Combinaries
In the realm of childhood development, the significance of play cannot be overstated. However, an often overlooked aspect of play is how toys can reinforce gender stereotypes. How can we expect to steer the world towards gender equality when certain professions/attitudes are already reinforced to belong to a specific gender, from a very young age? During this project, I've explored how to question these dynamics and created "combinaries". This concept focusses on the deconstructing and reconstructing of gender stereotypes within toys.
My first tryout on deconstructing strongly gendered toys and combining them. I learned that it was hard to take apart the toys and concluded that I'd have to find another way on how to tackle what I was trying to do.
I visited a circular workspace where I learned about the possibilities on reusing plastics.
Conducting an investigation into the feasibility of implementing a screw system.
Trying out my prototype with children within my target audience.
The final design
