4 ms·
Toy developers long ago found sharp angles and pointy extrusions appeal to a hunter instinct, in constrast to soft and round features which appeal to a nuturing
by jlos 6y ago
Toy developers long ago found sharp angles and pointy extrusions appeal to a hunter instinct, in constrast to soft and round features which appeal to a nuturing instinct. On average, young boys prefer predatory traits and young girls prefer nuturing traits. There are some good case studies in otherwise interesting toys that on first glance seemed to be great products but didn't gain market traction due to a failure to appeal to either a nurturing or predatory instinct.
Great article on the topic of Hunter-Nurter fixations in Universal Principles of Design[0]
Funnny enough, almost all the marketing I've seen for gaming computers has basically the same marketing principles as those for toys marketed to young boys.
[0]http://people.sunyit.edu/~lepres/thesis/principles/131_pdfsam_POD.pdf http://people.sunyit.edu/~lepres/thesis/principles/131_pdfsa...
- jawarner 6y agoDo you know if the hunter-nurture interpretation was introduced elsewhere? This article is a little light. It captures the imagination, but I don't see the evidence. Certainly there is a sex bias in object preference present in infants and monkeys. I just don't buy the just-so story "hunting instincts" versus "nurturing instincts."
- jlos 6y agoThere's a few journal's listed as sources on the side of the linked article. Didn't read through them myself, but that would probably be a good place to start.
- jawarner 6y agoOne reference mentions a nurturing bias in girls. No reference brings up a hunting-versus-nurturing instinct. It appears it is the unnamed author's own invention.