horrified by lack of non-macho lego

[Quip]

the boys got invited to a girls' 6 birthday party today, so we went shopping for toys yesterday, and I could find only "boy toys" and "girl toys". Either guns and trucks or pink and glittery things. Admittedly this was in Sainsbury's but they did have a whole aisle of toys and it was all like this. I decided on lego, as I liked it as a kid, but the boys didn't want me to buy their friends lego city stuff as they said it was a boy toy, and to be honest it did look quite boy oriented. I ended up getting them pink girly lego. Ugh. Why can't I buy normal toys that acknowledge that girls and boys are not separate species?

Basic Lego box sets or Harry Potter sets (probably outside budget) or individual minifigures or boats/planes or the lovely houses (again too expensive, but gorgeous) are all gender neutral. I think the little Lego Creators 3 in 1 sets are good for both sexes - it's not Lego's fault that we're taught that girls don't like fire engines/biplanes/speed boats.

I've set my heart on the Lord of the Rings Lego.

Lego cities is pretty good, but you'd probably need to go to a lego store to get the good stuff - likle the explorers, zoo, horsey stuff.

What I want to know is - how come you never see a pregnant lego lady or someone in a wheelchair/with one leg? Or glasses for that matter?

You could have chosen to challenge your sons' sexist attitude towards toys, but you chose to continue the stereotyping. So that's why manufacturers keep selling it. You have to be the catalyst of change you want to see in others.

Lego City has some of the best non-gender specific Lego, and Sainsbury's usually have this in stock.

There is loads of Lego suitable for girls that isn't pink (I know because we have tons of it) but you do need to hunt around for it. I don't think there is anything wrong with Lego Friends because I know my girls have a choice.

You're contradicting yourself actually. What's the issue with buying a "boys toy" for a girl, if you're genuinely in support of gender neutrality?

There is also Lego Lord of the Rings and Lego Monsters, which I will be buying for my girls (depending on the price of course!)

Why not just get the normal Lego rather than sets?

Harry Potter and Clark Kent have glasses .

But I grant you that Playmobil is much better for representing a full range of people.

Most Lego is bought by adults for themselves. I suspect most of those adults are men, so there are more Lego sets with male figures/ stereotypically male interests.

Itsa, DS has all the LOTR Lego. Apart from the Elrond figure that comes with the video game - I can't work out how to get that in the UK.

MySpanielHell that's true. Lego Friends is facing a lot of criticism but people really don't seem to realise what a huge range of Lego there is, suitable for all tastes. Shops may not stock all ranges but I suspect a great deal of Lego is sold over the internet anyway.

We have lots of amputees in our lego... they are pirates though...

I think the new houses are very un-macho, there's a beachouse, a cottage with solar panels etc, though too pricey for classmates birthday I imagine!

Playmobil is very non gender specific, if that helps at all.

I was quite happy with traditional lego when I was a kid. I liked building tractors, cars, boats... I would have like "girly" lego too, but it didnt exist then.

I also liked building airfix model aeroplanes too.. and I loved my Girls' World head and my dolls house..

Personally, I'd save being 'horrified' for something more worthy.

Some lego people have glasses - DS has a bin truck and one of the men that came with it has glasses. Some of the pirates have peg legs and hooks in place of arms and legs:)

But was there a bin woman, Bustle?

I have a lego-mad DS who is nearly 9 and loves the Lego friends as much as all the other sets. I'm glad he hasn't realised it's aimed at girls.

Very few toys have a good representation of disability/life stages (pregnancy, teenagers, older people, etc). I think Playmobil only has people in wheelchairs if they are in hospital with a broken leg.

I don't get it. I love the lego city stuff. We have a lego city set with burglars and police dogs! Would have loved it when I was 7. And I was a girl.
Why can't girls play with lego city stuff? I don't think it would even occur to me that it was "for boys". It's just ace!

I was at a fun fair recently and a woman with a dd complained to me that the inflatable assault courses etc were really "for boys". WTF? I thought they were "for kids".
I dont know about anyone else, but I would have been all over that shit as a child. Maybe I am macho though .

Dd likes the Lego friends stuff.

But she also likes the Lego Harry potter stuff and the Lego creator sets. The creator stuff has some really nice houses/cottages which can be built in 3 different styles.

Though appreciate probably too much ££ for a birthday present.

LOTR Lego!!! It's fucking awesome

Tell your boys that girls love Lego City. I have two DDs and they and their mates love it. They hate the pink shite.

"Whoopsy Daisy Pinky-Pinkety Cottage"

Nah.

I was born in the early 70's and grew up loving space Lego, if only they'd have had Star Wars or LOTR Lego back then. It never occured to me that it was for boys. Did I hear a rumour that they'd be Minecraft Lego?

Some of our lego people have only one leg, some don't have a head, we accept all sorts here here

DD (9) loves Lego: Harry Potter, Ninjago, Lego City, Creator, Star Wars, Olympic minifigures... Her eyes lit up when we saw a Lego Tower Bridge in a shop recently, but unfortunately it was £££ and said it was for age 14+. I may well get her the new haunted house for her birthday. Just don't ever buy her Lego Friends - she'd be deeply insulted. Possibly OK for age 5 or 6, though?