The new Lego line for girls, “Friends”, had an unexpected backlash from consumers. Many are rushing to the Lego Facebook page to express their dislike over this new line. Some consumers are saying the new line is insulting. Legos are not a boy toy but a toy for everyone so why develop a line that specifically for girls? Some are outraged by the appearance of the Legos since the girls are more realistic, wear miniskirts and have boobs. There are some calling for consumers to flood the Lego page with an image of a Lego add from the 1970s which depicts an adorable little girl in jeans and tennis shoes proudly holding up bold colored Legos made into a creation of her own. The attempt is to show Legos that girls can play with Legos without pink bricks and Lego girls with long flowing hair and lipstick. As a huge fan of Lego who had children who adore Lego, I have something to say about this backlash from both angles.
In Defense of Lego:
Lego is an ever growing company that is looking at a changing world and trying to keep up. They have not taken away the traditional Legos but added a new line that may appeal to a new crowd. That is business.
Lego never said that Legos were for boys. Over the years, Legos had female Lego people in their sets and developed sets that would appeal to boys, girls and both.
The sets are quite frankly cute.
My Complaints:
Legos are timeless so updates are unnecessary. I’m all for new themes but a new line is unnecessary.
Lego people did not need a makeover. I love the classic look and believe it is also timeless.
The new line looks like a cross between Lego and Playmobiles with Polly Pocketesque figures. In addition, (perhaps most importantly) these sets look a bit too structured. Lego has been long known for themed sets. Themed sets are among the most popular Legos sold. However, when you open a Star Wars box of Legos you see some custom Lego bricks among themed colored bricks and some very cool Lego people. You follow the directions and build just want the box depicts. When you dismantle it you simply see a bunch of Legos. It took imagination to build it and it will take imagination to recreate it into something completely different. The custom pieces fit with other sets and can be used to make anything you desire. I simply find the new line too “done”. You dismantle it and while you may build a house a different way you are still building a house. Other sets give the flexibility of building a starship, a house, a boat or a combination of the three! You may have a few custom pieces but nothing so “done” or “set up” that it causes you to think in any one direction. Legos had an intangible quality that pointed a world of possibilities. The “Friends” line is too tangible for my taste and lost the essence of what Lego is about. I worry this new trend will develop into more structured sets for both genders. We already have Playmobiles. I love Playmobiles. I love Legos. I love them each for different reasons and I want to keep it that way.