Upon hearing about LEGO Friends, many RadFems (and people who stir up controversy to sell merchandise & books) started plastering an old 1981 ad image anywhere they could.
Here's what they didn't take into account:
1. It's not 1981 any more.
2. If ads like that drew "more" girls into LEGO building, there would be no need for LEGO Friends.
3. Basic bricks as depicted in that image have always been & still are widely available.
4. Those basic bricks won't be available (except in hand-me-down buckets from parents) if The LEGO Group goes out of business -- like it nearly could have after a record deficit year announced in 2004.
5. Re-inventing itself to stay current, TLG partnered with highly-favored License brands, like Star Wars, to meld the spatial-reasoning manipulation of bricks with the love of a storyline.
6. These new partnerships led to more integration of technology - which is the future.
7. The technology developed through CAD-type programs like LEGO Digitial Designer allow kids to take LEGO building one step further into virtual polygon manipulation.
8. The interface of LEGO bricks & characters into video gaming keeps TLG progressive and relevant.
9. A child must first be engaged by a toy for them to play with it; this is why LEGO Friends has tripled in sales its first year -- girls who were already choosing toys resembling Friends in color, style, self-identification, co-play, imagination play, and real life aspects can now build their own playsets.
10. Girls can still play with the basic bucket of bricks. Girls can play with Friends. Girls can even blend Friends with a basic bucket of bricks to build anything her imagination can create because the sets have the exact same building experience and developmental benefits as any LEGO set.
All girls deserve a gateway to gain skills in math & science. For those girls who already enjoyed LEGO building (only 9% of LEGO customers in 2011) the strength of TLG profitability insures their favorites themes -- whether Harry Potter, NinjaGO, Architecture, or basic bricks -- will continue to be available.
Now that the number of LEGO girl builders has risen to 27% of TLG's customer base (per - Michael McNally, brand relations director, LEGO Systems, Inc.), that number will surely continue to increase as those girls develop their building interests into other themes, such as Architecture, Modular, or Monster Fighters.
The first 2 bricks have been clicked together -- girls' future in sharing the benefits of LEGO building has now gained STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math).
The superior quality and universality of LEGO basic bricks could have contributed to its own company demise -- since millions of people retain the bricks from childhood to pass down to the next generation. This is a wonderful aspect of the Legacy of LEGO play. However, in times of ever-increasingly competitive market-place for toys & gadgets, TLG must stay progressive in order to stay engaging.
For those who still can't get past the idea of building with merely the classic 2x2, 2x4, etc., bricks -- although those will always be used in LEGO creations, we have to look forward. We have to allow girls to explore the many angles of spatial-reasoning creating. Virtual technology, whether it be gaming, security devices for a home, or manufacturing tools, is the future. These LEGO sets provide manipulation of polygons for which girls need to have access too. Having more girls involved in the gaming industry needs to begin with young girls getting the foundation of spatial designing. Friends is a launching point for those girls who choose it. It launches their aptitude for seeing the endless possibilities of their minds. Imagination must be the core of the future.
Food for thought: Expecting children to play with a toy which doesn't engage their interest is a bit like throwing marshmallows at their heads and calling it eating.
Here's what they didn't take into account:
1. It's not 1981 any more.
2. If ads like that drew "more" girls into LEGO building, there would be no need for LEGO Friends.
3. Basic bricks as depicted in that image have always been & still are widely available.
4. Those basic bricks won't be available (except in hand-me-down buckets from parents) if The LEGO Group goes out of business -- like it nearly could have after a record deficit year announced in 2004.
5. Re-inventing itself to stay current, TLG partnered with highly-favored License brands, like Star Wars, to meld the spatial-reasoning manipulation of bricks with the love of a storyline.
6. These new partnerships led to more integration of technology - which is the future.
7. The technology developed through CAD-type programs like LEGO Digitial Designer allow kids to take LEGO building one step further into virtual polygon manipulation.
8. The interface of LEGO bricks & characters into video gaming keeps TLG progressive and relevant.
9. A child must first be engaged by a toy for them to play with it; this is why LEGO Friends has tripled in sales its first year -- girls who were already choosing toys resembling Friends in color, style, self-identification, co-play, imagination play, and real life aspects can now build their own playsets.
10. Girls can still play with the basic bucket of bricks. Girls can play with Friends. Girls can even blend Friends with a basic bucket of bricks to build anything her imagination can create because the sets have the exact same building experience and developmental benefits as any LEGO set.
All girls deserve a gateway to gain skills in math & science. For those girls who already enjoyed LEGO building (only 9% of LEGO customers in 2011) the strength of TLG profitability insures their favorites themes -- whether Harry Potter, NinjaGO, Architecture, or basic bricks -- will continue to be available.
Now that the number of LEGO girl builders has risen to 27% of TLG's customer base (per - Michael McNally, brand relations director, LEGO Systems, Inc.), that number will surely continue to increase as those girls develop their building interests into other themes, such as Architecture, Modular, or Monster Fighters.
The first 2 bricks have been clicked together -- girls' future in sharing the benefits of LEGO building has now gained STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math).
The superior quality and universality of LEGO basic bricks could have contributed to its own company demise -- since millions of people retain the bricks from childhood to pass down to the next generation. This is a wonderful aspect of the Legacy of LEGO play. However, in times of ever-increasingly competitive market-place for toys & gadgets, TLG must stay progressive in order to stay engaging.
For those who still can't get past the idea of building with merely the classic 2x2, 2x4, etc., bricks -- although those will always be used in LEGO creations, we have to look forward. We have to allow girls to explore the many angles of spatial-reasoning creating. Virtual technology, whether it be gaming, security devices for a home, or manufacturing tools, is the future. These LEGO sets provide manipulation of polygons for which girls need to have access too. Having more girls involved in the gaming industry needs to begin with young girls getting the foundation of spatial designing. Friends is a launching point for those girls who choose it. It launches their aptitude for seeing the endless possibilities of their minds. Imagination must be the core of the future.
Food for thought: Expecting children to play with a toy which doesn't engage their interest is a bit like throwing marshmallows at their heads and calling it eating.
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