Why is there no female doll in the Israel Electric Company's 'Socket and Plug'?

December 30, 2015   

Do you know the 'socket, plug and little plug' from the electric company's advertisements? Surfer Rafi Tadgi wondered where the cute baby starring in the commercials came from - and contacted representatives of the Israel Electric Company on Facebook. ""Hello," he wrote last night. "Why isn't there a mother figure next to a socket and a plug? It's nice to have a child, but who are his parents?". This morning he received a response: "Hey, Shtek and Teka were created as characters that evoke associations from the world of electricity. In the Hebrew language, the terms 'shtek' and 'teka' are masculine, so it was appropriate to 'put them on' male characters. Over the years, and in parallel with the development of the platform, the character of Shtek was added, and from his appearance it can be understood that he is Shtek's son. "אילו היינו מוסיפים לצידם/במקום אחד מהם דמות נשית, הייתה לנו מגבלה לעשות בהם שימוש בפעילות פרסומית במגזר החרדי, וגם מהבחינה הזו טוב שיצרנו דמויות כאלה. תודה שפנית אלינו. יום נעים". מאתר וואלה, שחשף את השיחה, פנו אל דוברות חברת החשמל, שם מסרו כי זו אכן המדיניות הרשמית של החברה. ""It's not really clear how a son without a mother is possible," surfer Tadgi told Walla. "When I asked about it, it was clarified that it was created in order not to offend the Haredi audience - their response on the matter is outrageous and there is no place for excluding women in such a large and institutional sector, just because of fear on the part of religious elements.".