Behind the scenes of GoldieBlox video

Robin Carpenter, Craig Simmons and Rebecca Thompson set up a part of a Rube Goldberg machine in the living room. The goal: Get the house of cards to tumble, triggering the folding chair to fall backward, prompting a headless doll to fly across the mantel and smack the heart-shaped light into the next part of the chain reaction.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Craig Simmons, a fabricator on the team, sets up the toy record player that starts the two-minute chain reaction.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Brett Doar resets a house of cards built of books -- again.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Brett Doar, the mastermind behind the Rube Goldberg machine in the GoldieBlox video, resets part of the contraption as one of the child actors looks on. The toy hair dryer is one of dozens of pink toys that get deployed as part of a statement about how gender roles are reinforced in kids’ toys.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Sabrina Yen-Ko, 7, gets instruction from co-director Sean Pecknold and an unidentified crew member during the shoot.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Reese Johnson, 6, looks through the window before a take in the kitchen. When water flows into the bowl, the added weight pulls the pink line, keeping the chain reaction flowing through the house.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Craig Simmons tries to make sure a lampshade will roll just the right way.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Brett Doar, left, confers with fabricator Robin Carpenter. Doar and his team spent two and half weeks at the house, an Airbnb rental, planning out the chain reaction and testing the elements.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Oh, baby. Prepare to fly.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Craig Simmons sets up a little bucket that catches a tennis ball and swings to knock over a precariously perched chair, keeping the action moving forward.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Brett Doar resets the bowl for another take. In this series, a flying book turns on the faucet, water weights down the bowls, the string gets pulled down, and that triggers a rolling pin to fly off the kitchen counter.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Robin Carpenter prepares a pink plastic tea set to go flying.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Brett Doar instructs Raven Walker, 8, on how to keep the machine going. Her part here: to swing and kick over an easel -- but not too hard.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Simmons readies a battering ram -- a headless doll looking suspiciously like Barbie -- to shoot across the fireplace mantel.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Paul Thompson, left, helps to reset a pyramid consisting of doll, skate, tin cans and garden pots. Yes, they all come crashing down.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

The book kicks the watering can, which pulls a string that releases a bowling ball down a slide. Simple.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Steadicam operator Jessica Lopez, left, films Raven Walker starting the chain reaction.   (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Beau Lewis, right, head of product at GoldieBlox and creative director, writer and producer of the video, review a take.  (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)