# So apparently the Lego Star Wars product line is "for boys"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2014, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793 "2014-05-06T08:56:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/41 "2014-05-07T14:12:02Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > Gender dysphoria is about a lot more than the toys kids play with. It’s about feeling like they have the wrong brain and genitals. Gender roles are reinforced by the toys a child is presented with, but they aren’t \*defined \*by those toys. Maybe not full gender dysphoria, but toy preferences can make a kid feel like there’s something wrong with them gender-wise if they don’t conform to what they’re “supposed” to like. I’m weirded out by the girl-specific Legos and I do feel that they reinforce and perpetuate negative ideas, but on the other hand, if they get girls playing with Legos that wouldn’t have touched them otherwise, then that’s a good thing. Maybe they branch out to more complex and gender-neutral Lego activities (great), and even if they don’t, at least they’re building something (better than nothing). For what it’s worth, they’ve come out with a [non-gender-specific Easy Bake Oven](http://www.target.com/p/easy-bake-oven-black-and-silver/-/A-14648957). They still make a purple version of the same thing, but it’s a step in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/42 "2014-05-07T14:27:17Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Maybe not full gender dysphoria, but toy preferences can make a kid feel like there’s something wrong with them gender-wise if they don’t conform to what they’re “supposed” to like. > > I’m weirded out by the girl-specific Legos and I do feel that they reinforce and perpetuate negative ideas, but on the other hand, if they get girls playing with Legos that wouldn’t have touched them otherwise, then that’s a good thing. Maybe they branch out to more complex and gender-neutral Lego activities (great), and even if they don’t, at least they’re building something (better than nothing). > > For what it’s worth, they’ve come out with a [non-gender-specific Easy Bake Oven](http://www.target.com/p/easy-bake-oven-black-and-silver/-/A-14648957). They still make a purple version of the same thing, but it’s a step in the right direction. So what’s the message? Boys can play with toys that girls prefer but only if they aren’t pastel colored? This is all an attempt to make children’s behavior PC. Girls and boys should feel free to play with whatever toys they like in whatever manner they like, but it’s not necessary to pretend that their preferences won’t tend to be different. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/43 "2014-05-07T14:43:13Z")
It’s fine for Lego to make many different sorts of sets, to appeal to many different tastes. And it’s fine if some of those sets happen to mostly be preferred by boys, while others happen to mostly be preferred by girls. But sometimes, a girl will happen to prefer the sets which are mostly preferred by boys, or a boy will happen to prefer the sets which are mostly preferred by girls. And that’s fine too, and should not be discouraged. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/44 "2014-05-07T15:26:02Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Girls and boys should feel free to play with whatever toys they like in whatever manner they like, but it’s not necessary to pretend that their preferences won’t tend to be different. Amen! ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/45 "2014-05-07T16:19:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > So what’s the message? Boys can play with toys that girls prefer but only if they aren’t pastel colored? This is all an attempt to make children’s behavior PC. Girls and boys should feel free to play with whatever toys they like in whatever manner they like, but it’s not necessary to pretend that their preferences won’t tend to be different. Nobody is trying to make the kids PC. They’re trying to sell cooking toys that will appeal to the target market, which now includes girls AND boys. That’s just reality. Or do you somehow think that boys don’t like to bake as much as girls do? Where have you been for the last couple of decades? The “cooking is for girls” thing has largely died out amongst the pre-school and elementary school set. I’m sure there are holdouts, especially if the parents reinforce the idea, but in my experience cooking and food prep is no longer highly gendered. Kids’ play reflects that, as do toys for cooking and food prep play. It’s well-known that boys shy away from toys that are specifically “girly,” while girls are more flexible on the matter. Yes, kids “should” ignore that in terms of what they choose to play with, but they don’t. If a company wants to sell cooking toys, making them unisex or offering a unisex option only makes sense in terms of the bottom line. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/46 "2014-05-07T16:55:41Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > It’s well-known that boys shy away from toys that are specifically “girly,” while girls are more flexible on the matter. Yes, kids “should” ignore that in terms of what they choose to play with, but they don’t. If a company wants to sell cooking toys, making them unisex or offering a unisex option only makes sense in terms of the bottom line. I thought you were advocating for unisex toys for some purpose. As long as it’s just the toy company’s market position it’s fine with me. Also, I’m a cook, so is my son, my wife doesn’t cook, and no one wants to eat what my mother cooks, so you don’t have to explain that part to me. There was no gender segregation for cooking when I was a kid many decades ago that I noticed. Boys didn’t want to own an Easy Bake oven, but if their sister did they didn’t mind showing me they knew how to use it. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/47 "2014-05-07T19:46:13Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > Life must be pretty good if this moves your indignantly meter. This definitely moved my grammatically meter. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/48 "2014-05-07T20:09:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You don’t belive girls and boys can own things? > > They do, and they usually own different things. There’s nothing wrong with that. If that’s what that particular boy or girl wants, of course there isn’t. Saying that various toys and such are only for a boy or only for a girl is asinine. Society puts a lot of pressure on kids (well, adults too!) to fit into what is thought of as proper gender roles, regardless of what the individual may actually want. