New York Times writer Peggy Orenstein responds to the hubbub surrounding little feminist Riley’s Christmastime rant, questioning the reliance on gender-based marketing in toys for boys and girls. If never watched Riley’s rant, she bemoaned the divisive state of children’s toy marketing: blue and superheroes for boys; pink and princesses for girls.

One of the primary examples Orenstein uses in her piece is that of Lego, a company that recently redesigned its once gender-neutral brand to appeal to girls. For this new line, girls are to build cafes or beauty salons in a fiction place called Heartlake City, populating it with so-called “ladyfig” characters. Most interesting, however, is that Legos were originally created as a toy for both boys and girls and marketed that way well into the 1990’s.

She then brings in psychological studies, a number of which have emphasized early gender differences in playing with toys. Toddlers both like to play with blocks, but as they age into preschool, little girls like to play with pretty things, like dolls, and role-playing. Boys preferred toys like cars and balls. Both genders liked stuffed animals and books.

On the surface, toy distinctions for girls and boys may seem to make sense. However, preschoolers searching for behavioral expectations are the most probable group to pick on gendered cues, and also to patrol each others’ behaviors. Essentially, as Orenstein points out, nurture becomes nature in that boys and girls behave following cues presented to them in their gendered environments.

Emphasizing the gender binary in little kids may result in long-term problems, says Orenstein. Parents should advocate for cross-gendered friendships and allow children to explore many different types of play. This leads to healthier romantic relationships when these children grow into teens.

To me, one of the most curious aspects of Orenstein’s article is that many types of toys were marketed to both boys and girls in the 1980's and '90's. I’ve been watching old commercials from these decades, and I am constantly surprised by the slough of toys that crossed gender binaries. Sure, companies marketed pink toys and dolls to girls, but Nickelodeon’s Gak—a slimy, squishy product designed to make fart noises—featured both boys and girls in its commercials.

And it wasn’t only gross-out, or masculine, toys marketed to girls. Companies marketed toys that would be considered "girly" in today's market to boys. For example, Popples, a pastel-and-neon stuffed animal that turned into a ball, was marketed to both girls and boys, the tagline being “Your child will love it.” Even a Pound Puppies, a stuffed dog, commercial from the 1980’s featured a young boy more prominently than a young girl.