A flurry of reports proclaiming Amazon has stopped dividing toys into separate categories for boys and girls have been circulating on the internet.
However, this 'news' isn't entirely true.
The commotion was kicked off by a tweet from a person who goes by the Twitter name Jack Danger and who claims to have a friend who works on the taxonomy (category) team at Amazon.
Amazon.com had indeed removed the option to search for either "toys for boys" or "toys for girls" from the left hand rail of their toys page.
However, the pages with toys listed according to gender do still exist - they're just no longer offered as a search option on the main toys page.
Also, it is only Amazon.com that has made a change - not Amzon.co.uk, which removed the gender search option for toys some time ago, but to less fanfare.
Let Toys Be Toys campaigner Jess Day tells HuffPost UK Parents:
"Amazon.co.uk hasn't used Girl and Boy categories for toys in its online store for some time. We highlighted this in our survey before Christmas last year, which found that more than half of online stores surveyed were selling toys without gender signposting, a 46% drop compared with 2012.
"Shoppers are just as able to find Barbie and Brio labelled as 'dolls' and 'trains' after all.
"We encourage retailers to organise toys by genre not gender - describe what it is, not who you think ought to like it. Gender simply isn't a good guide to what an individual child will enjoy.
"Obviously we welcome the change at amazon.com and hope they'll also drop the 'Boys Toys' and 'Girls Toys' index pages too.
"These labels are limiting and a bit boring - children should choose for themselves what they think is interesting."
HuffPost UK blogger Simon Ragoonanan, who writes about gender stereotyping on his blog Man vs. Pink adds:
"The story being shared is a bit misleading. Amazon.com haven't really removed 'Boy' and 'Girl' toy categories from their site.
"The Boy/Girl landing pages are still there, with different gender based selections. But Amazon.com have removed the gender check boxes from one part of the navigation.
"It's a very small step, and they have much more work to do to remove gender as a toy category, but it's still a positive one that hopefully indicates their future approach.
"It's worth noting that Amazon UK don't use gender categories on toys, and UK customers still manage to find the ones we need without resorting to old fashioned gender based categories."
13 Toys That In Retrospect Are Really Weird
Cootie (1948)(01 of11)
Open Image ModalThe only hit game that could literally be called “lousy.” Kids race to be the first to build their cootie (another name for louse). It was a major hit and has never been out of production. (Those vermin are hard to do in.) And, in 1975, it was celebrated with a 15-foot tall float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (credit:Marisa Train )
Big Loo (1963)(02 of11)
Open Image ModalIf there ever was a toy that tried to do everything, it was this three-foot tall, shiny green, red and gold robot from Marx. The hit of the holiday season, at a staggering $9.99, he had eyes that lit up, a voice changer, a Morse code clicker, darts that shot from his nipples, a rocket launcher in his foot and an arm that shot plastic balls. It had all the bells and whistles of classic, active play—including the bells and whistles. (credit:Marisa Train )
Clackers (c. 1970)(03 of11)
Open Image ModalNow here’s a brilliant idea. Give kids hard acrylic balls on string that they smash into each other at high speeds. Like the yo-yo and the boomerang, these began their lives as ancient weapons and were used to knock small animals unconscious. Children, like warriors of old, loved showing off their proficiency—and the inevitable battle scars. Today, the only response to these is: “What were they thinking?” (credit:Marisa Train)
The Pet Rock (1975)(04 of11)
Open Image ModalWas it a toy or a gimmick? Didn’t matter. Toy stores sold millions of rocks in a box with breathing holes that came with a tongue-in-cheek manual about care and training of the little igneous “friend.” Amazingly (or not), the fad came and went pretty quickly and after an initial flurry sales became (wait for it) rocky. (credit:Marisa Train)
Stretch Armstrong (1976)(05 of11)
Open Image ModalIt was really not much more than a plastic bag full of goo that could stretch up to four times his size. But kids loved pulling this amorphous super hero out of shape, tying his arms up and seeing just how much punishment this guy could take. For kids, he was a test of strength and a healthy toy for acting out aggression. There wasn’t much that could do in Stretch. Well, except for being left in a hot car. His latex body and corn syrup innards broke down in no time. A sad fact many kids learned the hard way. (credit:Marisa Train)
Pogs (1991)(06 of11)
Open Image ModalHey, here’s a million-dollar idea: get kids to spend their allowance money on decorated cardboard discs. Starting as cardboard discs sealing the tops of Passion Fruit Orange Guava (POG) drink from the Haleakala Dairy on Maui, the craze swept the nation and over the next two years became playground must-haves. Until, as always seems to happen, those cranky schools banned them because kids were using them as a form of—gasp—gambling. (credit:Marisa Train)
Tanky Wanky (1998)(07 of11)
Open Image ModalThis one never made it to the U.S., but it sold in China, where I purchased it. It was a plastic tank with the head of Tinky Winky from the Teletubbies on it. Given the sweet and silly nature of the Teletubbies, this was as close to a toy version of cognitive dissonance as one would ever find. (credit:Marisa Train)
Rad Repeatin’ Tarzan (1999)(08 of11)
Open Image ModalDisney’s Tarzan was not intended to be this hilarious. The, we still believe, unintended action in this action figure was that when the lever was pushed on his back, his right arm moved up and down away from his loincloth, and Tarzan gave out his signature yell. It looked for all the world like poor Cheetah was getting spanked. This is still a hot collectible for those saddled with a sense of humor—or as some would call it, arrested development. (credit:Marisa Train)
Sing-A-Ma-Jigs (2010)(09 of11)
Open Image ModalThey were small, soft critters that sung in bizarre voices then you squeezed their tummies. Each sang a different song that could be changed by how long or how hard you squeezed the little guys. They became a huge hit with a very high annoyance factor, so moms tell us, which only heightened their appeal. More than 35 different ones were made before the craze went flat. (credit:Mattel )
Breast Milk Baby (2011)(10 of11)
Open Image ModalThis lovely baby doll from Spain had a special additional feature. When the dolly’s “mommy” put on the halter with flowers where the nipples would be and held the doll’s mouth to it, the doll would make sucking sounds and actions. Helpful role play for make-believe mommies? Or just plain gross? It was a short-lived controversy, as the market voted a resounding, “no.” (credit:Christopher Byrne)
Poo-Dough (2013)(11 of11)
Open Image ModalWhen you’re 7, all things scatological have a level of comedy that often baffles adults. (Well, mom, mostly.) Kids can use the dark brown modeling compound to mold their own replica poos. (You can even mold corn pieces to put in it.) Hilarity ensues. At least in our offices—and hopefully in your home. (credit:Christopher Byrne )