Do these Change.org nitwits have any actual power to affect Lego's sales, or can the company flip them off (figuratively, of course) with impunity?

Products are designed and sales pitches are tailored to a specific market, period.

It's no different than attempting to goose sales of an Easy Bake Oven by aiming it at boys and calling it an Extreme Sizzlin' Snack Machine or something. And it certainly doesn't keep anyone from buying "regular" Legos for girls (or the decorative Legos for boys).

And I think it's a far more dangerous stereotype to assume kids can't figure this out themselves.

REALLY, REALLY. For the love of God, they're Legos. We aren't talking about changing the Interpersonal Dynamics of Humans, they are little bits of plastic that you put together for fun.

Can we get a reality break in here sometime in the near future. Some people take themselves and there supposed causes far to seriously.

Feminists are silly, stupid, well meaning people, dangerous only because other well meaning people listen to them.

If more people ignored them, we'd all be better off, including them.

If you want gender-neutral toys for your kids, then buy gender-neutral toys for your kids. What's the problem (a) and (b) why is it any of their business if companies also produce non-neutral toys?

We have two boys, and gave them their choices of toys when they were small. One of them really liked stuffed animals - today, as a teenager, he still has a room full of them. Beyond that, they chose building, fighting, and all the other stereotypical male things.

The point is: let kids choose what they want. Why should these idiots be all upset because lots of kids want what is typical for their gender? Anyway, shouldn't they be applauding Lego for interesting girls in building stuff?

Idiots...

Feminists are silly, stupid, well meaning people,

Congrats, you got 3 out of 4 right. They're silly, stupid and people — but well-meaning they're not. They're actually a pack of vicious, misandrist bigots.

The problem with a lot of these groups is that they are trying to deny reality. And then when people blow off the group's statements have to find "controversy" to continue their existence.

Unfortunately the left leaning media doesn't have a clue what to ask.

As pointed out here, boys and girls are different. let's not blur their differences by forcing everything to be gender neutral.

When I say well meaning, I mean they see themselves that way. Nobody is the villain in their own story. Its what makes good intentions so very dangerous, because those with good intentions may do horrific and vile things, with the permission of their own conscience.

I got my first Lego set for Christmas about 1970, and even today, my favorite shop in the Big Mall is the Lego Store (even if I don't buy anything in there).

But the thing about Legos is that you can build almost anything with them, so even if you buy the castle set or the Death Star set, you can use the pieces to build other things. And at the Lego Store, you can buy different types of Legos by the pound to fill in any gaps in your current collection. Finally, if you're worried about gender stereoptypes, why not pull off the Lego Princess' head and stick it on the body of an armored knight? You can do that, you know. You can have her hold a battleaxe or a light saber, too.

Genderists, Creationists, both pretty much "anti-science."

Although female involvement in the shooting sports is skyrocketing, so "girls" do like to play with guns; it is interesting that their guns, when customized, are more likely to be in bright colors, including pink. I did a double take the first time I saw a pink camo scheme on an AR-15. They often dress like a girl at first, but they tend to learn quickly that wearing a scoop neck isn't a good idea after they get their first piece of hot 5.56 brass down their front. In other words even when they enter a "man's" world they still want to be "girls." By the way, guys think girls that play with guns are sexy, at least this guy does.

I will note, Genderists are going to get people killed, by gender norming physical standards for Rangers, Special Forces, Marines, et al. Also, unsurprisingly, there is a definite warrior culture that is not conducive political correctness. And, I would argue that warrior culture is just as important to survival in that world as physical standards.

Interestingly, I am against most of what Lego puts out these days. It's too creativity damaging. So many of the pieces are "specialty" pieces that don't let you do much in the way of building things other than the particular thing on the package. It seems to get worse every year in that regard. My kids enjoy the big buckets of (30-odd year old) LEGOs to the kits they buy. If I'm buying LEGOs, it's going to be from a LEGO store and I"m going to "buy bulk" with the tubs you get to fill with whatever pieces you want.

That said, we have one "Friends" set that was a present and my daughter did seem to like it... but once it was taken apart, we had all these weird pieces that couldn't be put together in many sensible ways outside of the patio or whatever it was. Lots of pieces that are supposed to be tree leaves, etc. Hardly any "normal" pieces. Maybe 5.

Why, for instance, hasn't LEGO made a set of doll-house rooms that can be mixed and matched? You'd get lots of the standard pieces, but also lots of girly things. A 4-poster bed, a kitchen, etc. You could even have a man-cave room.

