The new Lego Friends. Photo / Lego
OPINION:
It’s been another funny ol’ week, just like the past couple of years have got us used to. War, climate change, widespread disease, skyrocketing cost of living... I could go on but I think you get what I mean.
But don’t worry about those. What Fox News and, by extension, a lot of its viewers, are really riled up about this week is the new set of Lego Friends characters that have just been released.
The toy company has recently relaunched its iconic “Friends” brand to include characters with a range of different characteristics, including missing limbs, vitiligo, anxiety, and Down Syndrome. There’s even a dog in a wheelchair, which is nothing if not absolutely freaking adorable.
The company didn’t just one day decide to launch these new characters. In fact, this is a direct response to what children told Lego they wanted to see more of.
“The relaunch answers a call for change that real kids desire to see in their toys and the content they watch. New characters feel, express, and acknowledge a range of emotions similar to those of today’s kids, helping them relate to and explore their mental well-being through play,” the company wrote in its announcement.
According to a survey of children ages 6 to 12, conducted by Lego during the design process, 70 per cent said they want to see their toys represent more complex, realistic emotions rather than every toy being “smiley or happy” and 3 out of 4 children felt there “were not enough toys with characters that represented them”. A total of 93 per cent of children surveyed, all of whom could teach pearl-clutchers a thing or two about inclusivity, also said they believe it’s good to have friends that are different from you and can teach you new things.
In addition to a range of disabilities, the new characters also have different nationalities: Zac is African-French, Olly is British, and Leo is Mexican, for example.
The stories of these new Heartlake City residents are as complex as the stories of the real-life children who play with the little toy figurines all over the world.
The new collection aims to help “more children to feel represented during play” which is not something you would expect people to get angry about and yet... well, some did.
One Fox News presenter raged on screen at “woke Lego”. During the segment, one co-host admitted to not knowing how a Lego character would display “anxiety”, which only proves that they are not aware of the extent of the Lego universe and all the media it encompasses.
Her co-host then argued that this was “identity politics” and said Lego has “forced identity into toys” which is a statement so incredibly dumb I won’t even waste time deconstructing. “I’m not havin’ it,” added the old man who’s not really Lego’s target market anyway. Lego figures have always had backstories, those backstories are just more diverse now - and that is nothing if not a great thing and a glimpse of progress in an otherwise pretty dismal world right now.
i don't see how our culture bounces back from this pic.twitter.com/5bvvgvN3X8
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 22, 2023
I mean, imagine, for a moment, looking at everything that is going on all over the world and deciding that “yup, Lego Friends - that’s what I’m going to get mad about”. That said, these are the same people who recently got angry at... *checks notes*... M&Ms colours, so I guess we shouldn’t be that surprised.
Who cares what a bunch of old people think about Lego Friends anyway? In the interest of properly targeted market research, I asked my 6-year-old daughter what she thinks of the new figures. “They’re great,” she told me. When pressed for more details, I can confirm her official position is “Becaaaaaause! Now let me play.”
Daughter got a new Lego set and it came with Colin from Accounts. pic.twitter.com/kmb4PtTt7R
— Vera Alves (@supergenericgal) January 29, 2023
The bottom line is that if a more inclusive and diverse collection of Lego figures will make even just one child feel better about themselves, then they are worth having. And if it angers a grumpy old person, then that’s just an added bonus.