Abstract
Parents and educators have long recognized the value of toys as learning tools in what is known as dramatic play. From early on, children develop gender schemas which are cognitive frameworks to organize and form beliefs about gender expectations and boundaries. This includes what behavior, activities, toys, and even specific foods are for boys or for girls. This paper explores how play kitchens and accompanying play food have evolved from the 17th century Nuremberg toy kitchens named for the city that was then the center of toy manufacturing. These were clearly marketed only to girls and as learning tools of socialization, teaching a model of household management, cooking and domestic labor through play. Expensive and finely equipped, these single -room miniatures were also symbolic aspirational displays. Few, if any, kitchens matched their elaborate content in real life. In contrast, today’s ubiquitous preschool and home play kitchens are intentionally conceived of and marketed as gender neutral dramatic play areas, bridging boundaries of gender identity. Marketed simultaneously, Barbie and her Dream House are overtly gendered and underplay the functional kitchen. The Dream House highlights the celebrity chef career options in a setting that is clearly aspirational. Research consists of examination of historical and contemporary advertising and marketing practices of manufacturers of play kitchens and play food and examples in popular culture media. Qualitative interviews were conducted with parents, educators and staff of several children’s museums and preschools.
Presenters
Constance KirkerAssistant Professor, Retired, Department of Integrative Arts, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Education, Teaching and Learning, History Pedagogy
