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Post by librarylady on Aug 10, 2014 14:02:59 GMT
This story is about creating legos who are more acceptable to girls. tinyurl.com/nka9mylFrom the article: It seems the complicated question of whether boys' and girls' Legos should be different — and how — persists. A look at the Lego online store's "Girls" category today finds that its recent releases include a horse stable, a play house, a shopping mall — and a "Model Catwalk." My response: WHY do they even have a "girl's category?" Here's a novel concept: Don't have sex identity for a building block! It is a block. How about making blocks and letting kids play as the child's imagination goes........(from a former tomboy).
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,300
Jun 25, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
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Post by Mystie on Aug 10, 2014 14:07:57 GMT
I agree with you in principle. In reality, my two nieces showed no interest in Legos till the girls' versions came out--now they can't get enough. *shrug*
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caro
Drama Llama
Refupea 1130
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Jun 26, 2014 14:10:36 GMT
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 14:09:32 GMT
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Post by caro on Aug 10, 2014 14:09:32 GMT
My DD and my. 5 DGDs just naturally gravitate to pink and purple. The Friends collection of Legos are cute to me but we are very girly. I can see where a tomboy wouldn't care. My adult kids only played with primary colored Legos and it was never a big deal.
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stittsygirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,600
Location: In the leaves and rain.
Jun 25, 2014 19:57:33 GMT
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 14:13:53 GMT
Post by stittsygirl on Aug 10, 2014 14:13:53 GMT
They didn't used to distinguish between "boy" and "girl" Legos. I have nothing against the "girl" oriented sets, other than I wish they'd make them more neutral in color and market them to all kids. My own daughter would love that Research set I think. She wants to be a scientist or doctor.
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 14:18:53 GMT
Post by lorieann13 on Aug 10, 2014 14:18:53 GMT
I loved legos as a kid and played with them from early 80's till 90's.
I could care less if there were girl figures or girl colors. I just wanted to build and play.
Now that said my ds has sets and quite a number have come with girl characters. (So far police and fire, oh and a construction one too)
My dd has built a lego fire truck and thinks its cool. And she is very girly.
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Post by dulcemama on Aug 10, 2014 14:44:17 GMT
They didn't used to distinguish between "boy" and "girl" Legos. I have nothing against the "girl" oriented sets, other than I wish they'd make them more neutral in color and market them to all kids. My own daughter would love that Research set I think. She wants to be a scientist or doctor. I agree with this. My DD likes the "girl" sets, not because they are pink and purple, but because she likes to play that the friends are all doing stuff together. Not really the way the "boy" sets are oriented. It annoys her that there are no boy "friends" because she has several boys in her life who she is close with.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 10, 2014 14:47:42 GMT
I don't have a problem with the girl sets because I see it for what it is: Lego has a new (er) product to market and make more money from.
Now, if girls were only allowed to play with the pink and purple Legos, then there'd be an issue. Girls can play with any and all Legos.
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J u l e e
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,531
Location: Cincinnati
Jun 28, 2014 2:50:47 GMT
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 14:50:53 GMT
Post by J u l e e on Aug 10, 2014 14:50:53 GMT
Did Legos even have male and female characters and "sets" when we were little? All I remember are the blocks.
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 14:56:54 GMT
Post by Linda on Aug 10, 2014 14:56:54 GMT
I wish the new friends sets were more compatible with standard Lego sets - the figures are so different.
Otherwise I really don't care - this is the third round of pink Lego since I've been having children - there were pink buckets when Simon was a toddler; the Belville sets when Cathleen was young and now the Friends sets. We've had the occasional pink set but the vast majority of Lego in my house (and we have more than enough to stock a toy shop)is from their regular lines - I don't think Annabelle has any from the Friends line but she did get a pink bucket when she was five - she prefers the Star Wars and Lego City lines
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Post by melanell on Aug 10, 2014 14:58:50 GMT
I agree in principle as well, but Lego conducted tests and asked both boys & girls what they wanted, and that's what resulted in these sets.
