Dadding
Lego Sets for Girls: Good or Bad?
Am I dreaming? Were there really some halcyon days of Lego playing when you could just buy a tub — two tubs, three! — of multi-colored blocks and create anything you damn well pleased? Was there a time when Legos weren’t packaged in ready-made kits meant to build only one or two things — a time when, say, if you wanted to build a bridge, you didn’t need to buy a Millennium Falcon kit and a police station kit to have enough parts?
It seems like there was. But it seems so, so long ago that I’m having trouble remembering.
But that seemingly new-age gripe sounds so innocent now, so wholesome. Lego is moving on to bigger issues — issues that are making me second guess ever buying them again.
Business Week had a remarkable write-up of the history of Legos and how the company was saved a few years ago by marketing specifically to boys. As the new year approaches, Lego will unveil a new line of Easter egg-colored kits and figures aimed specifically at girls. Now there are basically going to be two schools of Lego engineering: boys sets and girls sets. And never the twain shall meet? You tell me.
My beef probably has less to do with Lego than the current era of toy marketing in general. Lego is just following a trend that I think is dangerous, this idea that boys should get one set of playthings and girls should get another completely. Will parents really start snapping up two different sets of Legos — one for Jimmy and one for Jane? Economically, it seems like a nightmare. But that is precisely Lego’s intent. And you know, I ain’t buying it. And not just for the economics.
Michelle over at the Princess Free Zone has an elegant response to this latest missive in the child gender playthings wars, arguing that this ever-increasing boy toy vs. girl toy reinforces stereotypes. Girls value appearance. Boys value function and fun.
“But this is the new lay of the land in which companies, like mad scientists, have created and produced a monster that continues to benefit them in terms of their profit margin. It has become such a no-brainer that nobody wants to think about what it all actually means for girls.”
Amen.
I feel conflicted about this Lego war. I think of my daughter and how she loves Legos. We we have a giant tub of them in her playroom. At her grammy’s house, there are several kits of space Legos and Indiana Jones Legos and mummy Legos and she plays with them all for hours at a time. But I think of the girl who maybe doesn’t love Legos, who thinks they are “boy toys” and is missing out on the great good they can actually do for her brain. Would a pretty pink set with storyline figures be good — a gateway to brain-enriching play? Then I just get pissed off at Lego because the company made this happen — it engineered this division that turned the blocks into toys for boys. Now it’s looking to profit off girls by turning Legos into a miniature set of dolls.
I’m not buying it. And I mean that literally. I’m out. Done. I’m already thoroughly annoyed at having to buy multiple sets just to have enough parts to build big things that don’t fit into a specific mold. I’ll be damned if I start buying sets that reinforce a notion that girls should focus on the appearance of things while just get to build and have fun. If Lego wants to profit off that idea, fine by me. But not on my dime.
Where did my giant tub of rainbow-colored mini blocks go?
Photo: Andertoons
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4 Comments
Amensej commented on Jan 02 12 at 9:53 pmI agree with you on sooo many levels! All these ‘construction’ toys that u can only seem to get in kits that build one or 2 things and imo stifle the kid’s minds. Granted, I have 2 boys, both who love building, and have real tool sets not just plastic ones. I have K’nex, erector, lincoln logs, flexi-blocks and Lego’s in my house, and with every one of them except the lincoln logs and the flexi block (big lego’s with hinges, ty rummage sales), several kits were needed before the boys could expand and build something other than what was pictured on the box. Currently pregnant with my 3rd, and hoping for a girl, and I pray that if i do get my girl, that she will b like her momma and brothers, a grease monkey tomboy lol
Brandi commented on Jan 05 12 at 12:10 amThe marketing of toys to children has become sickening. Do any of them ever think of their own children when they coming up with this stuff? Obviously, only the bottom dollar matters. Yes, pink or princess themed legos may attract some girls to play with them & that is a good thing. However, marketing a boy’s line & a girl’s line without any thought of gender neutral lines is very harmful to children & their image of themselves.
My daughter is 4 1/2 & got her first box of legos for Christmas. I did find the basic started bucket. They had a blue one & a pink one (the color of the bucket was the only difference), she got the blue one. And she’s super excited to play with them.
Kiri commented on Jan 11 12 at 1:16 amI don’t see what the big deal is. I respect your opinions as parents… but when I was a little girl in the 90′s, I played with action figures with my brothers. I played with legos all the time with my brothers. I loved it, but I really wanted girl legos too- Because I am female. I wanted a girl lego person that I could change girl hair on. So if they have legos oriented towards “just girls” and “just boys” who cares? They shouldn’t do that? -That’s like saying they should only have gender neutral bikes or clothes or whatever. IF your little girl wants a pink bike instead of a blue one that’s okay…or a yellow one or a red one… or vice versa. ( I mean the lego men are just basically dolls anyways.) I’m not saying our culture doesn’t have issues when it comes to marketing toys. – Personally, I don’t really want to get my child barbie dolls or bratz dolls but whatever. I still think it is just fine that they have both “boy” and “girl” toys. What is so “dangerous” about that? We as parents still have some say- WE are the ones that make it dangerous or not. If my little girl wants to play with Batman, that’s fine with me and if my little boy wants to play with dolls, that’s fine with me. Seriously, it’s awesome they have so many different toys of different colors and ideas, because children are all so different. and like different things. (Also- you can still buy the big buckets of legos- I don’t know what you’re talking about) Anyways – my point- I played with “boys toys” when I was little- because my parents never made me feel like they were ” boys toys” because they didn’t care what I liked; we as parents have some say.
Mhairi commented on Mar 24 12 at 2:13 amAlthough I agree the Lego is a universal gender neutral toy – or it was. However Lego has long produced a girl focussed set. First there was Fabuland, does anyone remember the cute little animals and play sets that included fridges and bread rolls that fitted into the baskets on the front of the little scooters. They were wonderful and just so much fun.
Then there was scala with the doll house, jewelery and other components that I am sure appealed to girls rather than boys. I love to play with the Town (now city) Lego sets but I prefered the ones that has windows and shutters to the space sets that my brother had. Therefore my parents did have to buy two sets to satisfy our differing tastes.
Now my children play with my old Fabuland, Duplo and Lego and they are happy with all of it however there is a noticeable difference in the things they choose and the way they play with them.
I have seen the new range and think that it will appeal to a certain demographic and this is a good thing. After all, construction of any type is better than none. If this is a way to get children to play with this type of toy and encourages the changing of certain set things such as a table becomes a bed or a spaceship then I am all for the pink, purple and other ‘girl’ colours.
I won’t be buying it on principle but if my daughter is given some I am sure that it will be played with and enjoyed as much as all the other Lego in our house is.
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