By SARAH NORTON
Well, well, well – It seems LEGO was at the forefront of gender equality in the 70s. And yes, you read that correctly, the 1970s.
it almost makes stepping on all those painful little pieces of plastic your kids haven’t put away in the middle of the night worth it, right?
This letter to parents written on a pamphlet in a LEGO set from 1974 is proof. The letter has been making its way around the internet since it was first posted by Reddit user fryd_ yesterday. He said he found the letter with his niece and nephew while at their grandma’s house.
The letter reads:
The legitimacy of the letter is being questioned by critics though. Some people are sceptical about the typeface used and the logo’s authenticity. But both the font and the logo seem a perfect match to the famous 1980’s LEGO advertising series, where boys and girls were the face of the brand.
There is also a German version of the letter that is almost identical to this one when translated in to English, which provides further proof.
But sadly, LEGO has taken a few steps backward in portraying gender groups in recent years. Why girls can’t build aeroplanes and trucks today (if they could in the 70s and 80s) is beyond us. The recent Lego Friends range implies that girls will play with LEGO – only if it’s pink and painted in flowers and love hearts. Like this image shows:
The Lego ‘Friends’ range on the left, compared to the traditional Lego on the right.We think LEGO had it right in the 70s- taking the lead on gender equality. Hopefully they fulfil the role again, and show us that girls can construct and build just as well as boys.
What do you think of LEGO’s letter to parents? Do you think that Lego should appeal equally to boys and girls?
Top Comments
Our daughter has Lego Friends but I have to say it is more about the little bits and pieces that come with the lego as accessories rather than the colour. We still use the bricks to make all sorts of things, but she loves to put the accessories with it and play with it in a similar way to a dollhouse. I just purchased the Safari set for Christmas which is really cool.
She isn't all about shops and purses, she just likes to play with what she likes and that can include horses eating at the table with the family while having a purse as an accessory! I really believe that the gender issue can only hold strong when we condone it in our own homes. Maybe we need to encourage our kids to choose for themselves rather than push equality or say this toy is for this sex etc.
Companies can create what they perceive to be gender based products but they only become that when we encourage our kids to follow suit.
I just buy it for my son anyway,the friends range has awesome horse stables etc & we love horses. By the time he destroys what it's meant to be & starts 'master building' it's all mixed up anyway with the lego city blocks anyway.
I hate the figurines though, I don't like how they are not blocky; how is the 'city' folk meant to hang out with the 'friend' girls when the girls are double their size? ;)