Meet Smart Girl Debbie Sterling, Founder and CEO of GoldieBlox
Debbie Sterling earned a degree in mechanical engineering and product design from Stanford, but always felt like she didn’t fit in partly because so many of her classmates were men. Debbie bonded over this with the handful of female engineers that were also in her program and one day while they discussed their frustrations about the lack of women in STEM, Debbie began to formulate an idea of how to start a love of engineering at a young age:
“One of my friends, also an engineer, said that she played with her brother’s construction toys when she was young and that led to her early interest in engineering. That’s when it clicked for me. The key to getting more young women involved in STEM could start with toys. If you introduce engineering concepts to kids and make it fun, it takes away the intimidation factor.”
GoldieBlox was born. With toys, apps, books, and more, GoldieBlox is “disrupting the pink aisle in toy stores globally and challenging gender stereotypes with the world’s first girl engineer character”. Her name is Goldie and Debbie believes she can play an important role in inspiring the next generation of engineers.
“I felt like if young girls had someone they could relate to and learn with, they would see how fun STEM can be.”
We chatted with Debbie over e-mail to find out more about how engineering has impacted her life and why it’s important for kids to read stories like Goldie’s.
Smart Girls: What kinds of toys did you play with as a kid? Did they influence GoldieBlox in any way?
Debbie Sterling: Contrary to what you may think, I spent most of my childhood playing with princesses, ponies and dressing up. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a princess, but with GoldieBlox I want to show young girls that they can build their own castles, too.
SG: Have you faced challenges from people that didn’t understand your vision for how GoldieBlox could impact girls? How did you overcome those challenges?
DS: When I first started out, I was told by several people that my mission was great, but construction toys would never sell or go mainstream. I kept hearing that I couldn’t “fight nature” and that boys like building, girls like dolls and princess and pink. That was difficult to hear, but I knew that they were wrong.
I quit my job and put everything I had into building the company. I tested out my prototype with kids, researched their play patterns and knew that there was nothing else like this on the market. When we launched on Kickstarter the campaign went viral overnight. My idea hit a nerve and GoldieBlox was on toy store shelves 6 months later.
SG: What do you love about engineering and how have your engineering skills helped with running a business?
DS: Mechanical engineering opened my eyes to how art and design play a major role in engineering. You get to combine mechanics with creativity and build something cool that solves real problems. Having these skills has helped me as an entrepreneur. You have to have a creative vision and be able to execute on it.
SG: It seems like you’ve been successful with your original GoldieBlox plan. Why did you decide to add chapter books?
DS: When I was first starting GoldieBlox, I spent countless hours talking to kids and understanding how they played. One day I asked a young girl what her favorite toy was. Her answer was a book. I knew then that I wanted to bring Goldie to life in stories. Everything from our toys to apps and now our chapter books are story-based because they help spark imagination.
We also recently launched the first live-action web series about Goldie on our YouTube channel. In the series, Hack Along with GoldieBlox, Goldie’s story is that she engineers and hacks everyday objects to make fun and functional inventions for all aspects of her life. It’s something that kids can watch and connect with, and then try it out for themselves.
SG: What message do you want girls to get through reading the GoldieBlox books?
DS: I hope girls, and boys, can relate to Goldie in these books. I didn’t create her to be a genius or someone who’s perfect because those are unrealistic goals, but she works hard and she loves to learn. She fails, but she’s resilient. I want her to be a role model for kids and to show them that they’re capable of doing anything.
SG: What advice do you have for girls interested in engineering as a potential career?
DS: Don’t let anyone tell you STEM isn’t for you! I love being an engineer and if it’s something you’re thinking about pursuing, don’t let anyone hold you back.
You can find out more about GoldieBlox and the adventures of Goldie on their website. Plus, make sure to subscribe on YouTube to see all of the neat hacks they come up with.
