tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post140082940602111976..comments2024-02-05T05:15:04.759-08:00Comments on Wandering Scientist: LEGO Friends: Feminist Friend or Foe?Cloudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-37519775679504396202012-02-06T06:44:06.857-08:002012-02-06T06:44:06.857-08:00Love your post! One thing that surprised me is tha...Love your post! One thing that surprised me is that in all the diatribes against these, I've never ever seen the inventor workshop mentioned. Everything focuses on the house - I'm working in a house right now, omg - the beauty shop and so on. Thanks for clearing up a lot of things surrounding this, for those of us who don't have any of the sets. I'll be sharing this.Mama Up!https://www.blogger.com/profile/16062563084376679862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-47163766681257689992012-02-05T08:19:18.304-08:002012-02-05T08:19:18.304-08:00I love the teeny little crow-bar that comes with t...I love the teeny little crow-bar that comes with the lego sets.nicoleandmaggiehttp://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-66765568138534782302012-02-05T07:38:52.246-08:002012-02-05T07:38:52.246-08:00@VA Hills- OMG, yes! On the preferring LEGO Friend...@VA Hills- OMG, yes! On the preferring LEGO Friends to Polly Pockets. Pumpkin still can't get the stupid dresses on them on her own. The LEGO, on the other hand, she can do all by herself, with the very occasional need to have help getting something apart.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-71565257671143175442012-02-04T20:28:24.240-08:002012-02-04T20:28:24.240-08:00Also, here are LEGO server rooms:
mocpages.com/moc...Also, here are LEGO server rooms:<br />mocpages.com/moc.php/189613<br />www.flickr.com/photos/josiefraser/4316288199/<br /><br />They're someone's creations, rather than a pre-fab set, but I like 'em!the VA Hillshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10871450418969975801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-4847761215980323372012-02-04T19:49:03.439-08:002012-02-04T19:49:03.439-08:00@the milliner- the LEGO stores have walls of indiv...@the milliner- the LEGO stores have walls of individual bricks you can pick and choose from to fill a container. Sometimes, they also have grab bags of the bricks from the old displays. You don't control what you get, but it makes for interesting play. My kids always play exclusively with those bricks for a while before adding them to their collections, and it's a lot of fun to see what they come up with! There's also the Pick-a-Brick section on shop.lego.com. <br /><br />There are a lot of both males and females doing amazing things with the new Friends bricks. As near as I can tell, they all approach the sets as sets of pieces to use in their own designs. I don't know how to embed links, but there are airplanes and mechas (robot things the girls ride in), as well as entire scenes and modifications of the minifigures. (Sam Carter from Stargate is my favorite...)<br /><br />Does the whole polarization of toys into "boys'" and "girls'" stuff drive me crazy? YES! Do I hate that there are no boy doll clothes for my daughter's doll (adopted from the brother who decided it was only good as cannon fodder)? YES! Do I hate that gender-neutral toys have all but disappeared? YES! Is this the fault of LEGO? Not at all. I wish they had done more to fight it, but they found a formula that worked (and pretty much saved the company in the 90's) and just stuck with it. <br /><br />Much of the blame lies on the adults buying toys. From what I've seen, they're the ones pushing kids into the pink/blue specialization. I have been told "I'd buy that [gender-neutral toy] if just came in pink or purple." So, a few years down the road, it does. blech.<br /><br />I'm just glad the advent of the Friends line has eclipsed M's lusting after Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop. At least the LEGO will be fun for me to play with, too! Between that and making sure she gets the girls from each minifigure series to balance out all the boys in the sets, I'm doing what I can. It seems to be working, too.