LEGO just for girls

Mia - Vet
When I was a child I played with LEGO.  LEGO in the 1970s was basic, it is all I knew.  I built cities, dream houses, tower blocks, bridges etc... LEGO at that time wasn't into themes as they are today - quite uncomplicated - they allowed the builder to be creative with basic blocks.  By the time I was buying LEGO for my sons (and I bought a lot I will confess) we had space ships, vehicles, forts, castles and other exciting themes.  Less imagination was required as Lego was doing the thinking for you.
LEGO has decided that their LEGO products is too "boy" focused and they needed to create LEGO just for girls.  They have created a range called "Friends" and here are a few examples within this range. What do you think? Would you consider buying them for your daughters? But the big question is - do we need LEGO/toys just for girls?

Olivia - invention workshop
Interestingly, not everyone is happy with the new LEGO Friends range and the Lego Facebook and Twitter page has been hit by hundreds of posts and images from angry consumers outraged by the stereotypes they say the new line advocates.  Those complaining say that LEGO has created female characters that look more like Barbie dolls than the standard tiny yellow construction figures (I agree they have figures and look like teenage girls in short skirts).  One mother wrote “I will not be boxing her into the narrow, sexist stereotypes that this world has waiting for her,”.  I find this interesting as the range is quite diverse in the "occupations " given to each girl - from inventor to musician, designer, beauty store etc..  In fact they are not traditional in anyway, they are very modern, one girl has a convertible and likes to shop - how modern is that!!
Emma - design studio
The complains are around whether or not LEGO should have a range for girls - why not, as they have a very large range targeted at boys.  Why is there this fear that girls should not have a range of toys for themselves (in saying this, girls can still buy the other LEGO themes) - why can't girls like pink and why do feminists keep trying to stop girls from liking girls toys. Rebecca Sparrow from a feminist website said it was “completely unnecessary” to go gender-specific. “Girls don't need their own Lego,” Personally I think these women like to complain at anything that shows that girls are girls and interestedly no one complains about all the "boy" toys that are available in the stores eg trucks, cars etc...
Andrea - music stage

I do not want to live in a bland world were everything is the same and there is nothing that identifies males and females.  We are different and we think different - even though there are some who would argue that we are all the same however the cycle of socialising children into believing that girls should like particular things has created this differences (RUBBISH).

Friends LEGO range for girls does not stop a girl from playing with a space ship and a boy playing with the music stage.  And personally, I don't think a girl playing with the Friends LEGO range is going to be delayed in reaching her "full potential" (what ever that might be) because of its gender specific undertones as the feminists would like us to believe. And if you don't like it, don't buy it.

PS - If I was ten I would love to have owned Olivia's House below.
Olivia's House - I would have loved this one when I was younger!!
~oOo~

Comments

  1. I don't like it, Jo! Sorry!! I think Lego is just fine as it was. I especially don't like the figures - why didn't they just make normal figures with pink and purple clothes??
    I don't think there's anything intrinsically masculine about the ordinary range of Lego (apart from specific kits, maybe)... When you look around the world, there are fire trucks, houses, boats... Why do we have to have pink and purple houses - they barely exist in the real world!
    I think this feminine form of Lego has huge potential to create problems between brothers and sisters (the "mine" mentality) - "that's yours, this is mine!" - instead of all kids just sharing the one kind of Lego. I've seen boxes of pink/girl Legos (not these kits - just boxes of mixed pieces) before and purposely didn't buy them for that reason! There's plenty enough Barbies and Doras in this world, I don't think Lego NEEDED to do this.
    Just my opinion!

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  2. Hubby and I talking about Lego recently. Why do they have so many kits? What happened to kids using their imagination to create something of their own? Why do they have to be dictated to as to what to do with the blocks? Just questions that came to us!
    love,
    Bets

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  3. Bets – I think children are losing their imagination as they no longer need to dream things up as their toys do everything already. And when they do play, they tend to replay stories they have seen on TV, therefore regurgitate storylines. I noticed a book the other day for sale on how to make Lego structures – I assume some children don’t know what create their own ideas, so there is a book to help. My boys were happy with a pile of Lego as they could make anything—but I have to admit, they loved their castle and space ship Lego themes—but even 15 years ago it was much simpler than it is today. The Friends range seems to have gone much further and everything is made so the girls don’t need to do anything but play (no building required).

    The answer to why Lego has so many kits —to make money!!

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  4. Clara – I can understand your point about the squabbles that might arise and the naughty boys who steal their sisters LEGO! My sons would have turned them all into soldiers if he had a sister!! I don’t mind the colours, I don’t think that is confusing but I would hope if they introduce more of the range they use other colours as well. It would be interesting to know what girls think of these toys and if they think they are a good idea.

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