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Amazon no longer sees gender when it comes to toys

May 08, 2015

When she's not writing, Claire Gillespie can most often be found wiping snotty noses, picking up Lego, taking photos of her cat or doing headstands.

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Amazon's U.K. site no longer has 'Boys' Toys' and 'Girls' Toys'

From SheKnows UK

For those shopping for boys who like to play with dolls (there are more of them than you might think) or girls who favour pirates over princesses (ditto) Amazon's latest change to its toy categorisation will be cause for celebration.

According to kottke.org, the online retail giant has quietly dropped the "Boys" and "Girls" categories from the sidebar filter of its "Toys & Games" section, which appears to be based on this tweet:

This week Amazon eliminated the gendered taxonomy of toys: http://t.co/fn8Afi7Kvq There are no more "boys" and "girls" sections!
— Jack Danger (@jackdanger) May 2, 2015

Amazon has yet to confirm the news, which has been widely welcomed by Twitter users. Following further user investigation, it appears that the change is being rolled out gradually, with gendered taxonomy no longer present on the site in some countries (including the U.K., U.S., Italy and Denmark) but still there in others, such as France and Spain.

More: 8-Year-old fights brand to wear "boys-only" sneakers

It does appear that the change is happening at different levels and pace across the company's regional sites. In the U.K. "Boys' Toys" and "Girls' Toys" have also disappeared from the "Toys & Games" homepage:

Image credit: Amazon

While they are still options on the U.S. version of the same page:

Image credit: Amazon

Whatever is going on something is changing and, however small a milestone, it's the retailer's first step towards making its toy selection more gender agnostic. Will other stores follow in its footsteps?