Sometime last year I was listening to the radio on my commute to work and I heard a caller arguing that Lego's new girl-centric play sets were sexist and insulting, and I was baffled. Sure the Lego Friends sets that hit the market in 2012 are mostly pink and purple and inlcude such themes as a cafe, a pet salon and a bakery, but there's also a karate studio, a soccer field, a couple of treehouses and a slew of other options. So what exactly is the issue?
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According to a report on NPR, some consumers are taking issue with the fact that the Friends do not move as well as the more traditional minifigs, thus implying that women are not as physically capable as men, and that Lego has yet to start offering character sets for girls such as they do for boys with their popular superhero sets.
But if you ask me, it seems like it's just something else for people to complain about. These are blocks for children! If your kid likes the pet parlor, get them the pet parlor and if your kid likes the Star Wars set, get the Star Wars set, boy or girl–it doesn't really matter. And if you really oppose all of them, Lego still sells the classic gender-neutral bricks that are in primary colors.
Lego creates these sets for profit, not to make a social statement. The company spent years researching what toys to build in order to get a piece of the girls' toy market, and that research has paid off–sales to girls tripled in the first year of the Lego Friends launch. Which is not only a good thing for the company's numbers, but it proves that they have created a product that little girls are attracted to.
So stop pushing your social and political beliefs off on your kids and let them enjoy whatever toys they like. Regardless of how you feel, lots of little girls really do like traditionally girly things and are naturally attracted to them, and the same goes for little boys. These are just toys, people–they are supposed to be fun, not a source of discord. We all have far more important things to stress about.
Image via Amazon.com
