Childish Things
From Battleship to Barbie, how culture for young consumers shapes the identities they construct
How to Play Like a Girl
For toymakers like Lego, where is the line between making products children love and telling kids how they should play?
Finding My Identity Via The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The ’90s American sitcom was crucial in helping me understand blackness as a young girl of Nigerian descent growing up in Scotland.
Frog and Toad and the Self
Arnold Lobel’s beloved books taught children to understand and appreciate their individuality.
Chance the Rapper and the Lessons of Childhood
The uplifting Coloring Book makes profound use of Millennial nostalgia.
Harriet Tubman Was My Wonder Woman
The black history icons I learned about as a child were larger-than-life—and they prepared me to grapple with America’s racial past.
Optimus Prime and Me
As a young girl in a new country, I looked to the leader of the Autobots for lessons in fitting in.
Every Episode of David Attenborough’s Life Series, Ranked
A long love letter to the creator of the world’s greatest nature documentaries, on the eve of his 90th birthday.
Will Toys Ever Go Beyond Blue and Pink?
Products marketed to children are more divided by gender stereotypes than ever, but the Internet is increasingly offering alternatives to Hot Wheels and Barbies.
The Kids’ Show That Taught Me to Ask 'Why?'
The PBS-aired educational program 3-2-1 Contact was one of the best things on TV in the 1980s.