On Monday, the popular kids’ toy Lego announced that it would remove gender stereotypes from its toys, forcing a ‘woke‘ ideology on young children.
The Lego Dreamzzz line, produced by the toy giant, will debut with several new models, including a Pegasus horse, a bunny with blue and pink stripes named Bunchu, and a “nightmare shark ship.”
The new ‘gender inclusive’ characters will also be featured in a new television show premiering on May 15.
“We have always been focused on ensuring that LEGO play was for all children, but within the recent years we have focused more on putting systematic processes into place to ensure LEGO products and marketing be as inclusive as possible,” said Julia Goldin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer Lego Group, in a statement to USA TODAY.
“We don’t use gender segmentation and we test all products with boys and girls, just as you can only [shop for Lego] products by passion point and not gender.”
A global survey commissioned by the Lego Group in October 2021 found that attitudes regarding children’s activities and future goals continue to be unequal and constrained by gender biases, prompting the company to announce the production of gender-neutral toys.
USA Today reported:
The research, commissioned by the Lego Group and carried out by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, found attitudes toward children’s activities and future goals continue to be unequal and confined to gender biases.
In a survey of almost 7,000 parents and children, aged 6-14, worldwide, the majority of children reported feeling confident in engaging in a wide range of activities — including those that have been historically gendered.
But girls expressed this stronger than boys. For example, 82% of girls agreed that girls can play football and boys can practice ballet, compared to 71% of boys. And 42% of girls said they worry about being made fun of for playing with a toy typically associated for the other gender, compared to 71% of boys — a fear often shared by parents.
“Girls are more likely to consider a wider range of jobs versus boys,” Madeline Di Nonno, president and CEO of the Geena Davis Institute, told USA TODAY. “The girls are ready, we just have to get out of the way.”
According to LEGO’s website, its “long-term ambition is a completely gender-balanced organization at all levels by 2032.”
“At the LEGO Group, we believe children are our role models. We look to them for inspiration every day and want to help them break down gender stereotypes and create opportunities for everyone.”
“We measure and report on the progress on the share of women globally and set annual targets for share of women at Director level and above, i.e women in executive positions.”
It also states, “Diversity is the visible and invisible dimensions that make each of us unique. We want our organization to reflect the diversity of the world we operate in and seek to inspire. Currently we focus on gender, ethnicity, LGBTQIA+ communities and people with disabilities.”
