“Sit still and look pretty” is not all girls can do. Just like the male counterparts, they can create, innovate, and invent. Today, more girls are found in engineering colleges compared to 20-30 years back. But, we still have a long way to go on this journey. The difference is still remarkable.
There are several reasons for this. Be it the people’s perspective of engineering not safe for their girls as a profession or society’s expectations from girls to opt for a profession that they can continue to pursue after marriage. All these reasons are responsible for the highly skew male to female ratio in almost every engineering college, except for the colleges, especially for women.
Did you know that there’s a startup that was started with the sole purpose of encouraging young girls to pursue engineering? Yes! Goldieblox is all about encouraging little girls to create and not just play with barbies.
A Glance At Goldieblox
Goldieblox was started in 2012 when Debbie Sterling, the Founder & CEO, gave up her job as an engineer. She observed a lack of options for young girls to explore the STEM fields. STEM fields include science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and all other allied fields.
Debbie tried and tested the toy kits with various girls in her neighborhood and pitched her idea to several investors. She also took the toy kit to various fairs but it wasn’t an easy road. And presently, GoldieBlox is an award-winning children’s multimedia company that creates toys, books, apps, videos, and other products to "empower girls to build their confidence, dreams and ultimately, their futures."
The startup has bagged various awards Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies and The Toy Industry Association's Toy of the Year. Sterling herself has been awarded multiple titles. These include the Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship by President Obama and honored by the National Retail Foundation as one of 25 People Shaping Retail’s Future and with the National Women’s History Museum's Living Legacy Award for her work inspiring girls.
The story of Goldieblox overlaps with the story of how Debbie Sterling studied and worked as a female engineer.
Engineering as a Major
Debbie went to Stanford for her undergrad studies. In her freshman year, she had no clue what to major in. She recalled how her maths teacher has recommended her to go for engineering. But she was clueless as she assumed that it was boring, intimidating and something meant for boys only.
Debbie recalled in one of her Ted talks how her mother reacted when she told her that she wanted to major in mechanical engineering. She was very shocked to know about her daughter’s decision. Not only that, she faced harsh criticism from several teachers during classes which were majorly opted by male students.
Debbie recalled that she learned that engineering is all about the skillset which enables anyone to create anything they imagine in their heads, irrespective of gender. It is something actually empowering, to be able to build anything, from a mobile app to a skyscraper. But she felt alone because there were only a handful of girls in each class she opted for. But she graduated despite all odds.
Check out this interview by Forbes to know more about Debbie Sterling’s journey after Stanford
Goodbye Barbie, Hello Goldieblox
Years after her graduation, Debbie learned that she, like many of the other girls, lacked spatial skills. She read it in a study that the kids who grow up playing with construction toys have good spatial skills. And this is how maths and science pique their interest. But these toys are mostly associated with boys and not girls.
Debbie knew that she could create anything, owing to her skillset from engineering. She thought of making a similar toy for girls. She wanted young girls to discover their passion for engineering way earlier than she did. So she gave up her job in Seattle and started working from her apartment.
The first prototype that Debbie made was assembled using threads, dowels, random pieces from hardware stores. She worked for months. She made several improvements by observing the reactions of little girls while playing with her prototype. Once Debbie asked a little girl about her favorite toy and she responded by showing her a book. An idea struck her brain.
She thought that clubbing spatial skills and books would be a great combination for girls. She came up with a construction toy set and a book with stories revolving around a female engineer Goldie Blox. The character built simple machines on her adventures to solve the problems she faced. It was meant to bring in a role model and a narrative both.
Debbie tested this toy set with hundreds of kids and the results were amazing. Little girls were making belt drives after reading the adventurous stories of Goldie Blox. She knew she was onto something.
Taking It on the Next Level
One of Debbie’s friends recommended her to apply for the Tech Accelerator Program in Silicon Valley. She made it through the first level and got selected for an interview. But she was not selected for the program as the authorities didn’t understand the purpose of the book.
Next, she took her prototype to the New York Toy Fair. But nothing worked in her favor there as well. Debbie was told that the constructive toys for girls won’t sell because what girls prefer are barbies. She felt very dejected as she was back to square one. But she didn’t give up.
She partnered with a local toy factory and converted it into an actual toy. But the minimum order was 5000 units. So she put up her toy on Kickstarter and her aim was to raise $150,000 in 30 days. She achieved this goal in just 4 days! The production ended up being over 20,000 units. She had calls coming in from toy stores all over the world. And now, Goldieblox is hitting the doorsteps of millions of little girls all over the globe.
The Bottom Line
Debbie revealed in an interview that she keeps all the letters and drawings that kids send her. She has parents calling in and telling that their daughters are more than just princesses. This shows that the toy industry had it all wrong. Not all girls like barbies and tiaras. The ones who feel that professions like engineering are not for girls, they are totally wrong.
Engineering is all about creating things for people and for a better life. Half of the population is female. So isn’t it unfair to not include a female perspective into the things that are being made for the betterment of everyone? It certainly is. But Goldieblox is here to change it by creating female little engineers who have the potential to create anything they want.
Entrepreneurship is also considered something meant for males. But women are not behind anymore. Read about some amazing Low-cost business ideas for women entrepreneurs
Written By - Neha Kundu
Edited By - Kashish Chadha
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