showed that girls are more affected than boys in terms of labeling.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Pink gives girls permission: Exploring the roles of explicit gender labels and gender-typed colors on preschool children's toy preferences|issue=5|pages=401–409|journal=Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology|volume=35|doi=10.1016/j.appdev.2014.06.004|date=September 2014 | last1 = Weisgram | first1 = Erica S. | last2 = Fulcher | first2 = Megan | last3 = Dinella | first3 = Lisa M.}}</ref>

The "color pink did seem to give girls permission to explore masculine toys. This indicates that pink may signify that it is allowable for girls to show interest in counter-stereotypic toys and activities". This gender specific marketing/labeling exposes children to gender roles and that color can be an indicator of gender. Children "show less involvement with toys stereotypically associated with the opposite sex, and they reject such toys more than ones stereotypically associated with their own sex or neutral ones".<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Karniol|first1=Rachel|last2=Gal-Disegni|first2=Michal|title=The Impact of Gender-Fair versus Gender-Stereotyped Basal Readers on 1st-Grade Children's Gender Stereotypes: A Natural Experiment|journal=Journal of Research in Childhood Education|volume=23|issue=4|pages=411–420|doi=10.1080/02568540909594670|issn=0256-8543|year=2009|s2cid=145141339}}</ref> Toys are a medium for children to form gender stereotypes. Some toys, like stuffed animals, have proven to be gender-neutral and are usually marketed to both boys and girls.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stagnitti|first1=Karen|last2=Rodger|first2=Sylvia|last3=Clarke|first3=John|date=1 September 1997|title=Determining gender-neutral toys for assessment of preschool children's imaginative play|journal=[[Australian Occupational Therapy Journal]]|volume=44|issue=3|pages=119–131|doi=10.1111/j.1440-1630.1997.tb00764.x|issn=1440-1630}}</ref>

Parents also play a large role in building their children's gender socialization, as they are the ones buying the toys for their children.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Caldera|first1=Yvonne M.|last2=Huston|first2=Aletha C.|last3=O'Brien|first3=Marion|date=1989|title=Social Interactions and Play Patterns of Parents and Toddlers with Feminine, Masculine, and Neutral Toys|journal=Child Development|volume=60|issue=1|pages=70–76|doi=10.2307/1131072|jstor=1131072|pmid=2702876}}</ref> The popularity of making toy advertising gender neutral has been increasing through media such as ads showing boys playing with baby dolls (a toy that has commonly been marketed only towards girls in the past).<ref>{{cite web|author=Sally Peck, The Telegraph |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/gender-bending-toys-r-us-ads-from-sweden-2012-11 |title=Gender-Bending Toys R Us Ads From Sweden |website=Business Insider |date=28 November 2012 |access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref> At a young age for both boys and girls start to identify themselves by their gender role and are limited to what they can or can't do.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/well/family/gender-stereotypes-children-toys.html|title=Breaking Gender Stereotypes in the Toy Box|last1=Klass|first1=Perri|date=5 February 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=28 October 2019|last2=M.D|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Not just that, but the environment around young boys and girls also influences their behavior.

In 2019, [[Mattel]], a company with a long brand history within gender typing (e.g. [[Barbie]]), introduced its Creatable World doll line, a new toy that is the "world's first gender neutral doll".<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Dockterman |first1=E |last2=Calif |title=It Can Be a Boy, a Girl, Neither or Both |issue=14 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=2019|volume=194 }}</ref>