What I would like to see, though, is for all Lego to be sold together, not separated into boy & girl aisles.
My sons like the Friends sets as well, and I don't really love a store set-up that subtly tells them they are somehow "wrong" to want to buy them.
And same for the girls. Why shouldn't the girls feel like the other sets are equally "theirs".
I would definitely like to see boy figures in the Friends sets and more female minifigs in the other sets.
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chickenb00
Junior Member
Posts: 74
Jun 26, 2014 20:03:38 GMT
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Post by chickenb00 on Aug 10, 2014 15:00:05 GMT
The new "girl" LEGO sets were created to gain a new market. The girls who already played with LEGO sets before the Friends line came out played with them because they liked to build and play with LEGO sets. The new Friends line appeals to the girls who are more into Barbie and Polly Pockets and things of that nature.
A funny observation (I work in a LEGO store), I've noticed the little girls who spend a lot of time hanging out with dad who likes Super Heroes and Star Wars...those little girls tend to like the Super Hero and Star Wars sets. The girls who do girly things with mom lean more towards the Friends sets. This isn't always the case of course, funny to me though.
Also because it was ingrained in us in training it's not Legos. LEGO is an adjective. It's LEGO bricks, LEGO sets, LEGO watch, etc.
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 15:02:50 GMT
Post by Linda on Aug 10, 2014 15:02:50 GMT
A funny observation (I work in a LEGO store), I've noticed the little girls who spend a lot of time hanging out with dad who likes Super Heroes and Star Wars...those little girls tend to like the Super Hero and Star Wars sets. The girls who do girly things with mom lean more towards the Friends sets. This isn't always the case of course, funny to me though. And that holds true for my girls - DH is a AFOL (adult fan of Lego) as is Simon now and the girls have grown up helping Daddy build his Lego sets and wanting their own. Neither is a girly girl in the least
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Post by dulcemama on Aug 10, 2014 15:06:27 GMT
I agree in principle as well, but Lego conducted tests and asked both boys & girls what they wanted, and that's what resulted in these sets. What I would like to see, though, is for all Lego to be sold together, not separated into boy & girl aisles. My sons like the Friends sets as well, and I don't really love a store set-up that subtly tells them they are somehow "wrong" to want to buy them. And same for the girls. Why shouldn't the girls feel like the other sets are equally "theirs". I would definitely like to see boy figures in the Friends sets and more female minifigs in the other sets. This is something I was going to comment on as well. DD picked up on the "girl" and "boy" sections when she was pretty young (I'm thinking a little over 2yo) even though we always looked in both areas when we shopped together. At one point, she was worried if it was o.k. for her to have some much loved toys that had come from the "boy" section. If you don't think kids pick up on this stuff, I think you are underestimating kids.
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Jennifer
Shy Member
Posts: 38
Jun 25, 2014 21:48:45 GMT
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 15:24:37 GMT
Post by Jennifer on Aug 10, 2014 15:24:37 GMT
I loved legos as a kid and played with them from early 80's till 90's. I could care less if there were girl figures or girl colors. I just wanted to build and play. My older brother used to get mad when I'd hog his Legos.
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 15:39:46 GMT
Post by mamatoa on Aug 10, 2014 15:39:46 GMT
I agree in principle as well, but Lego conducted tests and asked both boys & girls what they wanted, and that's what resulted in these sets. What I would like to see, though, is for all Lego to be sold together, not separated into boy & girl aisles. My sons like the Friends sets as well, and I don't really love a store set-up that subtly tells them they are somehow "wrong" to want to buy them. And same for the girls. Why shouldn't the girls feel like the other sets are equally "theirs". I would definitely like to see boy figures in the Friends sets and more female minifigs in the other sets. My son is only 4 and already he asks if he is "allowed" to play with "girl toys".
