But every year something comes up!! Thanks twitter, for letting me feel like I was there.
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Make Your Case: Be Creative, Don't Get Boxed In. Mold Making Market Targeted Towards Girls.12/3/2014
Caught this on the television last week and could not help but smile. The Make Your Case by The Maya Group is a silicon injection mold kit that allows the user to create custom cases for their iPhone and or iPod.
I am fascinated by toys, one as objects and activities that socialize boys and girls about their gender roles and second as markers of time. This is the perfect example. The Make Your Case set is marketed to girls, seeking to appeal to the popularity of cellphones. Target marketing girls for this activity is interesting. Does this toy emphasize that girls have an attachment to cell phone technology, or more specifically the social aspect of cell phone technology? It begs me to ask how engulfed young people are with their technology and how does the relation differ between the genders?
Another thing I find incredibly interesting is how telling this toy is; it is clearly of this era. Mold making as an activity in toys is not a new concept. Do you remember Creepy Crawlers? Yet a toy based around customizing the exterior of ones cell phone, better yet the most recent generation of iPhone, eluding to the fact that children use the same devices as their adult counter parts. Even the language in the product description exemplifies the colloquialism of contemporary culture, "selfie." Check out the instructional video for the Make Your Case. In the instructional video, with all the mold making vocabulary aside, I wish explained molds and or the engineering of mold making. Though I am sure that curiosity will lead girls to analyze and explore how the injection mold functions and or how this three part mold is constructed. I can't wait to get a hold of the leaflets included in the kit to see if things are further explained there. Ive included the newer version of Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker's commercial in as a comparison to Make Your Case's commercial. The most interesting comparison is the utilitarian idea of a cell phone case versus plastic gooey bugs. Then again, Maya in their commercial do not at all mention the initial purpose of a cell phone case which is to protect your device, rather just like any accessory your phone should reflect the individuals personal style.
A friend tonight forwarded me a link to a the video for a new start up, ManServants. Aside from being a hilarious campaign, with queen Beyonce's beat in the background music, I am upset that I wasn't the one who came up with the idea! ManServants boasts that they offer what the ladies are really seeking, a handsome, well groomed, polite man to do your bidding.
Dalal Khajah and Josephine Wai Lin (who are not only my new dream girls) are cofounders of ManServants. The idea stemmed from a friend who wanted a stripper free bachelorette party, which got the two questioning the tradition of a male stripper. Mashable's TL Stanley writes, "the service isn’t intended to compete with existing Rent-a-Hubby and other handyman-for-hire companies, she said, but rather fill a void where no entrepreneurs have yet gone. ManServants is open to men, as well, but the founders think they’ll draw mostly women as clients who want to treat themselves or their friends to some testosterone-fueled pampering." When interviewed by Mashable's TL Stanely, cofounder Khajah stated, “it’s kind of our dream to annihilate the male stripper industry, but really we just want to flip the script and provide another option.” ManServant's menu boasts to suit your taste: The San Francisco based startup is set to launch this fall, but will only be servicing the San Francisco area! I blame Advancement to Candidacy for this slipping under my radar. In February Barbie and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue turned 50. Both Barbie and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue team together to rejuvenate their image with the #unapologetic campaign. Curious about it all, I know for sure I want to get my hands on one of these soon. Guess I'm gonna troll to the library.
Watching Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse. The show is about Barbie (of course) her sisters, friends, Ken and this ridiculously amazing dream house. I find a few things interesting. One. That they are dolls. And are aware of it. So at times there is assembly required. Like when Ken got Barbie her car. Or that some of the items come with the weird handle that loops on to Barbies hand. Allowing her to hold hair brushes and tennis rackets. Some of her more infamous outfits are stored in blister packs. And can we say that they're shoulder sockets are amazing. Two. A testimate of the times, the cartoon mocks how reality shows are shot. Complete with each characters own confessional couch. Three. Skipper and her awesome purple stripe and teenage angst. And lastly the episodes are extremely reminiscent of the 90s comics. Each episode definitely has a feel-good, learn to be an awesome person/friend moment. Though, the cartoon seems to be a little more outlandish, playing on the ridiculousness of being Barbie. Like how old Barbie really is, how many careers she's had, her endless closet and the fact that there's a button, switch or lever that expands, flips, or spins an upgrade to the home.
Unapologetically plastic. |
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