Iucounu, part of me really agrees with you, but I also feel like things have gotten so dire, we need to attack on all fronts. It's true that the main problem is genderizing at early ages, but meanwhile, what are we going to do with all the girls who have already drunk the koolaid?
Genderizing has gotten way worse since I was growing up in the '70's. Before I had Hanni I thought I could fight it on my own. Wow was I naive. I've mentioned that her preschool has a demographic of highly educated parents. I also live in Progressiville, Blue State. I'm not knocking anyone here with different values from mine, but my point is, if you were going to find a group of parents downplaying gender roles, it would be here. But somehow the girls all know about Disney princesses, and the boys all know about Star Wars laser guns and martial arts fighting moves. The girls all dress in pepto-bismol pink, and the boys all dress in orange-and-grey and other unlovely color combinations.
I agree that this toy doesn't go a long way in teaching STEM, but it opens a door. It allows girls to see mechanical and electrical stuff as compatible with their self image. It lets them get the rush of designing a circuit, without feeling like they have to align themselves with the ugly-clothes-wearing boys.
And finally, I was actually fairly impressed with how they genderized this toy. This isn't pink legos. There's a range of positive skills involved here, ranging from decorating, through furniture design and architecture, all the way to electrical circuits. This is subtly chipping away at the narrow confines of girl culture, by welcoming these things into that culture.