<br /><br />@Cloud- There's a fairytale and historical minifigures set on shop.lego.com that is about half women. A city and community set, too. 22 minifigures for $50, but it's near impossible to just stumble across. You have to search by item numbers (9349 and 9348). It's pretty much one male head and one female head, from what I see. The create-your-own minifigures in the LEGO stores have more female head varieties, but they're 3 for $10, so not as good a deal. Also, W got a police chase set for Christmas that had a female police officer. Baby steps?the VA Hillshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10871450418969975801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-62816009687356207862012-02-02T06:06:37.877-08:002012-02-02T06:06:37.877-08:00Yeah, I'm a bit pathetic with the job thing, M...Yeah, I'm a bit pathetic with the job thing, Moo came out with the statement 'Daddy doctor' the other day and I spent ages trying to get her to say 'mummy Is an engineer' with very little success... I'm mildly comforted though by the fact Moo cries when we go to the doctors. Smart kid really.Zenmoonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-43112747761585943292012-02-01T22:16:31.137-08:002012-02-01T22:16:31.137-08:00@Zenmoo, your second comment cracked me up. At lea...@Zenmoo, your second comment cracked me up. At least both my husband and I have jobs that sound boring to a 4 year old!<br /><br />@Jen- interesting that your boys needed the sets to belong to you guys. And that is a really good idea for how to handle this sort of thing, actually. I'm going to remember that.<br /><br />Also- are you the same @Jen who commented on my Jeanne Baret post? If you are, send me an email address- you won the drawing!Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-7625301383810306612012-02-01T16:13:50.391-08:002012-02-01T16:13:50.391-08:00Great read! As a mother to two boys (6 & 4) w...Great read! As a mother to two boys (6 & 4) who were very suspect at the "girls' LEGO", both my husband & I got our own sets -- mine the Inventor and his the pet wash. Once my boys saw them, they loved them and play very nicely with them, as they "belong" to Mommy & Daddy.<br /><br />It is very interesting watching them play with the sets, as their play seems a bit more imaginative and story-based, actually. NOrmally, they are very task-driven. (Or, I may just be immune to all the car/police/explosions, so when I hear something novel, I take more interest. Bad Mommy.) <br /><br />Regardless, I'm anxiously awaiting the LOTH LEGO onslaught. Take that, Star Wars!Jen.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-13902270151437429612012-01-31T22:37:44.380-08:002012-01-31T22:37:44.380-08:00Oh and @Parisienne, I know what you mean about try...Oh and @Parisienne, I know what you mean about trying to describe your tech work to kids. It's particularly irritating as my husband is a doctor, so that's a job that kids 'get' because they visit doctors. I know I'll never be able to make my job sound as interesting - even if his job has lots of paperwork too!<br /><br />Maybe a dentist workplace? That could be fun...zenmoonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-15734075692637986292012-01-31T22:33:10.894-08:002012-01-31T22:33:10.894-08:00I am with you on the 'if they encourage people...I am with you on the 'if they encourage people who buy girls girly toys to buy Lego then they are good' idea. I hadn't really looked at Lego in toy stores until this came up and I was actually a bit surprised just how limited the scope was. (But that might have been the toy store too).<br /><br />At our house we're still happily in Duplo world. Moo has actually recently gotten quite into her Duplo - she actually likes building enormous towers on top of the car bases. Oh and she built a dinosaur that said 'roar' to me the other day. I fear she got the idea for that from watching 'Peppa Pig' who has a little brother who loves dinosaurs... but who am I to complain if she can take watching a pig on tv carrying around a toy dinosaur and turn it into a duplo creation?Zenmoohttp://zenmaster.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-19591038105107833732012-01-31T21:28:01.420-08:002012-01-31T21:28:01.420-08:00@Alexicographer- but how many of those make sense ...@Alexicographer- but how many of those make sense as an activity for a kid? The premise of these sets is that the little figurines are girls in a a make-believe town. But I agree, they could add some more less stereotypically girl activities.<br /><br />I think the recent emphasis on sets over big buckets o'blocks (which you can still get, btw) is due to LEGO's desire to make more money! Although I'm sure some parents are steering kids that way, too.<br /><br />@mary d- it is good to hear that these are with the other LEGOs at the stores near you! I've only checked at our local Toys'R'Us (where we bought ours), and they were with the Star Wars sets up front- probably because they are new. It will be interesting to see where they end up.