The best-known toymaker in France is seeking to counter the spread of video games by encouraging boys to play with dolls.

Corolle has launched a campaign to persuade les filles to return to a product that they are abandoning and les garçons to join them. The company says that it hopes to prepare toddlers for an adult life as New Men — caring, sharing and looking after babies.

It also wants to boost flagging sales by tapping into an untouched market for its poupées.

Mathilde Gailly, marketing director at Corolle, said:“Today fathers spend a lot of time taking care of their babies, so there is no reason why boys should not start with dolls.

“We have a lot of dolls dressed in pink. Why not some dressed in blue?” Mrs Gailly said that boys were happy to play with baby dolls, although not with Barbie-style toys.

“They like giving bottles and changing nappies but not brushing hair and doing make-up.” Although dolls have been in existence for the more than 4,000 years, the company says that the modern child, female and male, needs help in understanding them. So it is setting up workshops in Paris this autumn where two nursery nurses, a man and a woman, will offer advice on how to feed, clothe and bathe them.

“The point about dolls is that although there are no electronics involved, they offer an emotional apprenticeship,” Mrs Gailly said.

One of Corolle’s aims is to halt the spread of high-technology toys, which helped to drive down the doll market in France by 10 per cent last year, according to a recent study.