Sugar and Spice And All Things Bob The Builder

It’s time for a rant. I haven’t had one for a while so here it comes.

BOYS STUFF SUCKS!

From t-shirts, to wellies, to watering cans, to footballs, mummies of little boys have to venture far and wide to buy anything for their child that doesn’t have Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie the Pooh, SpiderMan or Postman Pat and his Black and White Sodding Cat irremovably emblazoned across it. If, by some fluke, a cartoon has-been from 1928 hasn’t found it’s way onto the front, they’ll colour you out of the market with such garish combinations as lime green and aqua blue.

By contrast, the little girl’s stuff goes on for aisles. Beautiful spotty pink wellies, stripey t-shirts, flowery watering cans, Rosebud dolls houses and wooden pastel kitchen sets - all cartoon and comic strip free. Little boy mummies have the choice of Nuts the Monkey, Doc Tox, Doom Warriors and Balaur the Three-headed Dragon.

Whilst I accept that boys lean towards the toxic, aggressive and mutated, I can’t believe something manly yet tasteful can’t be produced for those parents who have to actually dedicate visible areas of their homes to displaying those toys that just won’t squish into any trunk no matter how hard you try. I spent three long years researching, planning and decorating my home to achieve a calming New England backdrop to my domestic life which is now interspersed with fire engine red, the primary-est of blues and the brashest of yellows. Luckily, I have come to love the bursts of colour Chickie and his toys have brought to our life.

I promise, should Chickie love Thomas, Bob and Pat when he’s older, they will be welcomed into his toy trunk with open arms but, until then, I demand alternatives.