More Science Toys for Boys--Lego style
Dear friends of women in science,
Earlier, we discussed the science kits that Edmunds had marketed to boys and how they renamed them due to protests. I ran across a blog by Daniel Sinker of Mozilla talking about how toys had changed. He bemoaned the few Lego ads with girls today, although people talk about playing with Legos as a gateway to science. He said his son's friends who are girls say they "used to play with Legos" that they are only for tomboys.
Then he cited an NPR story about new toys Lego hopes to use to build market among girls. He quoted the story as follows, "The new Lego girl minifigures have names like Stephanie, Olivia, and Emma, and the building sets include a veterinary clinic, a hairdressing salon, a horse academy and a clinic." The mini-figure he shows is an obvious girl dressed in pink. I recall the unisex figures Lego used to give in its kits as being quite different. He feels that this is a poor direction and will keep girls from exploring the "I can make anything" approach that many of us recall Lego had once long ago.
What do you think? Is it better to get girls to play with Legos however they can, and then lure them into science-oriented liberties of imagination, or should they try a less "pink" approach?
cheers,
Laura
Hi Natalia, Marian for Math, and hmcbride,
I agree! No problem with pink, but giving girls a kit with almost no scope for creativity is not helpful at all, in fact it could be counterproductive. Helen, I love the fact that your son wants ALL the colors!
cheers,
Laura
I think Marian is right that pink didn't hurt anything, although if you read "Cinderella Ate My Daughter" by Peggy Orenstein you might think differently:)
I don't like the new girly Lego sets for the reason the other posters have described---you can't build much of anything with them!
But having purple and pink Legos around is great if girls will be drawn there. I have to say my son loves Legos and is upset that the ones we have at home don't have those colors whilst the ones at school do..he has an aesthetic sensibility that one and each block is chosen very carefully in his designs!
Hi Laura,
My daughter would have loved the pink colors. If they added satin and feathers she would have loved it more. I would have rejected both -- I was the proverbial tomboy.
My daughter played with the Legos as they were 20 years ago. She has remarkable spatial perception and I think Legos played to her strengths. Pink would have been an extra draw.
I'd like to see some of this and some of that; whatever works. Pink Legos don't harm anyone and if they help draw another girl in, so much the better. I'm happy to see something beyond war applications, which tend to turn girls off.
Marian
P.S. My son would never play with Legos of any shape or color.
Hi Laura,
I used to play with Lego as a child and I remember a similar idea with a pink series aimed at girls. I remember loving it when I've seen the adds but then getting quickly bored and going back to regular Lego as the "pink" series was very limited in its construction abilities. I took a look at Lego website and the new series seems to have similar limitations. I think introducing more "girly" figures might be a good idea to get girls interested, but the sets should have as much versatility to keep them interested.
Hi Laura,
It's hard to know. I really liked those unisex figures Lego used to use, but I sort of like the girl with the workers' hands in the article you linked also! Makes it look like you don't have to give up looking girly to be smart, you know what I mean? I think part of the reason some girls emphasize "men, men, men" when they should decide to major in math or science is the thought that they can't look attractive and still do science. But that's wrong! Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth.
SR
Hello Michelle and Elinor,
I think I really would have to ask some girls; a lot might feel like Michelle. Although I think you're right Elinor about the need for vigilance now re women's rights and privileges we take for granted, which seem to be eroding right and left.
cheers,
Laura
Hi Laura,
I like them. I guess I was never really a tomboy, although people thought it was strange that I was good at math. So I would have enjoyed having more people-like figures that looked more like I thought I looked. And then I would have used the Legos to make off-road vehicles, fans, windmills, stuff like that.
MKS
Hi Laura,
I think the politicos on the right are more and more hostile to women, so it's not surprising that business is cropping up with this attitude too. It's good that they WANT to market to girls (unlike Dr. Pepper's ads) but I don't like the approach. I think they should just show girls in their ads playing with the "real" Legos.