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Post by Skellinton on Aug 10, 2014 15:41:56 GMT
Did Legos even have male and female characters and "sets" when we were little? All I remember are the blocks. Legos in the 70s did. The people had big round heads and bendy arms and you used 2x2 blocks to make the body. We used to like making them abnormally tall or small! They also had Fabuland Legos which were bigger than the current mini figs, but were animals of both genders (really only identifiable by the names they were provided with). Those were amazing, and I think would be a huge hit with both genders if they were released again now.
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sheepea
Junior Member
Posts: 85
Jun 26, 2014 14:27:58 GMT
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Post by sheepea on Aug 10, 2014 15:50:39 GMT
From a girlie girl (always was, still am): I would have loved the pink LEGO sets they have now! I didn't think LEGO was ever gender neutral or marketed to just males before, they are just giving people more options now.
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sheepea
Junior Member
Posts: 85
Jun 26, 2014 14:27:58 GMT
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 15:57:20 GMT
Post by sheepea on Aug 10, 2014 15:57:20 GMT
I agree in principle as well, but Lego conducted tests and asked both boys & girls what they wanted, and that's what resulted in these sets. What I would like to see, though, is for all Lego to be sold together, not separated into boy & girl aisles. My sons like the Friends sets as well, and I don't really love a store set-up that subtly tells them they are somehow "wrong" to want to buy them. And same for the girls. Why shouldn't the girls feel like the other sets are equally "theirs". I would definitely like to see boy figures in the Friends sets and more female minifigs in the other sets. I agreed with you at first, but then I started thinking, what about clothes and hygiene products? Those are usually sorted by gender. Now I'm wondering if and what companies should be doing to make sure no one is offended by things that are labeled and marketed to one specific gender?
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 16:20:11 GMT
Post by melanell on Aug 10, 2014 16:20:11 GMT
Actually I just saw a video all about the ways in which companies make extra money by marketing things such as body wash or lotion or shampoo or razors to just men or just women. After all, most women never think to go buy a pack of mens razors for themselves, but really, they're razors, they'd do the job just as well even if they weren't pink or made to smell like raspberries. And of course, the idea is that we grow up used to that separation due to our toys and such. There are places online where you can see toys from say the 70s besides toys from now. A 70s grocery cart was orange & yellow. Now we can buy 2 carts...a pink one for our daughter and a blue one for our sons. We're not forced to, of course, but the marketing is very successful at encouraging us to do so. Lego has marketed pink sort of lines to girls in the past, but they were never as extensive as the Friends line and they had regular minfigures. Lego does not refer to the Friends people as minifigs, but as dolls. They're trying to combine a building toy with a doll experience.
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Post by nepean on Aug 10, 2014 19:44:16 GMT
Also because it was ingrained in us in training it's not Legos. LEGO is an adjective. It's LEGO bricks, LEGO sets, LEGO watch, etc. Thank you! This is one thing that irritates me more than it should.
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chickenb00
Junior Member
Posts: 74
Jun 26, 2014 20:03:38 GMT
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 23:41:01 GMT
Post by chickenb00 on Aug 10, 2014 23:41:01 GMT
Also because it was ingrained in us in training it's not Legos. LEGO is an adjective. It's LEGO bricks, LEGO sets, LEGO watch, etc. Thank you! This is one thing that irritates me more than it should. I groan inside when I see it incorrectly.
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caro
Drama Llama
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Jun 26, 2014 14:10:36 GMT
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Legos
Aug 10, 2014 23:59:28 GMT
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Post by caro on Aug 10, 2014 23:59:28 GMT
Thank you! This is one thing that irritates me more than it should. I groan inside when I see it incorrectly. I know Legos is an adjective but no one I know says anything but Legos , and no one seems to care, said this preschool teacher.
