Toy Fair, New York: I crankily elbowed my way through the crowds to get to my first appointment of the show. I wasn't cranky because of the crowds. I was cranky thinking about what I was about to see, Lego. Haters gonna hate, and I've been hating the new Lego Friends. I expected it to be the cornerstone of what they were about to show me.
I've written a bit about this dislike for the new Lego-for-girls, and GeekMom Kay's recent post summed up my dismay perfectly. I dig new colors for the bricks. I'm all for accessories. But then they gave the minifigs curves and boobs. The building seems completely secondary to the pretend play experience. The playing down of the building aspect is even further emphasized when they're shelved with dolls and not with Lego as they are at our local Target. And what if boys want to play with them? The marketing makes it very clear that these are for girly girls only. My 6-year-old daughter put it best: "Those don't really seem like Legos."
To all the internet commenters and tweeters who dismiss this as an overreaction, I invite you to walk the floor of Toy Fair to get a nice, full picture of the marketing of products to boys and girls. Girls are princesses and boys are violent war machines, with so little variation on those themes. I wanted better from Lego.
Turns out, Lego had better in store for me. The Lego showroom was strategically laid out to see Lego Friends last, and I'm glad for that. The first thing I saw when I walked in was the Duplo Pink Brick Box. On the box was a boy *and *a girl. Hey kids, you both can like different colors! (I'm so sad I can't show you a picture of this as it wasn't final packaging. I hope they keep it as I saw it.) So, Lego and I got off to a good start.
Then I started to notice some details around the showroom. Girls. Lots of them. When I saw Lego Friends I wondered why they didn't just make pink houses with classic minifigs. Well, turns out they're making those, too. A fine girly choice for those of us who hate the new minifigs.
O hai, lady paleontologist!
Days before I was introduced to Lego Friends, I was lamenting on Twitter that we had opened the last of our City Advent Calendar and there was not a single female minifig. My daughter was so disappointed. [ADVENT SPOILER!] This year's advent calendar has not one, but count 'em, two girl minifigs. And they're actually in on the action, not sitting by the sidelines.
Nothing is going to separate me from my money faster than the new Monster Fighters line. There's a lady vamp plus someone who resembles a certain vampire slayer. (Wouldn't that be an awesome licensing deal?)
Also, you may have noticed a GeekMom favorite made from Lego at the top of this post. Yes, folks, there is a wonderful Wonder Woman minifig. There's a whole new Super Hero line, featuring both DC and Marvel heroes. Imagine the mix and match possibilities! Lego said they can't encourage the mixing of the brands, but we sure can. I'm ready to mix Black Widow into just about every Lego set.
I was in such high spirits at this point, not to mention getting a look at the cool Ninjago, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings sets, that by the time we got to Lego Friends I didn't even hate them anymore. I still think there's less building represented in these sets, with more emphasis on accessories, but if there are kids out there who want them, so be it. In fact, Lego says that these are doing exceptionally well, with stores expanding their footprint on store shelves.
There is a stubbly manfig in the line, the grillmaster at Olivia's house. Dad is whipping up some dinner while Mom mows the lawn.
I was talking to another blogger who is a fan of the Lego Friends line, saying that she wants her daughter building but hasn't found any other sets that appeal to her in the way that this line does. I can live with that. I'll continue to hate the commercial, though.
You wouldn't know it from their marketing, but Lego has something to appeal to just about every kind of builder.
