Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Ad For Toddler's 'Work From Home' Playset Sparks Heated Debate About Impact Of Capitalism

Father and son testing out Melissa & Doug's "Work From Home" toy
@melissaanddoug/TikTok

The toy from popular company Melissa & Doug isn't sitting well with TikTokers.

Working from home became common out of necessity during the pandemic, but since many people prefer this work setup, the arrangement is still going strong.

So much so that working from home has started to be referenced in other areas of our lives, becoming a more common plotline in current TV shows, books, and even toys, like the ones produced by the popular Montessori-style toy company, Melissa & Doug.


Melissa & Doug recently shared a toy ad for a work-from-home dupe on TikTok, featuring a dad working from home on his laptop alongside his son with the new "Wooden Work & Play Desktop" toy.

True to the Melissa & Doug brand, the entire toy is made from wood, paint, and stickers. The toy is a wooden board with a cutout handle for kids on-the-go, and mounted on top of the board are a laptop, computer mouse with gliding trail, coffee mug, a spinning pencil, and Rolodex.

You can watch the video here:

@melissaanddoug

Work from home looks a little different nowadays 👀 #toddlersoftiktok #pretendplay #homelearning

The video began with a father and son sitting side-by-side, both with their "laptops open," and an overlaid text that reads:

"How My Dad Works From Home vs. How I Do, featuring the Melissa & Doug 'Wooden Work & Play Desktop.'"

The father then "signs in for the day" by opening his laptop, and his son mimics him, smiling while he opens his wooden laptop.

While the father makes a to-do list for the day using pen and paper, the son spins his spinning pencil, which points at either "ABC" or "123."

At this point, it's time for a coffee break, so the father takes a drink from his coffee while his son can spin a disc on the top of his coffee cup, featuring warm coffee on one side and iced coffee on the other.

While drafting an email, the father toils away while his son explores the sensory board where his keyboard would be, as well as the Rolodex filled with smiling faces, likely to emulate his contact list.

The video quickly garnered attention with more than 16 thousand likes and 3.5 million views, but it likely wasn't the attention Melissa & Doug was looking for.

On the contrary, the opinions on the video were incredibly mixed.

The toy is likely meant to be a cute parody of what a child sees their parents doing during the day, especially since many kids now have more undivided contact with their parents while working at home. It also could work as a tool for a child to imitate the behaviors of the people around them, similar to lawnmowers or kitchen toys, which assist in a child's social development.

But many felt that the messaging of the toy did more harm than good by sending a message that work culture and capitalism are "fun," which is largely something that Millennials and Gen-Z folks have been pushing back against, especially since the pandemic.

In the comments, some TikTokers were immediately alarmed by the toy and its prioritization of work life and capitalism.

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

But others still saw it as developmentally appropriate as children go through phases of copying others.

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

@melissaanddoug/TikTok

While the toy is likely meant to be innocent and imitative in nature, this might be one of those classic examples of something sending a message that was not intended. By making this fun workstation, did Melissa & Doug create a bonding opportunity for children with their work-from-home parents, or did they perpetuate the stereotypes surrounding work culture?

More from Trending

Screenshots of Justin Bieber being hounded by paparazzi
X17OnlineVideo

Fans Defend Justin Bieber After He Confronts Paparazzi For Constantly Hounding Him

Fans defended Justin Bieber after he berated the relentless paparazzi and accused them of only being concerned with turning a profit over valuing people's lives.

According to X17, the "Intentions" singer's retreat to Palm Springs, days before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, was anything but relaxing as he clashed with the paparazzi for a third day in a row.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Slammed After Claiming HHS Will Discover The Cause Of 'Autism Epidemic' By September

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that scientists would determine the cause of the "autism epidemic" by September, even though scientists haven't discovered a breakthrough despite decades of research.

In a cabinet meeting with Republican President Donald Trump on Thursday, RFK Jr. stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
J.D. Vance and Usha Vance listen to Susan Meyers during his Greenland visit
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Space Force Commander Fired Over Email Criticizing Vance's Greenland Comments

Vice President J.D. Vance and the wider Trump administration are facing criticism now that Colonel Susan Meyers was removed from her post as commander at Greenland's Pituffik Space Base after breaking with Vance in an email she wrote following his controversial visit to the island territory.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, alongside the Faroe Islands, the only other autonomous territory within the Kingdom. Citizens of both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are full citizens of Denmark. As one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, Greenland’s citizens are also recognized as EU citizens.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt and Scott Bessent
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Dragged After Making Mind-Numbing Claim About Trump's Tariffs Reversal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is getting called out after she attempted to justify President Donald Trump's sudden reversal on his proposed tariffs, telling reporters that his actions make sense because he has a master plan to make the world bend the knee.

Trump declared a full 90-day suspension of all the “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect at midnight April 10—except for those on China—in a dramatic about-face from a president who had long championed his historically high tariff rates as permanent.

Keep ReadingShow less
religion signs
Noah Holm on Unsplash

People Explain What Stopped Them From Going To Church Anymore

There's been a perception of a bit of an exodus from religion for the last several decades. But humanity has gone from no organized religions to oppressive religious regimes to rebellion and back again over the last several millennia.

But is the 21st century when religion finally fails to bounce back?

Keep ReadingShow less