BAYKO and Girls

Well, judging by the title at least, I'm on dangerous ground here - but here goes!!!

Every manufacturer wants as big a market as possible for their product.

Excluding girls would exclude 50% of the potential market - not a good idea...

...but not all boys want to play with a toy that is "for girls"!

Don't shout at me, I'm just reporting opinions I've heard expressed more than once over the decades - you've heard them as well.

Superficially, Victorian born C.B. Plimpton, BAYKO's inventor, wouldn't seem to be an obvious candidate for feminist of the year - or was he...

...the evidence certainly shows that he was prepared to challenge the stereotypes and push back the sexist frontiers, at least a little, and targeted BAYKO's market in an inclusive way.

Don't let's get too carried away with the idea that the world of BAYKO was totally gender blind, but lets give Plimpton and MECCANO some credit.

I struggled for some way of quantifying the gender balance...

...it must be the mathematician in me.

By way of an example, a brief analysis of the 148 'MECCANO Magazine' adverts I have shows the following : -

41% of MM adverts include an image of a girl, if only on a set box.

15% of the rest mention that the product will suit girls.

36% mention neither gender.

By way of balance, it should be said that very many of the images used in the adverts were aimed at boys...

...but, I think we can be sure that adverts in 'GIRL' comic weren't...

Hats off to C.B. and his successors - the boys definitely outnumbered them, but girls were always fully included in BAYKO - and still are...

...even if my wife does refer to herself as a "BAYKO Widow"!

But the proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating...

The BAYKO Club already has several lady members - Jackie Britton is one of our original members - and, of course, more are always welcome.

I, and most other BAYKO Club members, also know several other ladies who actively pursue our excellent hobby...

...and I've had countless conversations with ladies at exhibitions [don't tell Diana!] which started, "Oh, I had a BAYKO set when I was a girl and I just loved it!" - enough said.

It would be nice to see more and more re-living the BAYKO-enriched days of childhood!

Well, that's it as far as my words are concerned - for the rest of this section I'll let the following examples of BAYKO images and quotes do all talking and, hopefully, demonstrate just how inclusive BAYKO always was, and, indeed, still is.

Firstly, the proof of the pudding, as they say - should you believe any were actually necessary - a couple of examples of girls who have played, very successfully, with BAYKO.

A nostalgic family discussion on toys, triggered by a new grandchild, led to Pat Fereday sending the first image [right]. It shows her, in 1955, in a super photo taken by her dad.

As you can clearly see, she was concentrating, very studiously, as she built one of the first of many BAYKO models.

The next photo [below] brings us bang up to date.

It is an accurate representation of the well known English stately home - Cliveden, the home of the famous - should that read infamous - Mitford sisters...

...I rest my case!

There is certainly another example of a girl with ambitious building plans, in this case a young lady in Antwerp in 1952 - unless she was being sent the parts lists for the 'Country Club' and 'Block of Flats' models out of a mere passing interest.

Below this point are extracts from all ten styles of manual issued with standard BAYKO sets throughout the life of the product, all of which refer to "Children" or "Boys and Girls" or some other gender-neutral phrase, never just to Boys.

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