GoldieBlox: Turning Girls into Engineers

While the rest of the world debates the breastfeeding doll controversy, one very smart young woman is building a toy every little girl really, really needs.

GoldieBlox were invented by Debbie Sterling Lewis, a Stanford engineering graduate who is quick to point out that her parents never bought her toys like Legos, K’Nex, or Lincoln Logs. She’s not holding it against them—she eventually discovered her passion for engineering when she was a senior in high school—but now she’s determined to bring more girls into a field that’s currently 90 percent male, according to some estimates.

So Lewis spent a year researching gender differences in play, and quickly figured out what has alluded so many other major toy manufacturers: It’s not just about making the building kits pink and purple. Girls have strong verbal skills, which is why they tend to like to reading stories and role playing with dolls. So Lewis combined the construction element with figurines and a book that introduces the fun of building in ways girls can relate to. Then she told her story on kickstarter.com and in five days received the funding to start production.

Alas the first sets of GoldieBlox won’t be available in time for the holidays—the delivery estimate is February 2013—but it sounds like a toy worth saving those gift cards for.

Does your daughter like building toys? Leave a comment. 

Plus: Discover how to get your daughter even more excited about science!