I went into this whole grandparent thing totally innocent in the ways of Lego. Now they are my favorite toy. I look forward to playing with them.
I am happy to report Lego has a new line in pastel colors targeted for girls! Yes, at first it did seem a little creepy and sexist to me. Then I remembered social change cannot always take the straight and narrow path. Sometimes being subversive is the best choice.
If issuing these building bricks in pastels make parents feel it is okay to buy Legos for their daughters, or entices froufrou girls to play with them, then I approve. Plus, I actually prefer the pastel colors. As a former froufrou girl, let me say I wish I had developed fine motor skills and increased my concentration early on by playing with pink Legos.
If girls have their own private stash and are willing to share, all those Legos will eventually become community (i.e., sibling) property, regardless of gender. Their brothers will finally have access to the right bricks for making pink and lavender trucks. Pink and lavender trucks? Maybe with black bricks added for dramatic highlights and definition? I'm in!
Why only use Legos to combat sexism? You know how intricate coloring books for adults are now the therapeutic rage? Well, I am sure playing with Legos is way more fun than coloring inside the lines, and equally relaxing. Lego should offer adult kits with colors like silver, gold, zebra stripes, leopard spots, you name it. One could design Lego furniture, for crying out loud. Playing with Legos could become the next trendy thing. It beats the hell out of drinking yourself into a stupor and/or watching TV. I have to confess that I am no longer sure if I am kidding or serious (yikes!). Wait a minute... Nah, I'm almost positive I'm kidding.
I live near the Orlando theme parks. In this strange land of wildly expensive entertainment destinations there is, of course, a park called Legoland. Another place called Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney - a huge shopping district on Disney property) is also a Lego-lover hot spot. Disney Springs has a sizable Lego store with some amazingly large "sculptures" outside, including this sea serpent. I wonder if they sell it as a kit? I also wonder how much it would cost, and if it comes in mauve?
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When we were kids there was only red and white Lego (Denmark colours) and we had lots of it. Then they added blue roof bricks and yellow wheels. We usually built massive towers.
ReplyDeleteI got my first driving license when I was 10, driving a Lego car in Billund, where the original Legoland is. I still have it.
Nice! A Lego car? N would go wild to ride on such a thing. Well, I guess Billund is now added to my bucket list.
DeleteAdult Lego exists. It's used by many designers and engineers. Very cool design. When I was last in Billund (1994) there was an entire hall with adult Lego where you could design and experiment.
DeleteThat's great! What fun.
DeleteMy girls played with Legos when they were young, although I may have bought them for their brother. Legos is a wonderful toy and I am glad they are making them in frufru colors. It is all about marketing and if it encourages girls to dream more dreams, it is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it IS all about marketing in this country. I guess we need to learn to use that to our advantage and subvert the darn system to make this a better world for our children and grandchildren. As always, I appreciate your comments.
DeleteI haven't been involves with Legos since childhood. I sat on the floor with my brothers, adding to the construction, with our huge collection. My parents bought few toys for us, but Legos and Erector set kits were high on their list.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I've never played with an Erector set. May have to get one for N and keep it here at my house. We have Tinker Toys, too. Life is good.
DeleteOh my. I cannot believe you have not had thousands of those building blocks. They are so much fun to step on in the middle of the night too.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Too true. I confess that I had a childhood deprived of Legos, but I'm making up for it in my second childhood.
DeleteThe artist in me appreciates the additional colors regardless of the marketing intent. It is incumbent on us to unspin the narrative of gender specific toys (and colors). We had lincoln logs growing up. I loved them. My kids had a few legos but were interested in other forms of play and creativity.
ReplyDeleteI hear you Middle Girl! Let's do it. Let's hang on to our artistic sensibility and let the repressive marketing BS fall by the wayside. I'm trying to learn from the whole "nasty woman" narrative and start to reclaim ALL good things regardless of how they were originally marketed or intended. Pink and lavender are only two of those reclaimed beauties. As my girl Hillary once said, when there are no ceilings, the sky is the limit.
DeleteLincoln Logs... I want some.
DeleteHere. Here.
DeleteI want some again. ;-)
A lot of my kids toys were given away. Lego? You just don't give it away. You save it for grandchildren. And leave it for your kids to step on in the night!
