A lot has been written about Lego Friends. I just think not enough good stuff has been said about them. It should be noted that I have bought a set of one of these Lego as a mom of 2 girls and as a Lego collector. But with that being said, I haven't opened it yet because we are currently enjoying our Harbor and Fishing boat.
BUT I don't like the things that are being said about the new sets. I don't like them being written off as sexist, stereotypical or stupid. Because LEGOs are not stupid. Although, if you'd like to worry that allowing your son (or daughter) to play with certain Lego sets will make them think that they can only grow up to be Police Officers, Fire Fighters, Construction workers or Ninjas... well, that's your prerogative as a parent.
However, I'd like to applaud Lego on their new set designs. I like them for several reasons. First of all, I like the marketing. I love the buzz that is being created is BIG. Maybe it's because of the internet; maybe it's because they are so different that what's been since recently, but either way... Bravo, Lego. Ya see, Lego has been making "girl" Lego sets for almost 20 years. One of their first sets was this lovely set from 1994:
Now, come on! Talk about sexist... we have baby cradle, and blankets and bottles... uh... where's Dad? Why is there a BLANKET in there? The Belville theme had TONS of pink Legos and princesses and doll-house types of sets. Seriously, how was this supposed to fit into the TOWN collection? Where were the walls? Where were the building pieces? Hmmm.
I was looking at the Lego website where I came across this comment (February 13, 2010!!!) on a Belville set:
Which reminds me a lot of this set:
And guess what? They're all Legos! Which means you can mix and interchange them. Which means that the girl who loves polly pocket can now take a second look at Legos and perhaps, just perhaps be introduced to the other themes as well. Because it's not what Legos look like... it's how you PLAY with them. It's allowing a child's imagination to use different tools and shapes and colors to create his or her own design and reality. Because the these new Lego sets aren't just playsets... they are building blocks which are marketed for girls. And hopefully stepping stones to introduce more children to Legos.
But hey, if you're not interested. That's fine... That means there's more for me and my family.
BUT I don't like the things that are being said about the new sets. I don't like them being written off as sexist, stereotypical or stupid. Because LEGOs are not stupid. Although, if you'd like to worry that allowing your son (or daughter) to play with certain Lego sets will make them think that they can only grow up to be Police Officers, Fire Fighters, Construction workers or Ninjas... well, that's your prerogative as a parent.
However, I'd like to applaud Lego on their new set designs. I like them for several reasons. First of all, I like the marketing. I love the buzz that is being created is BIG. Maybe it's because of the internet; maybe it's because they are so different that what's been since recently, but either way... Bravo, Lego. Ya see, Lego has been making "girl" Lego sets for almost 20 years. One of their first sets was this lovely set from 1994:
I was looking at the Lego website where I came across this comment (February 13, 2010!!!) on a Belville set:
I'm dissapointed in how lego makes girls sets so rubbishMy daughter never plays with it and she hates it, she would like a set with normal girl minifigs and castles but there is only stuff for boys, Please lego improve on your sets, i would really want you to message me back to know that you are reading this because i would like more girls sets!!
Or (March 30, 2010):
The only down side is at a per brick price of over 19 cents it's expensive!And repeated several times (this was on February 1, 2009):
Hoping Lego will make more building sets for girls..not just playsets.Now, we have purple cars that rival red cars. We have this house:
Which reminds me a lot of this set:
And guess what? They're all Legos! Which means you can mix and interchange them. Which means that the girl who loves polly pocket can now take a second look at Legos and perhaps, just perhaps be introduced to the other themes as well. Because it's not what Legos look like... it's how you PLAY with them. It's allowing a child's imagination to use different tools and shapes and colors to create his or her own design and reality. Because the these new Lego sets aren't just playsets... they are building blocks which are marketed for girls. And hopefully stepping stones to introduce more children to Legos.
But hey, if you're not interested. That's fine... That means there's more for me and my family.
