Feminists and Legos

In an earlier post, I talked about LEGO's past and current girl targeted sets and what I thought of them (mostly positive). It looks like not everyone appreciates them as much as my daughter and me, though. In this article, a Brooklyn based feminist group has set up a meeting with LEGO to protest how the new LEGO Friends sets "hypersexualize" girls and set up stereotypical female past times and such. Really? Come on. Toys meant for girls such as dolls have been around for as long as toys have existed, and these people are going after Legos? My only problem with the original girly LEGO sets were that I thought they were too dumbed down. However, these new sets use the same pieces as regular sets and are built in much the same way. The only difference is the LadyFigs and the color scheme. As far as girl toys go (having two daughters, I've been down the pink aisle many times) the LadyFigs are far tamer than other things to be found by little girls (Bratz, anyone?). Yes, they're cute, but they don't have the huge bust line and excessive makeup that are the usual hallmark of modern dolls and figures. As for the feminist groups' argument that the sets themselves reinforce gender roles? Sure there are sets for bedrooms, horse stables, and cute little houses, but there are other sets for vet offices, a bakery, a flying club, an invention workshop, and a design studio. These sets imply that girls can own their own businesses, fly planes, go on adventures, and be vibrant active members of society. I appreciate that the LEGO Group is being gracious in actually meeting with this SPARK group. I think it shows maturity on their part. But my prediction is that in the end, they will listen to their consumers and fans who are snatching the Friends sets off the shelf.


MPG8JQN6H7WK

New Lego World's Record

To celebrate Lego's 80th birthday a new world record for the tallest tower of Legos has been built in Seoul, South Korea. It used over 500,000 bricks, was built by 4,000 children, and ended up measuring 105 feet high. This particular record has been broken over 30 different times. Read more about it here: A tower of fun: World's tallest Lego structure unveiled in South Korea to mark toy's 80th birthday

Lego in the News

I came across this heartwarming story today on the news feed: Boy Gets His Wish -- A Giant Lego Playhouse. If you aren't familiar with the Make-A-Wish foundation, they are a non-profit group who try their best to provide terminally or seriously ill children with an opportunity to fulfill a wish. Alexander Gintchin, 6, of Colrado (who has a form of soft tissue cancer) wanted a life-size playhouse made of Legos. And bless'em, Make-A-Wish Colorado got it done with around 12,000 bricks. Kudos to you fine people and nice job!