# Lego goes pink **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479 "2011-12-17T00:23:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/41 "2011-12-18T02:17:33Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I’m a girl who’s been around a long, long time, and coloring things pink is still a good way to get me to buy them. I think it’s just good marketing to try to capture those people of either gender who prefer things pink. > > My [laptop skin](http://www.skinit.com/details.php?act=setDevice&deviceId=4532) > > My [mouse](http://www.officemax.com/technology/keyboard-mouse-accessories/mice/product-prod2990486?cm_mmc=Googlepla-_-Technology-_-Keyboard%20and%20Mouse%20and%20Accessories-_-Mice&CS_003=9286091&CS_010=22306684&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=22306684&gclid=CJCD7pXyh60CFcbc4AodjwSjkw) > > My [Calculator, scissors and stapler](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.homeinteriorwarehousestore.com/media/A_product_page_images/ss_size3/pretty-tools-p2_staplers.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.homeinteriorwarehousestore.com/Pretty_Tools.html&usg=__kH3L3JcQag0PU22k8nf5SEF9vrQ=&h=225&w=300&sz=10&hl=en&start=2&zoom=1&tbnid=skq45Mm8ibNLoM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=116&ei=qOjrTve2LILZ0QGs4rXwCQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfloral%2Bstapler%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1) (the pink ones) > > Hello Kitty has a contract with Lego rival [Megabloks](http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=lego+hello+kitty&tag=googhydr-20&index=toys-and-games&hvadid=7338535568&ref=pd_sl_3lzkm65ep3_b) Yup, pretty much this. If it’s pink or better yet purple, it has a good chance of being purchased by me, even now that I’m a grandma. Heh! My daughter is one of those weirdos who thinks pink is some sort of torture foisted upon women, and my granddaughter is also a pink/purple fan. Ooooh revenge for those teenage years is so so sweet. Load the kid up with sugar and mass quantities of pink and purple anything and send her on home… Where were we? Pink legos? Awesome, I now have a great idea for a Christmas present for the ornery one. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/42 "2011-12-18T02:21:57Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > There was a story about this on Morning Edition the other day. It sounded to me like the “Easter egg” colors, as the Lego spokesman called them, were the least of the changes. One was a a slightly taller figure, because girls evidently did not like the typical squat Lego guy. The thing that I thought was really interesting, though, was that their (Lego’s) research showed that the first thing boys wanted to do is build whatever it is so that it looks exactly like what’s on the box. Girls, OTH, wanted to start playing out scenarios with the figures. So the girly Legos are packaged so girls can do that without finishing “the build” (as the Lego spokesman called it) first. > > [Here](http://www.npr.org/2011/12/15/143724644/ith-new-toys-lego-hopes-to-build-girls-market)’s a link to the story. Whether or not you agree with their marketing decisions, the story is interesting. That’s pretty interesting. My sister and I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I don’t really remember getting any legos that were specifically parts of “builds” we just got big ole boxes of legos and made our own stuff from them. We typically built houses and dolls. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/43 "2011-12-18T09:17:07Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > That’s pretty interesting. My sister and I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I don’t really remember getting any legos that were specifically parts of “builds” we just got big ole boxes of legos and made our own stuff from them. We typically built houses and dolls. That you didn’t get them doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. Lego started doing the “build” sets in [the early 60s](http://www.toysperiod.com/lego-set-reference/by-decade/1960s/). Those were side-by-side with “just blocks” sets, and neither line has ever been discontinued.[This](http://www.brickinstructions.com/instructions.php?code=0386&set=Ambulance%20helicopter%20and%20van)was my first Lego (1975). I wasn’t aware of non-build sets until the 80s. And could we please not say “legos”. The plural of Lego is Lego. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/44 "2011-12-18T09:24:40Z")
I still have my childhood stash of Lego in a closet. I can’t bear to let my 4 year old have access to them. If I see a piece under the rug I’ll lose it. What’s a good priced, bucket of bricks type set to start him off with? He has one Duplo Thomas the train that’s just… a train. I’d like him to have a set with big pieces to build a house, etc. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/45 "2011-12-18T09:58:24Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > I still have my childhood stash of Lego in a closet. I can’t bear to let my 4 year old have access to them. If I see a piece under the rug I’ll lose it. > > What’s a good priced, bucket of bricks type set to start him off with? He has one Duplo Thomas the train that’s just… a train. I’d like him to have a set with big pieces to build a house, etc. At 4, best to stick with Duplo, I find. [This farm](http://duplo.lego.com/en-us/products/lego%C2%AE+duplo%C2%AE+farm+building+set/5488.aspx) was my daughter’s first Lego set. But check out the “Bricks - themed sets” link, any of those should do. ETA: note that eg the animals are all made of bricks, not pre-moulded. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/46 "2011-12-18T14:41:02Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > Where were we? Pink legos? Awesome, I now have a great idea for a Christmas present for the ornery one. **CanvasShoes** , I found [LEGO Pink Brick Box](http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Pink-Brick-Box-4625) while searching for some other set. I wish I had some more time to devote for LEGO… I miss it! All my stuff is kept in drawers at my house, including my unfinished “Lego University” and my 2 story hospital complete with baby room, OR, ICU, waiting room, regular room, and bathrooms (him and her)! For some reason, the instructions always forgot about bathrooms… ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/47 "2011-12-18T16:19:29Z")
