Gender bending

So my baby girl loves Elmo. LOVES Elmo. The first-time mom that I am, I buy a ton of Elmo stuff. Sandals, pjs, 3 dolls, a folding chair, sleeping bag...you get the point. My problem is most of the Elmo stuff I see is blue based. Leaving Zoe to play the female version of Elmo. Why is this??

Superstore carries a TON of Sesame stuff. That's where I get most of it. But the cute little Elmo sneakers are bright blue. Just like the spring/fall jackets. I was lucky enough to get pink Elmo pjs, although they still had a sports theme on them. Are they implying E's a tom-boy? She's only 16 mths! I don't want her being labelled already. Why do manufacturers do that? I wish they'd have pink and blue versions of the same. Or pick a neutral colour like purple or green. They'd get more money out of me for sure.

You might think she wouldn't know the difference, but she does. Already!! I got her Elmo sandals (second hand) . Before she had them on she was going crazy for them. While we were in PEI, I bought her an "ElMOOO" onezee from Cows. She knew it was Elmo related . (Cows even had different colours - blue, red and yellow.) You can't fool a kid, even as young as E. She watches Elmo everyday and has that recognition for him.

So, if any manufacturers are reading, know that you're cutting yourself out of a piece of the pie by attaching gender to characters. Elmo is loved by girls. Dora is a favourite of boys. Everyone should know how to cook a nice meal and change a flat. That's just my humble opinion

~B