Legos - Fabulous and Funny?

I grew up playing with legos and video games with my older brother, so the below ad caught my eye as soon as I saw it!  The little girl is fabulous and funny -- just look at her proud (and maybe even mischievous) smile as she holds up her lego creation!

via Huffington Post

However, this ad is from 1981 and was made even more powerful by a "follow up" piece featuring the same woman 33 years later in 2014!  

via Yahoo

Look at the difference between the toys -- on the left is just a regular toy for all kids to enjoy and get creative.  There's no pink, sparkles or makeup involved.  On the right is a toy for girls, featuring a news van in which a female journalist gets to primp and report on a pretty cake.  What kind of message does that send females like us?

This made me reflect on my childhood -- while I played with figurines and video games like my brother, I did have a fake kitchen (complete with fake vegetables to chop!) and more than a few baby dolls.  How do you think this might have affected me?  

What kinds of toys did you play with growing up?  What are your favorite toys/game/activities now?

To learn more about how your favorite childhood toys might differ from those of years past, check this article out here.