Dang, now I want Lego for Christmas and it’s too late to ask Santa. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/48 "2011-12-18T16:29:24Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > I have to admit that I would consider buying this one for a friend. > > I never liked lego kits in the first place because they curb creativity (make it look like what is shown on the box instead of just building something). But my main gripe is that we pigeonhole kids so early. Girly toys are pink and purple, boy toys are red and bright blue. Girls get stuff that tend to homemaking, teaching and pets. Boys get stuff that tend toward brain challenges, physical action and combat (whether war games or sports). > > IMO, you pigeonhole kids role expectations by color-coding their toys. Those visual cues, backed up by the fact that just about every company uses the same cues, tells kids that pony toys and bikes with streamers on them are for girls (cue, pink and purple colors) and boys get the dirt bikes and skateboards (cue, red and blue). > > A child who might have the potential to become an excellent skateboarder is going to say (mentally) “That’s a boy toy, I can tell by the colors.” If that child is a girl and the girl is put off by it, the world may be losing a champion skateboarder because she took the color as a visual cue that this is not a girls’ activity. Do you buy everything in black and white? Does your kid _like_ pink? If she does, and she’s old enough for small Lego bricks, then buy them. When I was about 8, I decided I hated pink and purple. Not sure why. Trying to prove something, I guess. Now that I’m 26, I love pinks (to look at) and purples. I wear purple a lot. Kids will tell you what they do and do not like. Go with that instead of your own feminist/political hangups about girl v. boy colors. Since Lego are made in default boy colors (black, white, blue, red, yellow), does this mean that boys are better than girls? That girls should have only boy stuff because boy is the default gender-neutral? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/49 "2011-12-18T17:37:11Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Do you buy everything in black and white? No, I’m way too fond of lime green for that. And I even like pink and purple, especially in the garden. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > Does your kid _like_ pink? If she does, and she’s old enough for small Lego bricks, then buy them. Quasi-stepdaughter likes pink. She’s 31 and old enough to choose for herself. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > When I was about 8, I decided I hated pink and purple. Not sure why. Trying to prove something, I guess. Now that I’m 26, I love pinks (to look at) and purples. I wear purple a lot. Good for you. I wear purple too. It looks good with my gray hair. So do blue and coral. Sadly, lime green is not a color I wear well. > [@CitizenPained](#): > > Kids will tell you what they do and do not like. Go with that instead of your own feminist/political hangups about girl v. boy colors. Since Lego are made in default boy colors (black, white, blue, red, yellow), does this mean that boys are better than girls? That girls should have only boy stuff because boy is the default gender-neutral? :dubious: Oooh, thank you for identifing my color hang-ups as feminist and political. I appreciate the pigeon-holing. :rolleyes: And no, I don’t think that girls should have only “boy stuff” (that was quite a leap by the way). I am merely saying that we dip infants into color preference even before they can speak and then identifiy toy & game preferences by color too. Therefore kids are channeled into roles-based toys without even being aware of it. The fact that Legos is now marketing an already-popular toy in such a way just makes me sad because, IMO, our kids might just turn out to be more creative adults if they weren’t color-coded in infancy and early childhood by adults and marketing. This is just my opinion, not worth having a stroke over. Lighten up. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/50 "2011-12-18T20:27:53Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > Exactly. But, hey, somebody here said following directions was their thing. So I can picture a section of consumers going for this. But how is any child ever going to want to be an architect if everything she builds already has a specified purpose and can be used for little else in her toys. There’s another angle, too - you could argue that the directions were good because they teach kids how to read and follow directions, not necessarily just because they like having directions. My son is very proud of his completed Lego sets because he feels like they demonstrate his ability to read and follow directions. And to an extent, they really do. But I couldn’t care less if he would prefer to just slap them together any old way. I do think, though, that many kids are “over-directed” in their play. Sometimes their parents just need to leave them alone. When I was growing up I was all but pushed out of the house or otherwise left to my own devices after about age 3 or 4. As long as mom could see me or knew where I was, I had to entertain myself with or without friends around. A LOT of kids seem to be lacking in that ability now. ---
**Author:** ![turtledove\_river](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@turtledove\_river](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtledove_river)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/51 "2011-12-18T20:30:53Z")
I have one of those pink Lego boxes wrapped up for my 4yo niece. I’m not thrilled that it has to be pink either, but, eh, what are you gonna do? ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479/52 "2011-12-19T02:50:35Z")
This reminds me of the debacle of the Lionel [Girls’ Train](http://modeltrains.about.com/od/collectingmodeltrains/tp/girls_set.htm) in the 1950s. I learned about this in the 70s because my dad’s really into Lionel trains. I saw a set at a convention in the 80s that was going for about five grand. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lego-goes-pink/606479.md?page=2)