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/49 "2014-05-07T20:22:23Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I don’t mean to piss anyone off by saying this, but I wonder if we encourage kids to be gender dysphormic by genderizing everything so much. Want a kid who feels comfortable being a boy or a girl? Stop with the stupid pigeonholding. A little girl who wants to play Star Wars and doesn’t give a shit about a “friends” Lego set shouldn’t have to wonder if she’s really a boy locked in a girl’s body. Because gender-targeted toys are such a new thing, and transsexuals are such a large segment of society these days. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/50 "2014-05-07T20:38:22Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > If that’s what that particular boy or girl wants, of course there isn’t. S **aying that various toys and such are only for a boy or only for a girl is asinine.** Society puts a lot of pressure on kids (well, adults too!) to fit into what is thought of as proper gender roles, regardless of what the individual may actually want. > [@Chronos](#): > > It’s fine for Lego to **make many different sorts of sets, to appeal to many different tastes**. And it’s fine if some of those sets happen to mostly be preferred by boys, while others happen to mostly be preferred by girls. But sometimes, a girl will happen to prefer the sets which are mostly preferred by boys, or a boy will happen to prefer the sets which are mostly preferred by girls. And that’s fine too, and should not be discouraged. I agree with these views. They seem very sensible. For maximum sales: make a variety of toys. But _there’s no need to label them_–the kids that want a particular type will ask for that particular type. Simple! > [@stpauler](#): > > We were at Burger King this past weekend and the father of a family came up to the counter with his [Gaby Janglin toy](http://www.bkcrown.com/toys/) from the movie Rio 2. He scolded the cashier while waving it in her face and said “we ASKED for a BOY’S toy. PLEASE give me a BOY’S toy”. > She replied “That’s all we have, Sir”. Her teeth gritted the whole time. … This sounds like a man with a lot of personal issues (which, unfortunately, he’s possibly going to pass on to his son). ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/51 "2014-05-07T21:00:24Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > For maximum sales: make a variety of toys. But _there’s no need to label them_–the kids that want a particular type will ask for that particular type. Simple! I appreciate the outrage, but a sentence in a paragraph concerning a note from the design team is hardly labeling. You read the directions - who but an adult (and few of them) would read that page anyway? “For boys” appearing on the box would be more of a cause for concern. The Star Wars boxes don’t seem very gender specific. You can see my and my son-in-laws drool as we think about how cool it would be to win the lottery so we could afford the big Star Destroyer kit. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/52 "2014-05-07T21:04:53Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I appreciate the outrage, … Outrage? Here’s what you quoted: > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Sherrerd > For maximum sales: make a variety of toys. But there’s no need to label them–the kids that want a particular type will ask for that particular type. Simple! To you, that’s “outrage”…? I’m not seeing it. Can you explain a little further? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/53 "2014-05-07T21:36:33Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > We were at Burger King this past weekend and the father of a family came up to the counter with his [Gaby Janglin toy](http://www.bkcrown.com/toys/) from the movie Rio 2. He scolded the cashier while waving it in her face and said “we ASKED for a BOY’S toy. PLEASE give me a BOY’S toy”. > > She replied “That’s all we have, Sir”. Her teeth gritted the whole time. > > It was such a weird stand-off that we had walked into and wondered if there might have been a previous row with this family before because it was quite hostile to begin with. That said, the whole thing seemed silly because: > > 1. the toy is genderless > 2. The kid played with the toy anyway when the dejected father returned with it > 3. After that family left, I saw the cashier give a different toy to another family. They have three toys, a boy’s toy, a girl’s toy, and a “under 3” with no parts that can come loose and present a choking hazard. Usually there are not boy/girl versions of the under-3 toy. The “different” toy you saw them give the other family may have been an under-3. Or maybe the father wanted a “boys’ under-3,” which doesn’t exist (or, didn’t when I had an under-3 child, which was just a few years ago). It also may have been one of those “collect them all!” and the family took the only toy they didn’t already have, which the father somehow perceived as a girl’s toy. The “collect them all!” usually have a movie tie-in, and are something that appeals to both genders-- and probably represents a bigger investment for BK (or McDonald’s, or whomever) with licensing, so they need that scale production to justify the expense, and want to hand them out to as many children as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/54 "2014-05-08T05:48:31Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Outrage? Here’s what you quoted: > > To you, that’s “outrage”…? I’m not seeing it. Can you explain a little further? The general outrage in this thread. At the sexist Danes only letting boys play with Star Wars toys. That outrage. (Also known as CYA - sorry, not really directed totally at you.) Actually, I don’t think Lego even labeled this toy - since one sentence deep in the doc on a page no one would even read isn’t really labeling IMO. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/55 "2014-05-08T13:46:09Z")
So my husband tweeted Lego and they replied! [https://storify.com/ghostfinder/lego-s-response-to-the-star-wars-sandcrawler-manua](https://storify.com/ghostfinder/lego-s-response-to-the-star-wars-sandcrawler-manua) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/56 "2014-05-08T14:17:49Z")
Man, that would be a lot clearer if it were not, for some inscrutable reason, written in the form of tweets. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/57 "2014-05-08T14:20:51Z")
Which bit of “my husband tweeted Lego and they replied” is inscrutable? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/58 "2014-05-08T14:22:56Z")
Reading about it 140 characters at a time? ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/59 "2014-05-08T14:39:13Z")
I agree that reading 140 characters at a time may be considered inscrutible to some. I don’t agree that the\* reason why \*you are reading 140 characters at a time is inscrutible! Yours sincerely, sandra\_nz Vice Chair, Pendantics Society ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793/60 "2014-05-08T14:39:31Z")
I hate “pink and blue” marketing of toys. How naive we were in the 70s to think we could eliminate sex role stereotyping [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-apparently-the-lego-star-wars-product-line-is-for-boys/687793.md?page=4)