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Post by melanell on Aug 11, 2014 0:14:15 GMT
Lego isn't the only company name that becomes the product name as well, they just seem to be the only ones who are very vocal about it. For instance, Jell doesn't seem to mind that we say "Jello" to mean any sweetened, flavored, gelatin snack. And "Band-Aids" have come to mean any bandage. I might tell someone that my son would love some Matchboxes or Hot Wheels for his birthday, and I mean any toy that they sell, not that he wants the company as a gift. I don't know if it's because they know that some people already look at a no-name block (or even a Mega Block) and call it a "Lego", but if that is the case, I would advise them not to sweat it. Anyone who has actually used both Lego blocks and no-name blocks will quickly learn the difference. (Says the mom who has systematically found and removed every stray non-Lego block that ever crossed the threshold of our home.) Or if they are just big into proper grammar, in which case I could not fault them as I like grammar, too.
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Post by hop2 on Aug 11, 2014 0:17:06 GMT
I do not mind Legos oriented towards what many consider 'girl' interests. I don't even mind pink and purple.
What I mind is when they apply a label telling you which toys are for girls and which are for boys. Each company should make products they think will sell and each consumer can make their own choice if it appeals to them or not.
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Legos
Aug 11, 2014 1:08:01 GMT
Post by melanell on Aug 11, 2014 1:08:01 GMT
I'll give credit to my family, though, my parents and brother all bought Friends Lego sets for DS without batting an eye.
DS loves the food & the animals that come with those sets. And the cruise ship is pretty neat.
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chickenb00
Junior Member
Posts: 74
Jun 26, 2014 20:03:38 GMT
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Post by chickenb00 on Aug 11, 2014 1:12:11 GMT
melanell One of my favorite things is when a customer comes in asking for a non-LEGO set and I tell them it is made by another company. They immediately insist that it is a LEGO set. (Sometimes saying the internet said so.) I will explain a second time it's not and where they might be able to find it. I usually get the "You're an idiot and don't know your product" look. After that all I can do is smile and show them something similar.
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Legos
Aug 11, 2014 1:15:24 GMT
Post by melanell on Aug 11, 2014 1:15:24 GMT
melanell One of my favorite things is when a customer comes in asking for a non-LEGO set and I tell them it is made by another company. They immediately insist that it is a LEGO set. (Sometimes saying the internet said so.) I will explain a second time it's not and where they might be able to find it. I usually get the "You're an idiot and don't know your product" look. After that all I can do is smile and show them something similar. I know! Sometimes when I am searching online to buy a discontinued set I'll come across something like "Unopened GI Joe Lego", and I think to myself "What?? There was never a GI Joe Lego!!". And when I look at it it clearly says mega blocks right on the front of the box.
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RosieKat
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Jun 25, 2014 19:28:04 GMT
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Post by RosieKat on Aug 11, 2014 1:16:52 GMT
I just wish that the "girl" sets were as involved construction-wise. I'm all for appealing to a group (the pink and girly group) that they may not otherwise appeal to, but they seem to be very, very elementary in terms of construction.
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Legos
Aug 11, 2014 1:46:45 GMT
Post by melanell on Aug 11, 2014 1:46:45 GMT
I just wish that the "girl" sets were as involved construction-wise. I'm all for appealing to a group (the pink and girly group) that they may not otherwise appeal to, but they seem to be very, very elementary in terms of construction. The funny thing is that I saw or heard something recently indicating that one of Lego's goals in the Friends line was to provide more actual building for the girls because their previous girl lines were more pretend play and less building. But I agree that the Friends lines seem like easier builds than most of the other lines. It's great for my 4 year old, but the 11 year old whips through them in no time. And my nieces put them together very quickly as well, so it's not like the boy is making it any faster than the girls.
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Legos
Aug 11, 2014 2:22:42 GMT
Post by dulcemama on Aug 11, 2014 2:22:42 GMT
I do not mind Legos oriented towards what many consider 'girl' interests. I don't even mind pink and purple. What I mind is when they apply a label telling you which toys are for girls and which are for boys. Each company should make products they think will sell and each consumer can make their own choice if it appeals to them or not. Exactly!
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