TFW2005 would like to welcome our newest sponsor, Woozy Moo! Woozy Moo has been on the scene for a bit with a mission focused online store, and have recently started carrying Transformers from both Takara and Hasbro. You can read about them here. They’ve included a discount of 10% off through the weekend, check them out and save if you find that one you’re looking for!
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TFW2005 Welcome Special!
Use Code TFW2005 for 10% off all Transformers – including pre-orders!
Ends Sunday, 8/21 11:59PM, U.S. Eastern Time
Use Code TFW2005 for 10% off all Transformers – including pre-orders!
Ends Sunday, 8/21 11:59PM, U.S. Eastern Time
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Tony_Bacala
Wanted to clarify that this thread was closed since it turned a bit political / social in nature, and of course got a tad nasty as those things do. TFW is not the place for that discussion. Closing for now, future updates and responses will stay toy focused. Thanks!
Hot Shot.
What bugs me is how their whole tagline rests on the implication that other stores are somehow discriminating against their customers, just because they market to the kids most likely to buy a certain toy. It's not discrimination to know that different sexes tend to like different things, nor is it discrimination to not waste the marketing budget on risks that heavily outweigh the possible gains.
Am I saying boys can't like Barbie, or that girls can't like Transformers? Of course not. I used to have a Ken doll once upon a time, and I bought my sister a Thunderblast for her 11th birthday. What I am saying is that we don't live in a gender-neutral society, and that's perfectly fine. No, children are not gender-neutral either. David Reimer was proof of that.
Also, claiming to be "gender-neutral" while having a "girl power" section is hypocritical no matter how you spin it. Putting more weight on one side of a scale than the other doesn't create a balance. You've simply imbalanced it a different way.
Starfire22
Glad to see people knowing of the whole gender neutral thing here.
lordsmurf
The 2-pack of Astrotrain and Alpha Trion was sold out, so I ordered them separate.
The 2-pack stated "August 23" ship date, so hopefully the individuals are the same. The 2-pack is just a Hasbro box around the individuals anyway. Nothing special. Correct?
FYI: This is a TF site. I'm not interested in politics here. I don't care if it's run by crossdressers. As long as they have safe well-padded shipping, with the figures at fair prices, I'm fine. Good business need a good work either, with good services for the customers — not office politics.
@Unicron9: In the 80s, I also remember watching JEM and She-Ra. It was just a toon.
Unicron9
After looking into Woozy Moo it very much looks to be just another part of the social justice agenda. I'm sorry, but that's what it looks like to me. I do realize that cause is a big thing now and just saying that will likely get me some hate (which is oddly enough just what the whole ultra-PC SJW thing is supposed to be against) but that aspect doesn't make me want to give them my money over the stores I already know and trust.
I'm 40 years old and as a kid in the 80s I played with She-ra with my sister and her friends and they played with my transformers. Only the dumbest mean red-neck people we ever knew said boys can't play with girl toys, though boys ONLY wanting to play with dolls was a bit of a different story sometimes. It was rare for anyone to care much if girls played with boy toys though, as that just made them tom-boys and often they were considered even cooler than other girls in the neighborhood. But maybe that was just my town and the rest of the world was vastly different…
I have 3 girls myself and they have a pretty even collection of boy and girl toys with no need for them to be classified as gender neutral, and none of them are made fun of for what they play with. My wife and I are against what some of this gender neutral stuff is saying to our kids because there are differences in boys and girls, and that is fine. Both can be just as good or bad as the other and both have their bonuses and hardships. We feel it is important to see that realistically.
Woozy Moo seems nice, but I can't help but see the whole SJW thing here. In too many cases that whole movement is out for special treatment much more than equality, and it often demonizes straight white males, or just males in general who in the case of toys have been the ones most likely to take backlash for playing with dolls.
Sorry to be as blunt as I always am but I feel there are much more pressing issues to stand against in the world than first world "problems" like pushing for toy stores to do away with pink dolls toy aisles that appeal more to girls and robot/wrestlers/superhero aisles that appeal more to boys. I don't see why that really matters or how that is discrimination.
There will always be mean people who don't approve of what every other person is doing. I doubt that will ever change. People will never all have the same views and opinions, and shouldn't need to conform to any one idea that decides it is the only right one. Reality can be a pain for us all as individuals in our lives. That is a fact that the social justice millennials don't seem to understand.
Changing things for any particular minority group, sex, or sexuality to make them more comfortable at the expense of other people's comfort doesn't make everything better.
I think this overly-sensitive viewpoint shelters kids from reality, and that isn't a good thing at all. As a consumer who spends over $2000 a year on action figures from online stores, I need no 'safe space' to shop. My usual places are more than safe enough and aren't trying to push any activist agendas.
It is possible I am misunderstanding Woozy Moo's theme, but it looks pretty familiar to me in a way I am not a fan of.
Sorry for being long winded, but that is why the special difference in this toy store doesn't appeal to me personally.
