Tech toys for girls

I recently went shopping for birthday gifts for my sons friends and was overwhelmed by the lack of creativity in toys on the general market.

1.  They were all branded (Disney, super heroes, cartoons). 

2.  The girl toys were all pink and related to princesses and fairies. 

In general, I felt disappointed. I would not buy these toys for my own child, why should I buy them for someone else's?

I especially struggled in the "girl" aisle, surrounded by princesses and dolls. I am expecting a baby girl in a month and I do not want to limit her to dolls. I want to give something more tactile or a "doll" that sends a different message.

So here are some ideas for "girl" toys:

• Why not a line of career women?  They could play "work" instead of "house". 
• I recently read an article on fostering creativity in kids:  blocks, puzzles, dress up and crafts were all on the list. 
• One item I was surprised to find on this "creativity" list was gears.  I found a novel girl toy, designed by women: "GoldieBlox", that involves gears and ribbons. 

I hope that there are more options for my daughter when she gets old enough for these types of toys. 

What other ideas have you seen or heard about?