Hello, Lego Team! I'd love to hear your views

Aaargh... I have a thousand things to do other than blogging this morning. I want to leave that "Alcohol" post as my top post because I've had lots of comments and they're all really interesting. But... I just have to post this. I'm all riled up.

[PLEASE, if you read the "Alcohol" post and have something to say, leave a comment, even if it looks like it's Iota's yesterday's news. I am really interested.]

I've been approached by a PR company (which makes me sound like one of those proper bloggers who get approached all the time, so I thought I'd just draw attention to that fact). I will share with you her email and my reply, and let them speak for themselves. And once you've read them, you can read another post here which puts it well.

Hi

I hope you are well

We are keen to get in touch to invite you to a special event on the morning of Friday 10th February to showcase the new LEGO Friends range.

Please join us between 9am-12pm for morning tea at The Spatisserie at The Dorchester Hotel where you will have access to our fantastic new range and the opportunity to meet the LEGO team and have all your questions answered.

Please see our invite below for further information and please let us know if you would like to attend asap as space is limited .

It would be great to see you there.

Best Wishes

A

And I replied:

Hi A

I would love to join you, but unfortunately I live in the US, so won't be able to.

Did you know that Lego has received 45,000 letters from parents, regretting that they are targeting girls in a way that reinforces stereotypes? The "Friends" range gives the idea that girlhood is about shopping and beauty. I lament the days when Lego promoted their blocks as if girls and boys could both enjoy them as equals. If you had a daughter, which would you rather she did? Played with a Lego set which gave her the message that she could build and explore just like a boy? Or played with a Lego set which gave her the message that if she wants to build and explore, it had better be in pink or purple, and it had better be about spas and pedicures? Imaginative play encourages children to think for themselves, and be creative, and dream. It seems to me a shame that girls are sent the message that their dreams take place within such limited parameters.

I would absolutely love to meet the Lego team and talk to them. Since I can't be there in person, if you saw fit to give one of them a copy of my email, I would be really interested to hear their reply. I understand that they are in the business of selling toys, not of broadening the horizons of girls, but I would like to give them the opportunity at least to pause and think about this issue.

I have been planning to do a blog post about the Lego "Friends" range. It seems courteous to give the Lego team an opportunity to give me their views before I do so.

I am attaching three photos of Lego sets in days gone by. Have a look at them alongside the packaging of Lego "Friends", and tell me which you think sends a more positive message to girls. I know I'm not alone in my opinions. 45,000 other parents feel the same (and if that figure is wrong, then I'm glad to give the Lego team an opportunity to correct me).

Best wishes

Iota

[Postscript: I was wrong about Lego having received 45,000 letters - I thought that sounded unlikely. That figure comes from a petition to Lego, which you can find here. I was the 51,968th signatory, so the number is going up. Don't you love it when the internet gives you a voice?]