DAILY NEWS BRIEF: GoldieBlox, an interactive book series and construction set toy designed by Debra Sterling ’05 has sparked controversy in its message of heteronormativity and use of a Beastie Boys song in its advertising.

While Goldieblox is meant to break gender stereotypes, there is debate as to whether it is breaking gender roles altogether or just reinforcing them due to the pastel pink colors on it.

“There is nothing about this toy that breaks with what we tell girls to do in this country every day: model what boys do, but not break with femininity,” said Lisa Wade, author of the blog Sociological Images and chair of the sociology department at Occidental College, to Al Jazeera.

However, toys have become increasingly gendered over the past several decades, according to Richard Gottlieb, CEO of the toy industry consulting firm Global Toy Experts, in an interview with Al Jazeera.

Aside from the product itself, the advertisement video is also causing debate, in particular for its usage of a parody of the Beastie Boys’ original song “Girls.” The toy’s commercial has gone viral on YouTube, its ad already with more than eight million views.

The Beastie Boys do not license their music for advertisements and contacted GoldieBox last week.

GoldieBlox responded by filing a lawsuit against the Beastie Boys, claiming that the music in the GoldieBlox ad—which changes the lyrics of the original song—is a parody and therefore does not infringe copyright laws and is protected by the Fair Use Doctrine.