AutobotAlvaron
I like TransFormers, Star Trek, Star Wars, Fantasy (LOTR, Hobbit, Swords & Sorcery) & Sci-Fi stuff, and I like getting it at a good price. I like being rewarded for being a loyal customer, and I like low or free-shipping, using PayPal, secure on-line shopping, free pre-orders, safe & well-packed boxes, discounts, e-mail sales catalogs/newsletters, and lots of available stock to avoid disappointment. If you have all this and deal with we your potential customers & fans, with Consistent Excellence you will be busy, profitable, & happy business owners.
Hmm…I myself hate controversy, but I do not agree with a lot of "Gender-Neutrality" or "Gender Fluidity" theory, as it contravenes basic human nature and negates the inherent natural & God-given beauty of the two genders of Male & Female. The Male & Female and their physical & psychological characteristics are real, definable, distinct, necessarily different and completely apparent. They are complementary in nature, neither being inferior or superior to the other. The Male/Female natures are both very good, beautiful and EQUAL, but NOT identical. The two natures do have areas of over-lap and compatibility, yet one need not negate the the special qualities of the other. For example, Boys can be tender & Girls can be strong. That simple fact does not turn Boys into Girls or vice-versa. We Humans are of either kind from conception and are NOT Both nor Neither. Overlap of common features does not make us interchangeable at will or Neutral. By default 99.99999% of us are either one or the other and our natural-born right to our own Maleness or Femaleness must be accepted, respected, and protected, by ourselves and others. We should be proud of who & what we are and not be warped or cowed into sameness/neutrality for agreement's sake.
Most Boys, though certainly not all, are rough & tumble, competitive, adventure-seekers, & mini-warriors, and most girls are smart, caring, imaginative, vocal story-telling, leaders (seriously, don't women run most families?) There are commonalities, yet obvious distinctions in how children of different ages and of the two sexes play. That should be respected and not negatively tampered with ever.
As another example, playing "House" helps develop Familial roles for both, while pretending to be a Super-Hero or Giant Alien Robot expands both their imaginations and encourages the helping of others. Most Autobots make for positive role-models, while Decepticons allow for fun, harmless pretending. How many Recess-periods after Lunch, and after-school afternoons did we spend pretending we were TransFormers or He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, or SuperMan, BatMan, SpiderMan, etc.? How often did some of the girls join us as WonderWoman, SuperGirl, She-Ra, or possibly Arcee? See how we all joined in the fun! That is cooperative-play, and it is good & fun & healthy. That kind of Play I can agree with and support instead of all this "gaming" and TV-watching.
As far as toys are concerned, I have no problem with Boys playing "House" with Baby-Dolls and Kitchen-sets, or with girls wanting to play with Action Figures or Tonka trucks. My nephew plays Teddy Bears & Dollies but prefers Super-Heroes, and my niece enjoys TransFormers and Star Wars & Star Trek stuff, but loves her Barbies, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Children should be free to play with toys that are safe, age-appropriate, and that spark their imaginations & thinking-skills. Any attempt to confuse them away from their natural-born gender tendencies would be a form of mental/psychological abuse and would be cruel. I would steer clear of all that type of dangerous radical non-sense, but if by "Gender-Neutral" you simply mean let Boys & Girls play with ($ and have their Parents buy $) the toys that they like without shame, then I'm OK with that.
BOTTOM LINE.…Just give Great Customer Service and sell lots of the newest, coolest stuff at the Best Prices Possible with the fastest, cheapest shipping, and as little fuss as necessary, and I may try you all out. END OF STORY.
MartyFeeb
I applaud your mission, but I disapprove of ANY disproportionate marketing. You can't say, on one hand, that toys should be for ALL (regardless of gender), while also saying that GIRLS get special treatment links. It reeks of contradiction, and not purely on a semantic level – over-coddling a marginalized group is hardly the means to empower them.
It's like horribly stupid programs on TV that show kids constantly outsmarting or helping an incredibly ignorant adult group (parents/teachers/what-have-you). The goals of such programs are NOT to empower children, but to PANDER to them (while also mocking their parents – win win for kids, right?).
I can't help but feel this "Girl Power" stuff is very similar to that. Women in Japan complain about gropers on the train, so they get their own special train (Women only) – where's the special train for men who get wrongly accused of groping?
Well-put!
Most people only notice palpable disaster – they tend to overlook subtleties like achievement and life goals. Gender typing has the kind of subtle effect a lot of folk simply don't want to think about, and therefore consider irrelevant. But not wanting to think about something does not remove its influence or effect.
All that aside, I like your site and look forward to shopping with you in the future!
Exinferis
Sorry, I won't be buying from you as importing from the US is ridiculously expensive now.
However, I have to applaud you for being open about your gender-neutral mission. I'm assuming you've had the, "It's such a non-issue, what's the point?" comment a lot. As a girl growing up in the late seventies/early eighties and choosing to play with "boys toys" I was either told I shouldn't, or (more often than not), "Oh, she's just a Tom-boy, she'll grow out of it"… I'm 40 next month, I still haven't grown out of it!
