The toy world’s biggest convention starts this weekend in New York, where more than 900 members of the Toy Industry Association — brands, manufacturers, licensors and retailers who account for about 90 percent of the annual $22 billion U.S. domestic toy market — will gather to talk about the future of the business.

Unfortunately, they’ll start off with something that seems more like it should be a throwback to the past. At the prestigious Toy of the Year Awards Friday evening, honors in two categories — the “Boy Toy of the Year” and the “Girl Toy of the Year” — will rely upon and reinforce the outdated gender stereotyping of toys.