I came upon a list of top boys' and girls' intellectual property this week*. I studied it carefully and was surprised to find that there was a surprisingly large number of properties enjoyed by both genders.
I analyzed the list in detail and fount that fully one-third were enjoyed by both genders. In fact, five of the top six categories on the girls' side are also found with the boy's favorites.
I find this of note because toys have historically been one of the most gender-segregated product categories. For decades the toy industry has notified girls and boys with what they were allowed to play by color-coding (that ubiquitous use of pink for girls), signage (Boys Toys and Girls Toys), and packaging (boys had long predominated in ads and boxes).
The toy industry has made an effort over the last few years to stop providing gender guidance and let kids choose. I think that maybe why we see such a high percentage of cross-over IP. I also believe that girls, encouraged by parents, are taking back some of the play categories (think construction and video games) that had become boy's domains.
On the next page is the list. I have gone through and color-coded those that are popular with both boys and girls. Also, the IP is ranked in order of popularity by gender. Please share your thoughts.
GIRLS | BOYS | |
LOL Surprise | Lego | |
Toy Story | Nerf | |
Roblox | Avengers | |
Secret Life of Pets | Minecraft | |
Lego | Fortnite | |
The Lion King | Ironman | |
Aladdin | Captain Marvel | |
Disney Princesses | Spiderman | |
American Girl | Batman | |
Minions | Guardians of the Galaxy | |
Barbie | Toy Story | |
My Little Pony | Hot Wheels | |
Descendents | Teen Titans Go | |
Shopkins | Roblox | |
Hatchimals | Captain America | |
The Incredibles | The Incredibles | |
Frozen | Mario Kart | |
Pikmi Pops | Secret Life of Pets | |
Ty | Jurassic World | |
Scholastic | Pokemon | |
Trolls | Transformers | |
Nerf | Minions | |
Poopsie | Scholastic | |
Mario Kart | Black Panther | |
Little Live Pets | Star Wars | |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Sonic the Hedgehog | |
FurReal | Call of Duty | |
Littlest Pet Shoppe | Superman | |
Num Noms | TMNT | |
JoJo Siwa | The Lion King |
*I am very particular about providing the source and crediting the author and researcher. I have, however, lost the source and, although I have spent a lot of time searching the Internet, have been unable to recover it. My apologies to whoever the author and publication is. If recognized please contact me so I can immediatelyi credit the author and publication.
I read this list with great interest as well and was pleased by the amount of cross-over. I was surprised to see Diary of a Wimpy Kids, an IP I thought was boy territory, in the Girls list only. Similarly, three IPs I thought had cross-over appeal – Captain Marvel, Teen Titans Go and Pokemon – were only in the Boys list.