ViacomCBS Consumer Products Unveils ‘More The Dolls’ Study, Highlighting The Effects of Diversity and Inclusion Efforts in The Doll Category
The Top Driver of Doll Choice Among Girls is that the Dolls Look Like Them; 51% of Moms Say They Have Become More Conscious of their Choices Around Doll Purchases in the Past Year; 77% of Moms Surveyed Feel that Having Dolls of Diverse Race/Ethnic Mix Can Help their Girls Learn about Racial and Cultural Diversity
New York, NY – ViacomCBS Consumer Products today unveiled the results of “More Than Dolls,” a brand-new study commissioned to examine diversity in the Dolls category and factors that fuel the purchasing decisions of Black, Hispanic, White and Asian moms.
Inspired by the pivotal doll test conducted by Drs. Mamie and Kenneth Clark in 1947, “More Than Dolls” delves into diversity in the doll category, showcasing the positive impact that the greater availability of diverse dolls has had on Black, Hispanic, Asian girls, while highlighting the strides that still need to be made to fuel ongoing changes to with dolls that offer authentic representation and aspirational role models.
Said Pam Kaufman, President, Consumer Products, ViacomCBS: “ViacomCBS Consumer Products is committed to creating products that speak to and depict the full spectrum of diversity in the world consumers live in. Through our “More Than Dolls” study we aim to inform and help guide our amazing partners across the Consumer Products industry, where we have the ability to make a significant impact and contribute to positive and long-lasting social change.”
Added Ameeta Held, Vice President of Insights & Business Strategy, ViacomCBS Consumer Products: “Dolls are more than just toys, they are reflections of our society, showcasing the cultural standards of beauty that so many young girls internalize. The relationship that dolls have to girls’ self-esteem and their perceptions of themselves is a powerful one. It plays an important role in the development of their own aspirations and dreams.”
Key findings from “More Than Dolls” study include:
- When surveyed to find out what girls owned in terms of the perceived race and ethnicity of their dolls the results were: Black girls were most likely to own dolls that reflect their own race. Both Hispanic and Asian girls tended to own a diverse mix of dolls, followed by white dolls. White girls owned predominantly white dolls by a wide margin (61% owned predominantly white dolls); and while a diverse mix of dolls ranked as their number two choice, they were the least likely to own diverse dolls.
- 51% of moms surveyed agree they have recently become more conscious of the choices they make around the dolls they purchased this past year.
- 66% of moms surveyed said they encourage their daughters to play with dolls of a different race/ethnicity than their own.
- 77% of moms surveyed feel that having dolls of diverse race/ethnic mix can help their girls learn about racial and cultural diversity.
- The number one driver of doll choice among girls surveyed was that the doll looked like them. It was also the top driver of doll choice for moms.
- However, 52% of Black moms and 49% of Hispanic moms say there are not enough dolls of their race/ethnicity in general.
- Specific variables that were top of mind for moms of color as they considered dolls for their girls include: matching skin tone (71% average), matching hair (56%), the same body type (31%) and matching eyes (26%).
- 53% of moms surveyed said there not enough dolls/toys that represent strong, positive, Black/Hispanic/Asian role models – but beyond that moms want authentic dolls that reflect possibilities for their daughters.
- Nearly 66% of Black and Hispanic moms go out of their way to buy brands that are making the effort to be more racially inclusive and diverse.
- It also extends beyond just appearance, as the doll’s identity was also important to the moms/daughters. Elements like clothing/accessories, the doll’s name, profession/hobbies and reflections of her culture all needed to be authentically relatable.
Conducted in 2021, in partnership with Horowitz Research and C Space, the “More Than Dolls” study included surveys with 900 moms and their daughters (aged 2-9), as well as interviews and video diaries to expand on the findings. The questions explored what kind of dolls the girls had and why, how they play with them, and unmet gaps in the marketplace. An additional deep dive was designed to probe how attitudes around racial awareness are shifting in today’s consumer landscape.
Shontae Savage, the head of Black Lives Matter Licensing in the US, praised the research paper, and said it shows exactly why representational licensing is so important to society as a whole, and particularly for children.
“As a child everything that happens at that developmental stage in life is a lesson and that includes play,” said Savage. “Doll-play is an important form of play for impressionable children because it teaches the child to care and nurture others. Because at its core doll-play is teaching a child how to love and nurture another, it is crucial to that child’s development and identity that they are represented. Otherwise, they are learning the wrong message.”
Savage says that change is critical for children in minority families, who in the past were not represented in entertainment or in toys. “Representation or lack of representation in dolls speaks volumes to children,” she explained. “The message representation tells children is that you matter, you belong. When that representation is missing on toy shelves and reinforced through a lack of representation in figures of authority and again in their favorite TV shows, it sends a completely opposite message: you don’t matter.
Savage also says that’s something she was very aware of as a child.
“As a Black child growing up in the 80’s, my mom was very cognizant of buying dolls that looked like me,” she recalled. “At the time, dolls were either white with beautiful blond or brown locks of hair and various facial features, or dolls had a dark complexion with painted-on black plastic hair to convey the coils of black hair. I had spirally curly hair and did not look anything like the typical black baby doll. So, my mom sought out dolls, intended for Hispanic children, that looked more like me with a similar brown complexion, big brown eyes and spirally curly hair. In doing so, she imbued a sense of pride in me and reinforced that my baby, and I, were beautiful and deserved to be cared for.”
Conducted in 2021, in partnership with Horowitz Research and C Space, the “More Than Dolls” study included surveys with 900 moms and their daughters (aged 2-9), as well as interviews and video diaries to expand on the findings. The questions explored what kind of dolls the girls had and why, how they play with them, and unmet gaps in the marketplace. An additional deep dive was designed to probe how attitudes around racial awareness are shifting in today’s consumer landscape.
ViacomCBS Consumer Products (VCP) oversees all licensing and merchandising for ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic consumer brands, VCP’s portfolio includes a diverse slate of brands and content from BET, CBS (including CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution), Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and Showtime. With properties spanning animation, live-action, preschool, youth and adult, VCP is committed to creating the highest quality product for some of the world’s most beloved, iconic franchises. Additionally, VCP oversees the online direct-to-consumer business for CBS and Showtime programming merchandise, as well as standalone branded ecommerce websites for Star Trek, SpongeBob, South Park, and MTV.
For more research detail from Reflecting Me: Global Representation On Screen, visit Insights.ViacomCBS.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Have your say by leaving a comment below! NickALive! welcomes friendly and respectful comments. Please familiarize with the blog's Comment Policy before commenting. All new comments are moderated and won't appear straight away.