London, Nov 30 (ANI): The "pinkification" of girls' toys is damaging their overall development, according to a mother, who accuses retailers for promoting colour apartheid.

Emma Moore, a mother of two girls, founded the Pinkstinks campaign with her twin sister Abi, a mother of two sons and comparing the products available for their children.

The campaign is backed by Ed Mayo, the former government "consumer tsar" and author of Consumer Kids, How Big Business is Grooming our Children for Profit.

Moore insists that pink musical instruments, dressing-up outfits, and pretend kitchens are encouraging an "obsession with body image, which starts younger and younger" and makes girls think "beauty is valued over brains".

She says retailers should encourage daughters to become active and happy children instead of passive and preening princesses.

They have called for boycott of the Early Learning Centre (ELC) for promoting colour apartheid.

"It seems so hypocritical to us. The ELC claims its toys are designed to help children explore the boundaries of their imaginations and creativity, to make learning fun and help children be all they can be'," the Telegraph quoted Moore as saying.

She says ELC sells pink toy washing machines, pink cash registers, and even pink globes.

"Why on earth do girls need to have a globe in pink?" said Mr Mayo.

"Does it ultimately lead to the 15 per cent pay gap suffered by women further down the line?. That's far too simplistic, but I feel gender roles are becoming polarised far too early on.

"There may be worse things to worry about, but I feel this colour apartheid is one of the things that sets children on two separate railway tracks. One leads to higher pay, and higher status and one doesn't," he added.A spokesman for ELC denied the company was responsible for a "colour apartheid". She said: Come down to Early Learning Centre and see for yourself the huge range of toys in an assortment of colours.

Customers can choose a red kitchen, a blue kitchen, a blue cash register, a yellow dolls house or a gorgeous farm." (ANI)