Kinder egg's blue and pink-themed packaging leaves parents fuming
The Hot Wheels/Hello Kitty debate rages on - but is all a storm in an egg cup?
Oh dear, Kinder are in hot water with some mums and dads over their latest promotion: blue and pink eggs containing either a Hot Wheels toy or Hello Kitty figure.
You can probably work out which toy is in each colour-coded pack, and it's that that has left parents on Twitter angry.
Commenters have accused the brand of sexism, being in the '1970s', and 'gendering colour and toys'.
(Although a few posts point out that no one is actually saying you have to buy the pink ones for your daughters, or the blue for your son...)
And Kinder themselves have hotly denied there are any sexist shenanigans going on. They say that there is no 'boys toy or girls toy' agenda, and they claim their packaging simply reflects what the consumer wants.
In a statement to the Huffington Post UK, a spokesperson for Ferrero, who make the eggs, said:
"In the UK, Kinder Surprise eggs are available in different coloured designs for limited edition promotions because consumer feedback showed that parents found it helpful as a guide to the type of toys found inside."
"We don’t label them as being for boys or girls because we know children enjoy all types of toys."
Not everyone is convinced, though. Campaigner Jess Day from Let Toys Be Toys - an organisation which aims to challenge gender stereotyping in the toy industry - told the HuffPost that the packaging was a gender issue.
"Kids and parents all know what these colours mean, and it’s nothing to do with informing shoppers about the content - after all, ‘Hot Wheels’ brand colours are red and yellow," she said.
"Marketing by gender limits children’s chances to learn and have fun - why not offer them a choice without the labels and not tell them what girls and boys are meant to like?"
The blue and pink wrappers certainly have stirred up a bit of a hornets' nest, haven't they? ?
Have your say
Are you OK with the pink and blue packaging? Perhaps you find it helpful when toys are labelled as being more geared towards children who like princesses or dolls or cars?
Or do you think toys are just that - play things that any child can have, regardless of gender, and should not be colour coded in any way?
Let us know in comments or on Facebook.
Image:YouTube/Kinder
Read more:
Authors
Create the perfect wishlist for your baby with MyCrib
Are you expecting and don't know where to start? Discover how MyCrib can help you build your dream wishlist. You can add products from any site with just one click and even use MyCrib's buying assistant to help get you started.