Some of the folks behind the extra-popular Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon cards are hoping to lure girls with Bella Sara cards. Instead of featuring monsters and bizarre little creatures, these cards have pictures of horses. Gawd, always the girls and the horses. I've read that the prepubescent girl obsession with horses has links to, um, psycho-sexual development (don't even get me started on the unicorns with one big horn.) Anyhow the cards have girl power sayings on them like, "Use your love to bring peace to the world." Maybe they could also do one that says, "Your thing with horses is totally normal."
Because these cards are for girls, there's a little twist: theres no competitive element, unlike Pokemon and Magic. Because, as designer Gitte Odder Braendgaard says, "Girls like something beautiful, something nice to look at." Well, great, we don't want girls getting all competitive and stuff. So let's just review the card gender differences. Cards for boys: active, competitive, cards assigned strengths and powers. Cards for girls: pretty, passive, non-competitive. Yep, I just love when they make special toys for girls. Hey, math is hard! Shopping is fun! Get your mean old boy cards away from me!
