Oh, yes-- DD has had several male friends who liked them too. (her current best friend, in fact, is a MG 16yo boy who was pretty much obsessed with them when he was younger, as well)
I think that they just-- among girls, that is-- disproportionately appeal to more androgynous/bright children who tend to reject typical gender stereotype-driven culture. Boys who don't like guns and superhero play, for example, and girls who aren't into pink and codependent princesses, seem to find animal personification a great alternative.
I think it's entirely possible that part of the appeal for female children in this particular context is about the social connection serving as a sort of secret club password. This was a significant means for my DD to establish who was most likely to be "friend" material for her and who wasn't. It still serves that way as a point of shared history, to some extent.
I don't see anything wrong with that, as adults do this sort of social sorting by interests all the time, too. We just automatically connect better with other people who have a shared reference frame and values.
Last edited by HowlerKarma; 10/03/12 10:40 AM.