<br /><br />I wouldn't worry about the fact that your son likes to build to the model, rather than mixing and matching. I read that building to the model is really good for spatial skills. I don't think there is a right/wrong/good/bad way to play with LEGO, really.<br /><br />@Liz- don't even get me started on the supposedly female old style LEGO figurines. They mostly look like male figurines with bad wigs on to me! I have to agree with the girls in LEGO's market research- they are UGLY.<br /><br />@hush- thanks!<br /><br />@Nicolandmaggie- really! The uproar seems aimed at the wrong things, if you ask me. Be warned that the figurines in the Friends sets are a little bit taller than the regular ones. So if you get one, she'd be like a demi-god among the little yellow boxy figurines...<br /><br />@Laura - ;)<br /><br />@Anandi- she might get into them yet. Petunia is only recently really interested in Duplo, and she has an older sister to copy.<br /><br />@mom2boy- I feel your pain. To be honest, I think I'd hate the warrior crap onslaught more than I hate the princess crap onslaught. We're living in screwed up times.<br /><br />@the milliner- you might be able to find something like that at a LEGO store. I'll look next time we're at LEGOLand!Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-17847429279451543662012-01-31T20:33:58.308-08:002012-01-31T20:33:58.308-08:00I love Pumpkin's airplane/science lab/wheelbar...I love Pumpkin's airplane/science lab/wheelbarrow! This is when it gets exciting (for me)...seeing kids unrestrained in re-inventing to their own standards. Seeing DS do similar things is always a good reminder to me to challenge my own stereotypes and assumptions.<br /><br />ITA that it's hard to make toys out of most jobs. I think getting figurines of any kind right is a very difficult thing to do (and a very easy thing to do wrong). <br /><br />In looking at the girls kits, I think the majority of the themes would be interesting to DS. But I totally admit that I just don't dig the styling of the sets (and even of most boys' Lego sets too). When will Lego invent a build-your-own kit where you could mix and match specialty pieces with basic blocks in colors of your choice? Or perhaps it already exists?<br /><br />For now, DS hasn't shown too much interest in his set we got him for Xmas. But I think it's just a matter of time. He is, however, totally in love with a few Zolo building kits (zolo.com ...I think) I had saved for him and he is now big enough to play with.the millinernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-25786106205030222622012-01-31T17:05:54.692-08:002012-01-31T17:05:54.692-08:00Hmm, it interesting to see that the girl lego figu...Hmm, it interesting to see that the girl lego figure looks like a pretty girl and the boys all look like lego dudes. I can't imagine a boy is getting the message he needs to be a blockheaded yellow guy with no shape but the brown haired cutely dressed lego girl on the other hand.... And if you think kids don't notice details like that the blockhead guy from the lego set tonight had a "scared" face instead of the smile depicted on the box and Tate had a whole conversation with me about why, and trust me it wasn't me that noticed the difference. <br />That said I'd like the boy toys to come with less guns but you can only build so many emergency vehicles before star wars invades your home.mom2boyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00784436196685595115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-47201726478511947292012-01-31T13:04:00.781-08:002012-01-31T13:04:00.781-08:00Yay for Lego Server Room ;)
When I was a teenager...Yay for Lego Server Room ;)<br /><br />When I was a teenager there were also girl-themed lego sets. I remember a "pool party" sort of thing, and a house, etc. that had brighter colors and some pink. So this isn't that new and exciting, is it?<br /><br />No one is up in arms about the HK Megabloks because no one plays with Megabloks ;)<br /><br />I wish I could get my girl interested in Legos. She is not at all interested in the Duplos we bought for her. I'd rather have her play with "girl" sets than ignore Lego completely because I do think they are a GREAT learning toy.<br /><br />I do HATE HATE HATE the pink aisle at Target, though. For now all the Legos are together, and that makes me happy.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15212690454989568626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-12477160991624130662012-01-31T12:57:17.722-08:002012-01-31T12:57:17.722-08:00>>No one thinks that the pirate LEGO sets ar...