About us

Let Toys Be Toys is a campaign asking the toy and publishing industries to stop limiting children’s interests by promoting some toys and books as only suitable for girls, and others only for boys.

Our award-winning campaign has been successful in persuading most major UK toy retailers to drop ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ signs in store and in website navigation to let children have the freedom to choose what they want to play with, free from gender stereotypes. Our Let Books Be Books initiative has achieved similar success, with 11 children’s UK book publishers, including Usborne, Penguin Random House, and Hachette agreeing to phase out gendered titles

Let Toys Be Toys

But even after the signs and labels have been removed, many products are still marketed to children in a very gendered way, and our work continues to encourage the toy industry to update their toy packaging and advertising with our #Just4Asks to retailers and manufacturers.

We recognise UK toy, bike and children’s book retailers who are playing their part in smashing stereotypes with our Toymark award for good practice. We also offer a range of free resources to parents and teachers to help challenge gender stereotypes at home, and in schools and Early Years settings.

Let Toys Be Toys is a grassroots campaign, which receives no public funding. We are made up entirely of unpaid campaigners and volunteers. Although we occasionally team up with other organisations to work on a particular project, we are not affiliated with or linked to any other campaigns, organisations or groups.

Let Toys Be Toys Our Story

How we formed and what we’ve achieved

Recognition we’ve received for our work

Let Books Be Books

Publishers who have agreed to change