I was lucky though, my Dad wanted a boy so he was fine buying me "boys toys" and my Mum was (and still is, bless her!) absolutely happy to buy me whatever I wanted, when money would allow (I wasn't spoilt! My Mum never was made of money, but she did her best. Although I do frequently remind her of the Christmas I desperately wanted Optimus Prime and I ended up with socks and pants!). But other family members never understood me. Up until her death in June my aunt berated me for buying action figures. That kind of thing stings, no matter how old you are.
But I do wonder how it would have felt growing up without being told I shouldn't play with Transformers or He-Man. It's great that companies like yours will give kids today the approval (for want of a better word) to play with whatever they want to, no matter their gender.
It's not a "non-issue" to those of us who've been there, it's quite a big issue and, as you said, it can have a long-lasting affect. I'm lucky, I know who I am now, but for a lot of kids being labelled (whatever that label may be) it can be very damaging. So, from someone who lived it, I applaud you!
As an aside, I was in TrU Lincoln a few months back. There was a man with his son in there. I'd gone down the "girls" isle to look at MLP (see, I can appreciate "girls" toys too! ) and this little boy picked up a doll (don't know which, but the box was pink, as they are) and asked his dad if he could have it. I fully expected the, "No, that's a girls toy! You can't have it! Go and get a car from over there" argument. But no. He looked at his son and said, "If that's what you want" and off to the till they went, the little lad with a smile as wide as Brighton prom! I couldn't help but smile with him!
Woozy Moo
We don't do PayPal at the moment. You can pre-order as many as you like. If there is a limit, there will be a notice in the description and/or the system won't let you checkout above the limit. Also, sometimes for preorders, if you don't see a buy or pre-order button, it is sold out. Our preorder system is a little funky, and our tech team has been trying to fix it.
Dyotropic
Do you take paypal? Are pre-orders limited to only one item? I would like to order two alpha triones so that I can take advantage of the free shipping.
Woozy Moo
Hi guys/gals!
Thanks for all the feedback! We are going to answer your comments/questions one by one (sorry it is long):
1. Why do we have a girl power section? We actually debated this a lot a year or two ago before going live. Women/girls have historically been marginalized or portrayed in a certain way. In our work with the UN, to reach equality, sometimes empowerment, highlighting strengths, and encouragement help break inequalities. Think of kids for example: sometimes you need to encourage them or tell them they are great for them realize how awesome they are or that they can do anything. We are by no means saying boys shouldn't be encouraged to do awesome things, but we believe sometimes a lift to marginalized communities does wonders. You can read about our decision here: https://www.woozymoo.com/blogs/hangout/39262849-why-we-have-a-girl-power-toy-collection
Just FYI: we also work a lot with boys too. It may not show online, but we have programs to encourage boys to be awesome via our grant and community programs.
2. To the comments about gender issues in playtime as a minor issue. We get this a lot, and we actually don't take offense to it as anything "new" or disruptive is seen as not important and we understand this reaction. We have seen – again, our experience working with the UN – these "small" things have a great impact on development. It sets the tone of how we view gender, the expectations of individuals, etc., and many studies have shown how these small things affect our subconscious thinking and how we interact with the world. In some parts of the world, they think giving women the right to drive a car is a small minor issue, but for those in the US, this seems outrageous. Back in early history of US, women voting or girls not being able to study at Harvard was considered a small issue too, but hindsight is 20/20.
3. To comment on which Barbie doll would be best for a wife's son, we like to say that getting a toy that the child likes is always great and encourages them to be whatever they want We don't want to say what he should like, but let him be whoever he wants to be Perhaps go to a store (a gender neutral one ) and let him choose
4. Yes, we will carry more TF stuff. We actually sell out quite quick. Guess it is a good problem to have, so it looks like it is a small stock online. We used to do third party, but got too many complaints about missing parts/quality.
ex dtw2003
Somehow gender neutral and feminism got mixed up.
ex dtw2003
I had a friend who was a girl (actually a bunch over the years, but that's a different story) and when she came to my house it was TFs and G.I. Joes and at her house baking and dolls. No big thing. I think peers are a bigger problem concerning gender play than retailers could ever be.
And crap, somehow all the guys wear pink down here in the South. As a northerner though, I still can't myself.
yyh2046
Great, and $50 free shipping is awesome! Just placed my first order with you guys. Question – are you going to carry the full line of Transformers in the near future? You only have a few currently.
mcart
Actually if you go to the toysrus (for example) website you will be directed to Toys for boys and Toys for girls so I get where they're coming from.
As a kid I played with Transformers (something that has continued, lol) but that Barbie dream house of my sisters was for sure one of the coolest things ever (working lift and everything, whoa! ) but I wasn't allowed to play with it, not because I was a boy but because it was my sisters lol. That said my parents did.make fun of me when I wanted a doll to sleep with.
I.don't think it had any lasting impact on me,