Lego Friends

Lego is coming out with a new product line - Lego Friends. It's for girls and yes it is pink plus other non-primary colors. I was prepared to complain about stereotypes, but now I am going to be a little bit more open-minded and wait until I pass judgement. On the one hand, I don't appreciate when people try to limit options for boys or girls, whether it's toys or career choices. But on the other hand, there is good research out there that supports the idea that, for at least some kids, boys and girls learn in different ways.

I found this article at Businessweek that has some of the background into the decision to make the Lego Friends product. It wasn't just some hour-long meeting where they decided to dip the Lego bricks in pink paint and call it a new product. There was a lot of research and I think they may have done their homework well. Time will tell.

So, if you have a bit of time and are interested in some background on the Lego brand, read the article. You can even read about the town of Billund in Denmark, home of Lego, and Ole Kirk Christiansen, the founder of Lego. I'm sure this will generate a lot of news as Lego Friends starts rolling off the shelves next month. Why not for Christmas you wonder? That also was planned so that there would be more shelf space that could be dedicated to Lego Friends.

Now I can only wonder if Stephen will buy Lego Friends. It could get interesting.