The sets intended for girls connected the increasing popularisation of technology to the manufacturer’s anticipation of a new target group. The first page of the 1930 Christmas issue of the Matador Zeitung was dominated by the picture of a teenage girl and a Matador construction for girls, a small but quite elaborate handloom. According to the accompanying text, the handloom was designed through the contributions of several Matador ‘friends’, presumably boys; the girls would only be the end users. By following the detailed and highly complex instructions provided, girls could weave small pieces of fabric. The boys’ effort, disguised as play, had resulted in this working tool for girls; both boys and girls had to conform to the dominant logic of productivity and service. Regardless of gender, children were expected to be obedient and industrious workers. Learning to be a useful part of the great industrial world was implicit in many building sets.