ReplyDeleteExcellent point!
DeleteYou know how my shell sculptures go .... If I had Legos I would never get anything done. I am NOT a primary colors girl. My art teacher in high school said, in a derogatory way..."Livy, you are stuck in pastels!" It shamed me for a moment and then I painted something pastel.
ReplyDeleteI take you as 100% serious, I can tell you are in love with them...
Thanks for seeing the real me, sometimes I try to hide. :) I'm so glad you stayed with the colors that appealed to you and remained true to yourself.
DeleteOur three boys loved legos so when the grandkids came along we were prepared! That dragon at Disney World is amazing --- I can picture him in pink....
ReplyDeleteToys that stick around for a couple generations to play with must develop magical qualities. I'm glad you kept yours. Yes, I think the dragon would look fabulous in pink.
DeleteThought you'd like to read these toy recommendations for you and the grandkids. Tricia is a materials engineer who is dyslexic, who specializes in the manufacture of 17th Century reproduction threads (it astounds me just what stitchers had to play with in the time of Queen Elizabeth 1 that we've never heard of!) . who teaches complex courses on how to make 17th Century stumpwork caskets and mirror frames, and who less her kids and the neighbor kids in the Lego First competitions. Did I mention her kids are dyslexic, too? http://thistle-threads.blogspot.com/2016/12/need-christmas-help-for-your-little.html
ReplyDeleteWow! Great stuff.
DeleteLegos are great. And I love your idea of adult Lego kits I think they would really do well. For whatever reason I have a daughter who played with both girl and boy things to Great extent. She had many Lego kits at train set and so on. Also many many dolls, balls, stuffed animals and pretty much everything a child can play with which she did. I read excruciatingly boring to me train books to her. Which drove me nuts. I also read books about kids around the world and told her stories which I made up as we went along. The one thing you didn't mention here with Legos is stepping on them! Have you discovered some genius way to avoid that? Because I certainly didn't. There is nothing more painful and nightmarishly surprising than stepping on a Lego in the dark on your way to the bathroom, smile.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had the stepping on them in the dark experience yet, but others have mentioned it as well. They are so small, it's easy to miss one...
DeleteI do love the sea dragon.
ReplyDeleteAnd the idea of Legos for adults. I have the coloring book:)
Well, after all this I may have to get an adult coloring book. They are really beautiful, intricate, and must be fun. Do you use colored pencils?
DeleteI've never played with Legos, but you really make me want to. I may have to buy some for the grandkids and go sit on the floor and play a while. Sounds like great creative fun!
ReplyDeleteOh they really are super fun. Like you, I didn't play with them when I was a kid. Now I'm making up for lost time. There are two ways to approach them, either following directions from a kit (good practice for following directions) and free play, which is very creative. Both ways of playing are good and teach us things.
DeleteI wish I could share your enthusiasm for Legos but I personally Hate them... yes, I know it's a strong word... but after two generations of raising children and stepping on the forgotten Lego camouflaged in the Persian Rugs I've donated more of these dreadful things than I've bought... tho' certainly every gen of kiddo adores them so it's a futile effort on my part to banish them from the Kingdom. *winks* The Creativity part of it is expressive and amazing tho' I have to confess, if only they could make them not so much in various colors, but softer to the bare foot?! *winks* Dawn... The Bohemian
ReplyDeleteIf I was raising my grandkids (instead of just entertaining them) I might feel as you do. You are entitled!
DeleteHa ha ha... yeah, it is different when you can't send them Home with all their playthings and in your Senior Years your Home still looks like Legoland! *LOL* Dawn... The Bohemian
DeleteWe visited Disney Springs for the first time last Sunday (that bitterly cold day, yeah ... awesome!). Saw the sea serpent and loved it! We didn't spend much time there and fully intend to return. Would love to meet up with you there! Keep you posted on our travels your way! Love you!
ReplyDeleteThat would be great. Please note I could meet you at any of the Disney parks. Yes, I have an annual pass. Let's pretend it is because of the grandchildren.
DeleteWe don't have passes for Disney, but rather Universal. Otherwise, we could meet you somewhere other than Disney Springs! :) And we have neither children, nor grandchildren ... we wanted to be able to enjoy the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Diagon Alley on a whim!
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