>>No one thinks that the pirate LEGO sets are going to turn the kids who play with them into pirates.<<<br />I do! Ban them! Bwa ha ha.Laura Vanderkamhttp://www.lauravanderkam.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-60128972967451085562012-01-31T12:51:06.481-08:002012-01-31T12:51:06.481-08:00I still can't let lego off the hook, though. ...I still can't let lego off the hook, though. They're still perpetuating terrible stereotypes through their boys sets. The only female lego characters my son sees, unless we want to spend $100 or more on a set, are people like sexy cat-woman, slave Leia (though, to be fair, she also comes in a non-slave version at only 3x the price)... even the bar maids show cleavage. <br /><br />The girl sets may not be a problem, but the boy sets are still pretty shaky. <br /><br />I should probably get the invention set just to balance things out.nicoleandmaggiehttp://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-67921560706998104582012-01-31T12:38:31.929-08:002012-01-31T12:38:31.929-08:00"And I suspect I have one significant advanta..."And I suspect I have one significant advantage over a lot of the people who are up in arms about these sets: I have actually seen one." Love it! Yeah, I'm a big believer in actually going to see the proverbial movie before saying it's the devil. ;)hushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05532820460835325762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-83748742048923318162012-01-31T11:38:19.693-08:002012-01-31T11:38:19.693-08:00I haven't been following this Lego Friends sag...I haven't been following this Lego Friends saga but I liked your post and I would have LOVED these as a kid. My brother and I were obsessed with lego and most of our family's basement 'playroom' was turned into a giant Lego city for most of our childhood. From what I can remember my brother and I were equally into the building aspect as well as playing with the scenes once they were built.<br /><br />We did have some of the pink marketed-to-girls lego kits of the mid to late 80s, which were are jumbled in with the regular lego in the lego city. I distintly remember that the main thing I loved about the "girl" lego kits were that they came with girl lego figures that actually had "girl clothes and girl faces" (ie: pink shirts and pants on the body pieces and sometimes bright red lips on the head pieces). To me, this was so much more fun than just putting the "ponytail" hairpiece on the man figure and calling it a woman. I don't think this detracted from any of the skill sets that playing with Lego taught me.Liznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-2782986696560829922012-01-31T08:46:28.808-08:002012-01-31T08:46:28.808-08:00At Target and Walmart near my house, these Legos a...At Target and Walmart near my house, these Legos are in the same aisle as the other Legos, just at the other end of the aisle. My husband bought me the inventor workshop (what?) but my 5yo boy has no interest in it. He's really into Star Wars legos right now and is more interested in "building the models", following the directions. We need to fix this and get him a big ol' bin of plain Legos, stat.mary dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-40240367670387500462012-01-31T07:19:58.777-08:002012-01-31T07:19:58.777-08:00Interesting. We haven't bought into Legos yet...Interesting. We haven't bought into Legos yet (we do have some of the larger parts -- the duplos and whatever the 4* are called), though my mother recently assured me to my delight that she has all my childhood lego in her attic. Yay! Musing on your earlier post I had been wondering (not just about legos) about whether this propensity of toy makers to build kits reflects an adult (parental) desire to impose order on childrens' play, because good heavens my son's lacks it, but I am relieved to see from the airplane/science lab/wheelbarrow that the kids are thwarting our efforts in this realm.<br /><br />Workplaces ... well, firestation, wood shop, auto mechanic, police department, airport, bank, car dealership, train station, hospital, school? Some of those may exist but as "boy" kits?Alexicographerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06029216139568740202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-52332258651411056912012-01-31T07:00:15.291-08:002012-01-31T07:00:15.291-08:00@Parisienne- Pumpkin got her first "little le...