Like, first, the Lego Friends sets are really neat, and as far as I can tell get as big and complex as any of the Lego series (barring maybe Star Wars & Harry Potter, which have the big Millenium Falcon and Hogwarts sets), so I think that's cool? Lego series have been getting increasingly niche-y, so you can buy Harry Potter or DC Superhero or Star Wars or Dinosaur or Alien Lego sets more readily than just the basic box of blocks you can do anything with. And in that situation, I think Lego Friends are great, because they cover a niche Lego was ignoring.
And I see every day parents who will not buy shit for their kids if it's not marketed gender-specifically. All Christmas season I had people asking if we had "Legos for girls" before Friends had even come out (and I never knew how to answer that! Yes, we do, but not the way you mean?), so this is the only way some girls will get building toys to play with, so I appreciate it on that level?
But I had a customer the other night ask if they had Lego Friends for boys, because those same people who won't buy their girls "boy" Legos aren't going to buy their boys "girl" Legos. I think "this is a new approach to playing with Legos" is great, but not "this is the girl approach to playing with Legos," which is the strategy they're going with.
I like the idea of Lego dolls? I do not like that they are incompatible with "boy" Legos, or that they only come in purple boxes, or that they're marketed specifically for girls. And a lot of that is my own baggage, I guess, but I mean, I think it is entirely reasonable for me to be tired of having things I like being classified as "for girls"?
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Like, first, the Lego Friends sets are really neat, and as far as I can tell get as big and complex as any of the Lego series (barring maybe Star Wars & Harry Potter, which have the big Millenium Falcon and Hogwarts sets), so I think that's cool? Lego series have been getting increasingly niche-y, so you can buy Harry Potter or DC Superhero or Star Wars or Dinosaur or Alien Lego sets more readily than just the basic box of blocks you can do anything with. And in that situation, I think Lego Friends are great, because they cover a niche Lego was ignoring.
And I see every day parents who will not buy shit for their kids if it's not marketed gender-specifically. All Christmas season I had people asking if we had "Legos for girls" before Friends had even come out (and I never knew how to answer that! Yes, we do, but not the way you mean?), so this is the only way some girls will get building toys to play with, so I appreciate it on that level?
But I had a customer the other night ask if they had Lego Friends for boys, because those same people who won't buy their girls "boy" Legos aren't going to buy their boys "girl" Legos. I think "this is a new approach to playing with Legos" is great, but not "this is the girl approach to playing with Legos," which is the strategy they're going with.
I like the idea of Lego dolls? I do not like that they are incompatible with "boy" Legos, or that they only come in purple boxes, or that they're marketed specifically for girls. And a lot of that is my own baggage, I guess, but I mean, I think it is entirely reasonable for me to be tired of having things I like being classified as "for girls"?