A mum has slammed the new Smyths toys catalogue saying its 'gender stereotyping is obscene'.

The brochure has just been published by the retail giant and features many of the brands expected to be big hitters this Christmas.

But Macclesfield mum Anna, who runs her own Ambitious Mother blog, is angered by the images that appear inside it, with mainly girls playing with dolls houses and other toys typically associated with girls.

Tweeting from her account @ambitious_mum , the mother-of-four said: "The @SmythsToysUK catalogue has arrived and my son is in heaven. However I've half a mind to take it away because some of the gender stereotyping is OBSCENE."

Speaking to the M.E.N's Manchester Family , Anna, who didn't want to share her surname, explained why the catalogue gives her such cause for concern.

She said: "I feel highly uncomfortable by the way that the toy industry irresponsibly both perpetuates and capitalises on gender stereotypes through gendered toys, ultimately limiting our children's imaginations by dictating what is and isn't acceptable to play with.

"By separating the sexes they are saying that parents need to buy different toys for their sons and daughters.

"This is purely sales driving activity. Science shows that differences in gender are shaped by culture, not biology - read Inferior by Angela Saini - and if the UK is serious about addressing the gender pay gap then the corporate world needs to take more responsibility for presenting equal opportunities for children as well as adults."

Anna, whose children range from one to six, set up her blog after finding herself in what she described as a 'seemingly unusual position of having four kids and wanting to carry on progressing in my career while all my friends around me were dropping out of careers to be stay at home mums or taking poorly paid, school hours jobs'.

She said: "I work four days a week and so does my husband. We share things pretty equally and it works. I try to show my children that women are as likely to have careers as men but if you looked at the media and toy industry they are selling a different message."

Anna tagged Let Toys Be Toys into her tweet as it's a campaign against toy and publishing industries 'limiting children’s interests by promoting some toys and books as only suitable for girls, and others only for boys'.

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They retweeted saying: "We're really pleased with some of the inclusive images in this year's @SmythsToysUK catalogue but that doesn't mean there isn't still a long way to go. If you see a toy catalogue this season, grab it and let us know how it fares."

The MEN has contacted Smyths for a response.