Lego is having the best year ever and it's all because girls want to pretend-shop, beautify, and pet puppies during playtime: the company said today that its sales soared 25 percent last year thanks in part to its new "Lego Friends" series of very pink and girly building blocks. We covered the Lego Friends controversy at length last year: why would Lego patronize girls by creating what pop culture critic Anita Sarkeesian called the "pastel-colored, gender-segregated, stereotypically female suburban paradise" of Heartlake City, complete with a "Butterfly Beauty Shop" and a "Fashion Designer Workshop?" Advocacy group SPARK sent an open letter to Lego accusing the company of a "lack of faith… in girls' skills and interests." But despite all the outrage, Lego Friends launched as planned, and it sold and sold and sold. So now Lego is all "Fuck you haters, gender stereotypes are real." (In more profesh terms: "on revenue of 23.4 billion kroner ($4.2 billion) its net profits grew 38 percent, to 5.6 billion kroner ($1 billion).")
We could debate whether the toys are selling so well because parents are used to hitting up gender-specific toy store aisles, or because we've normalized gendered concepts of play, but at the end of the day, the numbers speak for themselves and we can't expect Lego to back away from what is now a very tried-and-true way to make a major profit.I'm frustrated that girls get Butterfly Beauty Shops while boys get to explore jungles and planets, but I think there are more pressing feminist issues to focus on. (Just one example from today's news: paid sick leave.) I spent hours playing with super-girly toys as a kid: Barbies, Polly Pockets, doll houses, etc. I liked detailed miniatures because they were the best toys for elaborate story-making. Lego researchers said last year that girls wanted detail for exactly that reason; girls told them that they wanted "to shrink down and be there." I didn't grow up upset that I looked nothing like Barbie; I don't remember ever even considering her appearance at all.
I was too concerned with devising plots about who was secretly sleeping with the Ken doll that looked like Aladdin and who would get cast as Hodel in my upcoming doll production of Fiddler on the Roof. (So much backstage drama, let me tell you.) I don't write about reproductive rights and rape culture because of the toys I played with, but because I grew up with strong role models who encouraged me to assert myself, speak my mind, and spend hours away from the TV using my imagination (and getting extremely frustrated about how my Barbie's shoes would never stay on.)I'm glad advocacy groups spoke up when Girly Legos launched because the controversy fostered important discussion about sexist advertising and gendered play. But since it looks like Lego Friends are here for good, let's stop picketing Heartlake City. Instead, we can promote alternative toys whenever possible and focus on the greater message we should be sending girls (and boys): the world will try to tell you otherwise, but you deserve equal treatment and you can be whatever you want to be.
Same day deliveryOnly £3.957 days a weekCollect for free in as little as 60 secWe'll hold your item for 7 daysLarge item delivery from next day7 days a weekLEGO617/4930)LEGO£8.99Credit options available find out moreCheck stockTell us where you are to check stock:123456789Add to TrolleyAbout this productGet busy baking with Stephanie cupcakes are her specialty, and she and her cute bunny Daisy are making a batch ready to share with friends! Check the list of all the ingredients and then get to work with the mixer. When they're ready, take the cakes out of the oven and choose from all the special toppings to decorate them. LEGO® model number: 41308. 11 reviewsOverall rating (4.4)QualityFunDesignQuestions & answersBe the first to ask a question!Ask a questionBoring but important info*Prices correct as displayed but are subject to change.Toys R Us is running a 20% off sale on just about all LEGO kits today including City, Friends, Nexo Nights, Duplo, Creator sets and more. If you have your eye on a specific kit, this can be a great chance to get it at a discount, just be sure to double check Amazon as many of the kits have been matched or are even lower with free Prime shipping.
Here our top picks for today’s best LEGO deals: More on the LEGO City Airport Airport Air Show: Grab your binoculars for a great show! Check out the cool jets and the neat old-fashioned plane before they take off-then watch them do their tricks in the air. Cheer along with the crowd as the planes come in for a landing and head back to the hangar, then join the mechanic and help keep the planes in tip-top shape for the next event!.The page was not foundThe Hogwarts Express is where it all began — where a young boy met strangers that became the best of friends and spun an industry that’s larger than life. It’s no wonder that Stephan Niehoff and his two daughters put special effort into recreating a beloved representation of an iconic element from their favourite franchise. Lifting elements from the LEGO set 4841, but improving it to give rough edges a more rounded curve and adding delightful details such as the handles of the carriages and a revamped undercarriage, all make this build a worthy representation of what could be a proper train set for a Harry Potter fan to truly appreciate.
