Friends

I don't know why I woke up with LEGO Friends on the brain the other day, but I spent most of morning reading and watching stuff about them and the reaction of many people to their existence.  When I ended up with my free set a few weeks ago, I was surprised at how much I liked it and I'd been considering picking up a couple more since.  I have now added 3 small sets (#30108, #41001, and #41011) to my collection. It's not that the line isn't problematic, and while I hope that this era gives way to better integration of the themes and representation that Friends claims to bring into the LEGO universe, it's also an era I want to include in my collection.  Also, everyone needs more brick colors and overlarge animals with big eyes, okay? They just do.  Full acknowledgement here that toys and toy marketing are a HUGE part of the social construction of gender norms. As someone that loves toys from both "the pink aisle" and "the blue aisle," that is something that I would definitely like to see change.  Also, full acknowledgement that I love LEGO in a will-go-down-with-this-ship sort of way.

Okay, thing #1 is that I want to link to the information related to the debate over LEGO Friends that I found the most useful.  Firstly, there are 2 blog posts that I may not agree with in every point, but go a long way to providing history and context here and here.  I also thought these videos did a great job of explaining this issue and why it's important, here and here.

Here are pictures of the sets I got.  There is some diversity in the line in terms of stereotypical activities as well as colors.  The boxes are undeniably purple, but individually, they don't all scream purple.  

The thing that's interesting about this line is that while I understand the objections of many people to its content, if it weren't attached to the LEGO brand, I don't think it would have caught much attention as objectionable.  Take it out of the the LEGO aisle and it might even stand out from other "pink aisle" toys for the karate set, the magic show, and the invention lab (that debuted with the line's launch).  I've actually noticed a trend in some stores to shelve Friends separately from the rest of the LEGO toys. (I'm not sure if that is better or worse, honestly.)

Because LEGO is a block company and not a doll company, it is generally thought that they are precluded from producing dolls and that producing dolls, as toys meant for girls only, is a betrayal of the inclusive values of LEGO's origins.  I would argue that minifigures are dolls-- tiny, plastic, highly customizable, adorable dolls, and also that LEGO has produced dolls before.  The stigma attached to the word "doll" is as ridiculous as the idea that pretend play centered on humans should only be the domain of girls.  At this point, Friends are not even the only "pink aisle" building dolls around, now that Megablocks has a Barbie line out. This is a difficult issue given that LEGO already produces minifig dolls, but as the links I shared establish, there are not very many women/girls represented.  So, to some extent, I can respect how Friends is a version of an attempt to change that representation, but it seems like unnecessary segregation.  Making more women minifigures and using themes/locations like those included in the Friends line for sets across the themes would be a better way of doing this.   

There IS the argument that it should be socially okay for feminine things to exist independently of anything else.  The latest My Little Pony incarnation seems to be a good example of this, as something often praised for its values and the way the focus of the show remains on the core group of girl characters and their friendships and adventures.  Masculine characters take a backseat in the show and surprise: it's still good.  You don't have to add boys for something to be good. Feminine does not equal bad or lesser.  This perspective makes me see some inherent value in the Friends line as a separate entity. When you hold it up next to Belville, Friends is just so much better.  Next to Megablocks Barbie… Friends absolutely demolishes it on the construction front alone!  But, given the whole historical context of a company that had such inclusive roots that then progressed to marketing aggressively to only boys, it's hard not to want to see that original spirit return. Preferably in the form of a mass of creative, adorable new minifigures and sets. I guess my position is that while I like things about Friends, when Series 11 drops, everyone should be sure to go find the scientist and maybe let LEGO know how pleased they are that she exists.

Image: minifigures.lego.com