Developmental psychologists have studied how toys shape gender schemas but have not focused exclusively on sport toys. Given persistent gender gaps in sport participation, it is important to understand how gendered meanings about sport are communicated and perceived through all kinds of play. This mixed methods research examined such meanings attached to sport toys using a content analysis and a survey. In Study 1, a content and descriptive analysis of toy listings (N = 107) on retail websites revealed that most toy names lacked explicit gender labels. However, toys were more likely to display masculine color schemes and boys outnumbered girls 2-to-1 in photographs of children playing with the toys. Boys were also depicted as more actively engaged, especially with highly physical sports. In Study 2, a correlational analysis of survey responses from 530 participants indicated that adults primarily viewed sport toys as masculine, though they saw dolls, aesthetic toys, and pink toys as appropriate for girls. Aggressive sport toys were linked to boys even when they were pink, indicating limits to the impact of implicit gender markers. Together, both studies show that sports toys are still viewed as (mostly) for boys and suggest that these messages may communicate gender stereotypes about sport. Evidence-based recommendations for toy sellers regarding toy color and gender representation are included, as is advice for toy purchasers who want to encourage gender inclusive play and flexible gender schemas.

发展心理学家研究了玩具如何塑造性别图式，但并不仅仅关注运动玩具。鉴于体育参与方面持续存在的性别差距，了解体育的性别意义如何通过各种游戏来传达和感知非常重要。这项混合方法研究通过内容分析和调查研究了运动玩具的这些含义。在研究 1 中，对零售网站上的玩具列表 ( N = 107) 进行的内容和描述性分析表明，大多数玩具名称缺乏明确的性别标签。然而，玩具更有可能表现出男性化的配色方案，在孩子们玩玩具的照片中，男孩与女孩的比例为 2 比 1。男孩也被描述为更加积极参与，尤其是参加高强度的体育运动。在研究 2 中，对 530 名参与者的调查回复进行的相关分析表明，成年人主要将运动玩具视为男性化玩具，尽管他们认为洋娃娃、审美玩具和粉色玩具适合女孩。即使是粉红色的攻击性运动玩具也与男孩有关，这表明隐性性别标记的影响有限。两项研究共同表明，运动玩具仍然被认为（主要）是男孩的玩具，并表明这些信息可能传达了关于运动的性别刻板印象。其中包括为玩具销售商提供有关玩具颜色和性别代表性的基于证据的建议，以及为希望鼓励性别包容性游戏和灵活的性别模式的玩具购买者提供的建议。