The transformation does not end superficially on the outside, but the carriages inside get a more appropriate facelift to the delight of our Harry and Hermione minifigure passengers!Tell all your friends! I love a build with a good backstory. BobDeQuatre has created a story of a family of three speeder racers, starting with Thomas Hendricks building a prototype repulsor engine in his workshop. Making good use of stickered bricks and complete with a raised drafting area with chalkboard and designing table, Thomas’s workshop looks great. Take a peek under the hood as we explore three generations of racers using variations of this amazing marvel of modern machinery. Life is a mess. Look anywhere and you’re sure to see clutter, trash, and other signs of waste. This is a fact builders can easily forget when aiming to create a lifelike scene, but it’s certainly not the case with this pile of garbage by David Guedes: If you’ve ever been down an alley of any major city on the planet, then this is going to be a familiar scene.
The busted toilet, piles of cardboard boxes, newspapers and other assorted trash capture a common though rarely highlighted aspect of the inner city. It’s this attention to detail which can really bring a LEGO city scene to life. Heck, I’d go so far as to say this garbage looks rather attractive. The real stuff, well, not so much. This wonderfully compact and cleverly built speeder by W. Navarre demonstrates small size doesn’t necessarily mean small details. Though I have to admit I’m not entirely sure what it means (if anything), the Chinese touch is a pretty interesting and unique take on the typical Star Wars-esque speeders we see. And I’d be remiss not to mention the great looking tree or the remnants of a boot on the skeleton’s foot. The use of a Nexo Knight armor piece to construct the speeder’s front end is hands-down the best detail. The “Trash Doves” sticker set is a strange phenomenon that erupted across Facebook quite suddenly as a meme during the week of Valentines Day, starting in Thailand and soon spreading across the globe.
In Thailand ‘nok’ is the word for “bird” – and is supposedly also associated with unrequited love. And now it has been transposed into brick form thanks to Wen Yeh Ng. I’m still perplexed by all this, so I’m not going to try to figure it out; I’ll just wait for the next one to come along and bewilder me! In 1985, when Super Mario Bros was all the rage, the very first enemy that approached Mario was Goomba. To this date, the fate of a Goomba has been to be stomped on again and again, for eternity. The Goomba that Cecile Fritzvold crafted is an evolution over the years, where a set of reverse fangs were introduced to give it a more menacing look for a baddie in the game. No game is complete without the Question Block, which only leaves me wondering, I’ve yet to see a decent Mario built with bricks in a long while… anyone up for the challenge? While this particular cathedral is not actually based on a real building, Swedish builder O Wingård was inspired by some of the world’s most beautiful Gothic architecture.
He mentions Notre Dame in Paris, Kölner Dom in Cologne, and Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden. There are so many details to enjoy, but I have to highlight some of those key Gothic characteristics: the flying buttresses (seen in the centre-right of the photo), the lancet arches, and those impressive spires that give vertical emphasis. Taking a closer look at the main entrance allows a great view of the stained glass rose window and all the many and varied bricks that depict the intricate details of this grand building. The steps lead up to the ground floor lancet arches, cleverly constructed using a series of bar holder with handle parts. This is not just a façade, as the build is a 360 degree creation that is beautifully detailed, irrespective of the angle from which it is viewed. There are more photos on the builder’s Flickr album, and even a video tour of the cathedral. There are some things money can’t buy, and this Italian supercar is one of those. The Lamborghini Centenario had a run of just 40 units worldwide, and they’ve all been snapped up.
But that doesn’t stop any of us owning one in brick form, provided we have skills like Ryan Link. Accurately built and featuring a removable engine block, petrol heads of any age can swoosh this version around and still have a couple million dollars in the bank. Not long ago YOS Lego introduced us to LEGO versions of our favourite sisters from Frozen, and we were all wondering if they had had too much of a fright or too many energy drinks with those wide eyed expressions! And now apparently Ariel the Little Mermaid seems to have consumed the same concoction. Aside from their wide eyed expressions, which do play well to capture a strange emotion, these builds of Ariel and her alternate human form are a delight for their details and proportions. The brick layering techniques used here bring out the best highlights of Ariel’s signature red hair. This LEGO skateboard by French builder Jimmy Fortel reminds me of my middle school days of skating and playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.
The detailing in the trucks and the bends in the nose and tail look realistic, and the skull deck graphic ties the whole build together visually. This month’s cover photo is this smart yellow and black triple-axle trailer truck by builder MiniGray!. As well as being highly detailed, this model’s cab can house multiple LEGO minifigs and has working a tilt mechanism that reveals the engine below. Check out the Flickr album for more shots. Want to see your own LEGO creation featured across TBB social media for a month? Then read the submission guidelines and send us your photo today. Photos that do not meet the submission guidelines will not be considered, and will be removed from the group. Keep up with the Brothers Brick by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter or Pinterest. And for occasional extra goodies, follow us on Flickr or subscribe to us on YouTube. LEGO recently released a new series of sets called Brickheadz, cute brick-built characters that seem to be the LEGO equivalent to Funko’s Pop Vinyls.