Worst Toys Not Always The Worst

A LEGO set that reinforces gender stereotypes, a ball where you insert your expensive smartphone and throw around, a storybook app starring your kid, a monkey that’s basically an iPhone holder, a 7–11 Slurpee maker — these are the worst toys of the year according to the CCFC, whose goal is to end “the exploitive practice of child-targeted marketing.” The Times’s parenting blog finds the nominations amusing, but points out that a beauty shop version of a LEGO set that helps children learn spatial relationships and problem solving really can’t be any worse than LEGO sets with battleships and cars geared towards boys.

I don’t have children (yet! Who will provide me with a child?), but it’s my understanding that most toys are quickly discarded or destroyed by children under the age of 5. Just give them a big cardboard box to play in.

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