Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

LAR — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 21:01:43 GMT

My 5-yo daughter loves Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars and just received a Hot Wheels racetrack from Santa. She bought one of these Polly Pocket cars with her allowance last week and added it to her collection.

To her, a car is a car, and it's just as cool as the green race car with the doors that open, or the firetruck with the ladder that extends.

But I will always and forever draw the line at anything Bratz.

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

Sheri — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:56:37 GMT

I've got 3 boys. Used to want girls. Not so much after seeing Bratz dolls and now "race to the mall". I'm a stay at home mom and to some ppl that 's not exactly reaching for the sky either, but I'm thinking that's not exactly sending the "be all you can be" message to these girls.

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

Karen Murphy — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:53:24 GMT

My daughter plays with her older brother's car-stuff all the time. But she also plays with her own girlie horse stuff. It's a tossup for me. I'm gagging slightly at the pink-and-purpleness of it all, but like Patti I'm all for the teenytiny drivers. But...why special stuff for girls, anyway?

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

Traci — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:34:32 GMT

Well I for one don't think it's so horrible if girls like pink and purple and sparkly things, as long as they don't say stupid crap like race to the mall...so yes. If she expressed an interest I'd get them.

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

Kelly — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 23:05:56 GMT

This year for her birthday my girly girl 5-year-old daughter specifically asked for her own matchbox cars of her own. Apparently her brother's hundreds of cars weren't doing it for her. Some of her prissy girlfriends were thrown for a loop, and we ended up with Dora and Diego themed matchbox cars. And in her words, "These aren't the same."

So no, I'd have to say I wouldn’t probably buy these cars.

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

creative-type dad — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:58:40 GMT

I don't know, it could work. My daughter likes to play with the neighbors toy cars...

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

Patti — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:45:02 GMT

I wouldn't touch the "race to the mall" shit, but the cars with the teeny drivers? Hell yeah.

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

Justine — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:37:34 GMT

My girls loved matchbox cars when they were toddlers. My 3 year old BOY wanted the Polly pocket car for his birthday. go figure.

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

RachelZ — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:32:44 GMT

I suppose if they were a gift or something I wouldn't have a problem with The Jillian playing with them. But I don't see why I can't just buy her regular Matchbox cars and let her paint them with my nail polish like I did to my brother's cars when we were kids. And my nail polish collection has a lot more glitter in it than my mom's did so she's already ahead of the game.

Of course, "race to the mall" = VOMIT. Why can't she race to the astrophysics research station or to the Fortune 500 or to the White House? I hate girls' toys. They just seem so... limiting isn't exactly the word I mean but then again, "race to the mall" doesn't exactly reach for the stars, does it?

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

tray — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 19:07:34 GMT

I've somehow produced the girliest girl on the plant- and I don't have a clue how that happened. She'd love it - and it and the game will prob show up on the birthday wish list, sigh. I bought this child trucks and overalls when she was a baby, really I did...but right now if it is not pink and/or purple (glitter is even better) she's not interested.

PS for the other mothers like me - you and your daughters will both love a book called "Fancy Nancy".

re: Matchbox Cars for Girls: Stupid Idea or Brilliant Marketing Ploy?

BBBGMOM — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:57:17 GMT

No, I would not buy such things for my daughter. Her older brothers have plenty of cars and she is welcome to play with them. If my daughter received pink or purple glittery cars as gifts, of course I would let her play with them. At least one of my sons would leap at the chance to do so, too. But I think the whole "race to the mall" thing is sickening. I see that going back to the store if she were to receive it. Who thinks up this stuff?