Ethnic toys aimed at diverse consumers

By: Shelley ZeigerThe news:

Discount retail store Kmart expanded its toy collection in August to include multiethnic dolls that reflect diverse backgrounds of the children who play with them.

Behind the news:

The average black consumer spent the lowest amount of money on “pets, toys, hobbies and playground equipment” among all racial groups tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2005 Consumer Expenditure Survey.

According to the bureau, an average U.S. consumer spent $420 a year on “pets, toys, hobbies and playground equipment.” An average white consumer spent $471 on the category, while an average Asian consumer used up $175. An average black consumer, meanwhile, spent only $128 a year. Those with Latino background are counted among each race. Latinos alone spent $244 on average.
Although non-white consumers allotted fewer dollars, Kmart still added 40 lines of toys representing Latinos, Asians and African Americans.

Kirsten Whipple, spokeswoman for Sears Holdings, parent company of Kmart, said the move is a solid business move, given the company’s diverse clientele. “We really wanted to better serve our customers, knowing that we didn’t have a good selection of
multicultural fashion dolls,” she said.

Multiethnic dolls provide an educational opportunity to teach children the importance of the diversity that permeates the country, said Carol Fenster, CEO of Baby Abuelita Productions, a company providing Kmart with products that preserve Latino culture and heritage.

“More and more parents are aware of the importance of children learning a second language and being exposed to other cultures,” she said. “Consumers are given a choice of what to purchase as opposed to a one-size-fits-all.”

Monia Cupcea, 32, who lives on Chicago’s Northwest Side, said she likes having the choice. “Taking care of a doll may be the first time a child learns to care for other people,” she said, “and a multicultural doll can help with building tolerance.”

A few months ago, Leslie Madsen-Brooks was disturbed by her 2-year-old son playing with toys that didn’t reflect the diversity of the neighborhood around him—so much so that she began a blog called “The Multicultural Toybox” as a resource for parents looking for multicultural, ethnic or antiracist dolls and toys. For Brooks, multiethnic dolls need to be about more than just darkening the skin of a white doll; the way a doll is clothed also affects a child’s perception of different cultures.

“We need to be very careful when we have to show [particularly] girls the diversity of the world through their toys,” she said.

Vanessa Jackson, 43, who lives on Chicago’s Northwest Side and regularly shops at Kmart, agreed. “I think [Kmart’s] marketing department is listening,” Jackson said. “We don’t all have straight silky hair. To me, they’re making the features more realistic, but Barbie still has the long straight hair just like white people.”