Legos Catered to Girls: Sexist or Good Idea?

PHOENIX - Some controversy is building around a brand new line of Lego toys. The classic building blocks are getting a girly makeover, but it turns out not everyone is happy about the changes.

Lego Engineering is an after-school club that teaches kindergarten through 2nd grade the basics of building using Legos.

"They get the practical aspect by getting to put it together with their hands versus just talking about it or reading in a book," says instructor Jacob Henderson.

The kids get excited to use the red, yellow and blue blocks to create homes and helicopters. But now they'll be able to build beauty shops and cafes with pink and purple blocks.

The new line of Legos has drawn an online petition with 50,000 signatures already, with the title, "Tell Lego to stop selling out girls!"

But according to these boys, it's a good idea.

"Then you could have different colors to use," says one boy. Another says, "Maybe she'd like it more to build, and it would be more exciting to her?"

"If you look at most Legos they've put out in the past, it's all pertained to boys, with the pirates and the Jedis and that type of stuff. Which some girls like too, but if you can get someone excited by doing something else, why not?" says Henderson.

According to Lego, the new Lego Friends line is based on four years of research based on how boys and girls play.

Henderson says, as long as they're building, that's all that matters.

"The more people you get excited and into Legos, the better off it is. Girls make great engineers too."

Online:

poweredbygirl.org
www.change.org/petitions/tell-lego-to-stop-selling-out-girls-liberatelego
friends.lego.com