As far as I'm concerned, my son and daughter both need to be able to cook at least 3 different dishes (they can be very simple), do their own laundry, hammer a nail, and safely use a drill before they go to college. I'll probably make sure they can change a tire too.

The era of early marriage is over, so both boys and girls will need to take care of themselves in all arenas - at least with some basic ability.

Most people blame the economy on the high percentage of 20-somethings living with their parents. I think that's part... and the inability to do these things is the other part.

"The LEGO Friends concept development spanned four years and included more than 3500 girls and their mothers around the world to understand what girls who have previously not been attracted to LEGO play, would expect from a construction toy"

http://aboutus.lego.com/en-us/news-room/2013/february/lego-friends-doubled-expectations-for-sales-in-2012

I wonder how many actual little girls the outraged Womyn consulted with before they went on the warpath.

When I was a kid I LOVED castle legos but hated that it didn't come with female figures. I feel like they could have saved a lot of money and just added some gilded furniture and princess to the current lines and done just as well.

RPM wrote

"Finally, if you're worried about gender stereoptypes, why not pull off the Lego Princess' head and stick it on the body of an armored knight? You can do that, you know. You can have her hold a battleaxe or a light saber, too. "

No, you can't, they aren't the same scale as the boy lego toys. There's no way to combine them unless you decide that the girl legos are giants or something.

That's my biggest beef with the lineup. I don't mind frilly princess packs, but I do mind that boys and girls can't play together, the way they can with Playmobil or Duplo.

@NicoleK: "No, you can't, they aren't the same scale as the boy lego toys. There's no way to combine them unless you decide that the girl legos are giants or something."

What!?!? Now, that's just wrong. Interchangeability was the best thing about Legos.

My girls' father had Legos all his life, and my girls followed suit. I got them whatever Lego kits they asked for, within reason, as did their father. The only thing I didn't like about them was finding them with my feet in the dark on their bedroom floor!

They played with those damn things for HOURS. They had all kinds of fun and built all kinds of things! If their Legos were supposed to be gender-specific, I don't think #1 and #2 knew it. Or even cared.

Interestingly, I am against most of what Lego puts out these days. It's too creativity damaging.

I agree. Now, I remember I had a really complicated castle kit when I was kid that I LOVED, but I never followed the instructions -- I enhanced it with the buckets of basic legos my parents got me in bulk.

As others have mentioned, nothing is forcing parents to buy the Friends line of legos. If I had a kid, I probably wouldn't buy them (unless the kid specifically asked for their bday or something) because, from what I've seen on the website, the Friends kits look stupid and boring as hell.

And what's the point of buying toys for your kids that YOU don't want to play with after they go to bed?

I LOVED Legos when I was a kid. Then again, I was a total tomboy and would have hated anything pink or purple.

Still, if the kids want them, I see no point in not letting them play with them.

Kevin; yea, it might still be an easy bake oven; but, boy, I sure do want that "Extreme Sizzlin' Snack Machine"!

Where can I buy one?

Oh wait!

I know, I'll build one out of Legos. Hmm, now where can I buy a 100-watt incandescent bulb for the heating element?

"Before I had kids, I has 10 different theories on raising them, now I have 10 kids and no theories." Can't remeber who, but was in a book called love, sunrise and elevated apes. Kina a picture book for adults ;)

Anyhow. In truth they have full minifig scaled cities with anything you could want... and full of women figures if that's what you want. I dunno what the gender nazis find repugnant about that, but I'm sure they do.

Previously lego had a girl system called Belville, that had interchangeability with the regular systems. But, not only didn't it please the gender poeple, I think it didn't sell well to it's demo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belville_%28Lego%29

In any case, my response is this to the screeching people.

Fine, maybe lego should just abandon trying to do this altogether, and concentrate on the customers that use it best. It could be done, and then the drahmah!!!!!!!111111 would end, except for the people who criticize, 'cuz lego doesn't pay attention to them.

OI!.

'ya know the lego systems called City, with houses and stores, and everydamn thing, STILL didn't appeal to girls, and THAT is why they brought out the special friends one. AND tailored it to what girls wanted... and thanks, now FOAD! is what lego gets, because you can't please these people.

Stupid adults have the problem. They should just leave them kids alone.