@Parisienne- Pumpkin got her first "little lego" set this year, because Petunia is finally old enough not to try to eat them!<br /><br />@Nicoleandmaggie- seriously. I went on Amazon looking for a Princess to order to go with our castle, and unless I was willing to spend $25 on one figurine, my choices were slim. I decided not to do it, guessing that she'd repurpose "Olivia" the inventor.<br /><br />@feMOMhist- ah well. Despite what my husband thinks, I guess not everyone can love LEGO!<br /><br />@Sonia- I read somewhere that the big retailers were actually the ones dictating the placement of the new sets. But of course I can't find my source now! But I agree, I'd much rather they keep all the LEGO together.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-63966129526141806742012-01-31T04:50:28.153-08:002012-01-31T04:50:28.153-08:00I know I said this in your other post, but I thoug...I know I said this in your other post, but I thought I'd say it again here. I showed my boys pictures of these sets on the Lego website, and they were very impressed. I didn't tell them they were "for girls" and the pink did give my older one (just about 8) pause, but I think all the specialty pieces (who doesn't like cupcakes?!) were very appealing. We have more Legos than I know what to do with here (although my boys keep a running tally in their heads at all times, apparently), and I would not hesitate to buy any of these sets to add to our collection.<br /><br />My only hesitation is that they are shelved in the "girl" sections of toy stores. Obviously, I could buy them online and that wouldn't be an issue. But my 8 year old is becoming very conscious of gender, and I think knowing that these are supposed to be for girls would discourage him. My 4 year old wouldn't care (he loves his dollies). I understand Lego's reasoning -- put the toys where parents of girls are more likely to shop, and they will be that much more appealing. I suppose my issue is not so much with Lego as with the notion that we have to segregate kids into boys/girls at such a young age, but that is a huge topic to tackle.Sonianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-38785605018761039962012-01-31T03:46:21.013-08:002012-01-31T03:46:21.013-08:00this weekend at Target I stumbled across these odd...this weekend at Target I stumbled across these odd lego sets in the pink section that were in small boxes hanging up on pegs. Small girl was not interested, much to my sadnessfeMOMhisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192104351023271207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-2245604234421510392012-01-31T00:46:45.727-08:002012-01-31T00:46:45.727-08:00The inventor girl probably makes a much better pri...The inventor girl probably makes a much better princess than catwoman would have!nicoleandmaggiehttp://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-40518487361717257162012-01-31T00:22:18.775-08:002012-01-31T00:22:18.775-08:00We love Lego beyond all reason at our house. Le P...We love Lego beyond all reason at our house. Le Petit still mostly plays with Duplo at home because the Duplo blocks can stay in bins (or a big heap) in one corner of the living room, whereas the smaller bricks are a choking hazard that can't fall into the hands of Mademoiselle. As a result, most of the small Legos he has have been repatriated to Grandma and Grandpa's house, where he spends a couple hours each day after school. <br /><br />They've been combined with the Legos preciously conserved from my husband's childhood, many of which are from a "storybook" themed playset called "Fabuland." It no longer exists in stores, and may never have been marketed in the US. It has animal figurines, gingerbread-like and very versatile house components, and some short paper books featuring the characters. The whole thing is charming, and clearly a 1970s attempt to be gender-neutral: no pink or gray, just bright red, yellow, and blue. It says something, though, that it no longer is produced by Lego: I don't think it would sell today. <br /><br />Anyway, I agree with everything you said. I love that Pumpkin found a princess for her castle. I, personally, would be tickled to have a Lego server room playset, but I'm probably in the minority here.<br /><br />(Speaking of which, le Petit has started asking me "What did you do at work today, Mommy?" and I struggle to find interesting ways to describe my job to a preschooler. "Mommy drew pretty pictures on the screen of a computer!" only goes so far.)Parisienne Mais Presquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11738349799871162562noreply@blogger.com