Toys 'R' Us gets reprimand in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A complaint by a group of Swedish sixth-graders has resulted in a reprimand for gender discrimination against Toys "R" Us, a Swedish agency says.

Reklamonbudsmannen, which polices marketing and advertising communications in Sweden, says the U.S.-based retailer was cited for featuring "outdated gender roles" in its 2008 Christmas catalog, Sweden's The Local reported Wednesday.

The complaint came from a sixth grade class at the Gustavslund school in south central Sweden that was learning about gender roles.

Studying the Toys "R" Us catalog, the students concluded that boys were portrayed as active and girls were portrayed as passive.

Girls were shown with princess stuff and dolls while boys were featured as super heroes with action toys.

The reprimand against Toys "R" Us cannot involve any sanctions or fines since the Reklamonbudsmannen has no authority to punish companies it cites.