I buy the Duplo kind for my kids since the oldest is not quite 3. I was excited to see the Friends collections, but then disappointed when I realized they didn't interchange with the normal Legos. I see in the Duplo collections they now have Disney Princess sets along with some other Disney collections and some totally neutral sets like circus. I let my two oldest (19 months and almost 3) pick their own toys. The oldest picks cars and kitchen/cooking stuff. He also has a few stuffed animals he pretends to cook for. He also picks books and wooden puzzles. My middle child mainly picks stuffed animals, planes, and balls. He's a bit young to have acquired a lot of interests yet. We try to let my 7-month-old pick her toys by giving her choices between a couple things and seeing which one she tries to play with more. When given a choice of identical toys except the color scheme she always picks the girly pink ones. She also loves her brothers' Go Go Smart Wheels cars that talk and play music. She hasn't figured out exactly how to play with them, but always reaches for them and gets all excited when they light up and talk.

Lego Friends are seriously awesome. They do work with regular legos, or at least the bricks do. The more detailed, larger minifigs don't do as well, but my girls have made it work.

Feminist (TM) blogs have been outrageously outraged over Lego Friends but champion GoldieBlox, a crowd-funded company that was supposed to be a non-sexist engineering toy for girls (no, I don't get how that concept is any different from Lego Friends and Barbie/Hello Kitty Mega Blocks). Surprise, Goldie Blox is a huge flop. The toy I've seen of it (a spinning wheel thingy) is about the lamest excuse for an engineering toy---girl, boy, or otherwise---that can be imagined. Meanwhile, my daughters have built a mansion with a real working elevator (that was Barbie Mega Blocks rather than Lego Friends, but same concept), jet skis, cars, an invention lab, and dozens of "off-label" creations. They love it.

Martin: "I wonder how many actual little girls the outraged Womyn consulted with before they went on the warpath."

I think Womyn seem to hate girls as much as they hate boys. They sure seem to hate anything intended specifically for the enjoyment of girls.

My parents got me (a girl) several Lego sets in the '80s. They were all pretty generic house-and-car building sets. There were a lot more male figures than female figures, but I don't remember dwelling on that.

I'm just pissed they didn't have these domestic "girly" Legos when I was a kid. I think it's GREAT that the company has diversified.

My mother, in her late 70's, has more Legos than anyone I've ever known. She has boxes and boxes full of them, and can build all kinds of wonderful things. Her great-grandchildren think she's awesome.

Feminists are silly, stupid, well meaning people

There is not a more dangerous person than one who is well meaning but silly and stupid.

And I'm not so sure they're all that well meaning.

Nobody is the villain in their own story.

Oh? check the nom de net...

I'll probably make sure they can change a tire too.

That would be wise. I came across a pair of coeds on my way back from lunch about 20 years ago, and they didn't have the first clue. They couldn't get the change done and asked for my help.

They'd jacked the car up first before trying to loosen the lug nuts.

So I had them put it back down. They tried to get the lug nuts loosened, but couldn't since some nimrod had put them on with an air hammer. I was able to stand on the iron and eventually got them loosened. After that, I told them what they needed to do, and they did it. I stayed until they'd completed the task.

I'm not picking on them, no one ever showed them how. More recently, I had a coworker who didn't know how to change a tire and did the same thing the two young ladies had done. To make matters worse, he had spent a stint in the Army.

Oh, and he was changing a young lady's tire, I'm assuming here, to win her favor.

I can also drive a stick, so I teach you how to do that. Or you can just listen to Click & Clack's advice, it's pretty good.

The problem is obvious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_pReTcnLHk

I frickin' hate these people! Why can't they just go to some island where they can build their dystopian paradise and leave the rest of us alone?!?

"Feminists are silly, stupid, well meaning people"

The fact that they sleep soundly at night, reassured in their narcissistic belief that they are in the moral right on every issue, does not qualify them as "well meaning".

"Why can't they just go to some island where they can build their dystopian paradise and leave the rest of us alone?!?"

Because forcing us to live in their dystopian paradise (which they themselves will be exempt from) is what gets their rocks off. What pretty girls, good booze, hot music, and fast cars are to us, bossing people around is to them. It's what they live for.

A little critical thinking would work wonders here, folks. Every single post here took the article seriously. However, the proper thing to do would be to first find out about this so-called war. I was curious, so I did an Internet search. The only thing that comes up by searching "anti-Lego" or "war against Legos" is more repostings of this article. Apparently, the writer, Charlotte Allen, makes a living by creating fictional (or perhaps so minor as to be nearly nonexistent) issues that people will get worked up about. Notice also the complete lack of source citation. This should have been a clue that the article is about nothing.