Due to several requests on my previous posts on the 1212 LEGO Friends sets, here I will share with you some more pictures and more info on this new LEGO theme for girls. (You can see my previous posts here: 2012 LEGO Friends – Introduction, 2012 LEGO Friends – Set Pictures.) So letโs dive right into the world of little plastic girls! ๐
As I have said in my previous posts, the new LEGO Friends theme is following the story of five girls in their daily lives. The girls have different likes and hobbies; there is an animal-lover (Mia), a smart-girl (Olivia), a beautician (Emma), a singer (Andrea), and a social-girl (Stephanie). Here they are up close and personal (click on any of the pictures for a larger view):
MIA (the animal lover): not LEGO-ish I know,ย but she is so cute here!
OLIVIAย (the smart girl): what an awesome she-garage!
ย EMMAย (the beautician): she better watch out with that giant burger!
ANDREA (the singer): just look at that gorgeous piano!
STEPHANIE (the social girl): is that frosting on her shirt?
These five girls are the main characters in the LEGO Friends theme. Looking at the set-pictures I have noticed that each of them show up in at least two different outfits across the sets, so if you are planning to collect the girls you will have lots of fun! ๐
Also, besides the five girlfriends there are some other characters as well. A blonde named Marie works as a waitress at City Park Cafรฉ (LEGO Friends Set #3061). Sarah, a cute brunette, works at the Butterfly Beauty Shop (LEGO Friends Set #3187), and Sophie appears to be the veterinarian at Heartlake Vet (LEGO Friends Set #3188). Even though they have a job, none of these young women look any older than the 5 girlfriends. A town of pre-teen girls maybe? ๐
But wait, there are in fact twoย adult characters: Peterย & Anna, Oliviaโs parents (in LEGO Friends Set #3315). They are the only parents in the whole theme, so the girls can pretty much just enjoy themselves without pesky grown-ups. It seems their (the parents’) sole purpose is providing and maintaining the big, pretty house Olivia lives in. Oh, and Peter is the only guy in the whole series – at least so far… 8)
I’m really missing some boys to gossip about and there has to be at least one annoying baby-brother! What do you think? ๐
UPDATE: Since the first time I reportedย on LEGO Friends, lots have happened. Here are the updates on LEGO Friends:
- LEGO Friends vs. Regular LEGO Minifigs Comparisonย
- LEGO Friends โ LEGOโs Billion Dollar Girlย (Bloomberg article)
- Dear LEGOโฆ My Opinion on LEGO Friends
- LEGO Friends Press Release, Video & More!
- LEGO Friends Available Now!ย (yes, they are on the shelves!)
These pics are great, the piano & lab are a lot of fun!
I still hate the figures but thin Peter is pretty rad! His facial hair & torso are great. ๐
at least a baby bro., a dog and cat , and little sister “brat” lol How about a BIG brother ?
Oh, dear! ๐
Wow, all that pink and purple…
My Girlfriend would love it, I must show her this post. ๐
Yes, I think most girls will love these, even with the initial negativity from adults. I just hope that grown-ups won’t discourage their children from these sets just because they don’t like them. I think they are really cute. ๐
Looks like the girls have holes in their heads.
O, wait, no, I meant, there are holes in the top of their heads to insert (brains) hats on.
So again, no cool will fit over hair hats:(
Curious to fin out what my girls think of these sets, I think they will like them.
LOL! Did your daughter approve your comment on the brains part? ๐
The oldest one would, she would laugh her hat (head) off(c:
LOL!!!!!!!!
Thanks for some more info. I’m an adult male fan of lego and I love all the pink and purple bricks. And theres lots of great build ideas here I havent seen before.
My only negative feeling is the strange curvy minifigs… uh I guess… friendfigs? Not sure what to call them.
Hey, Chis, yeah, I have been wondering too how to call those figs! Friendfigs sounds good to me! ๐
We will see how well those curvy little girls are going to be received. So far it seems some people like them some don’t. We really have to see them in person, I think. Fortunately the sets themselves are so nice that even if the girls won’t become popular they will still do well with both kids and adults. ๐
I think Peter is a bit gay looking with his one day beard…
(and not gay as in happy)
LOL! I thought of that too! I guess with only girls around it would happen with the macho-est of guys! ๐
Oh come on, it could easily be a week. Nothing gay about it.
Is it just me, or do some of these girls look a little “busty” to be lego figures? :๏ฝ
LOL! You are not the only one who noticed that! Look at Tito’s comment below the post here: 2012 LEGO Sets: LEGO Friends Pictures! ๐
This is horrifying! Stephanie “the social girl”? Olivia “the smart girl”!? Emma the beautician!? Are you kidding me!? My daughter (7) and son (5) love playing with Lego together, using a combination of City (police and fire), Alien Conquest, and Technics sets. I’m offended by this paltry, sexist offering from Lego. So “boys” sets get the cops and robbers and Star Wars sets and aliens and Atlantis vehicles, and the “girls” sets get beauty salons and hot tubs? And we wonder why why there’s a paucity of girls going into science, technology, engineering and math fields? How about Ella the soccer player, or Samantha the lacrosse player, or Angie the martial artist? Where’s Suzie the airline pilot, Julie the doctor, or Michelle the lawyer?
Isn’t anyone else bothered by what these toys teach? Or are we only worried that they might be a tad “too curvy”?
So sorry, Bob! Your comment got blocked by my spam filter due to using the x word. Anyhow I just rescued it. ๐
To me it seems there is a good mix of characters. Yes, there is a social girl, but there is also Olivia who is is into science, Mia who loves animals, and Andrea who loves music. Isn’t that’s pretty realistic as far the variety of interests of young girls? Although there is no doctor (so far) there is a veterinarian. If the line becomes succesful I’m sure other characters will be added as well.
IMHO friends is definitely an improvement over Belville, which was a lot more stereotyped and everything was pink! ๐ฏ
And I would also really like to see Angie the martial artist! ๐
The “beautician” thing is obviously a mistake, that’s a design studio, and other articles refer to her as “Emma the Designer” I’m not sure how I feel about another addition to the pink ghetto, but they didn’t give the girls low paying service industry hobbies or goals. And they haven’t given them a mall, so at least there’s that.
A waitressing job while working through art school I’d be fine with : )
I totally agree with you Bob! I am a female Firefighter/EMT/ Fire Department Captain who along with her sister was raised by our Dad. Sure we had some pink stuff but the majority of the toys and games we had (including legos) we such that we could use our IMAGINATIONS. If we wanted girl lego people we would switch hair and outfits. My Dad raised us to be whatever we wanted to be and we would play that way. I love being a firefighter and also working in occupational medicine (on a construction site) and wouldn’t give it up for anything no matter what the “boys” say. I’ve always been about breaking molds and making change and the molds for the lego “girlie girls” need to be broken and there needs to be some major attitude changes over at Lego HQ.
I was a hairdresser for 40 years and the stuff in the beauty shop does not look like any shop I have ever seen. It looks more like a woman doing drafting with that ruler there? Are these minifigs?
Maybe we need a male figure also in there to even it out? lol
VIE, the picture for the Butterfly Beauty Shop (LEGO set #3187) is in the previous post: 2012 LEGO Friends Sets Pictures. Here Emma (the beautician) is at home, designing a dress. ๐
I would like to respond to the people calling these sets “unfair to girls” by saying that the sets are only sexist if you believe that they are even directed towards girls. Me, I don’t believe that these sets are directed towards girls because the only people who want to buy them so far are guys. Lego probably just figured men would enjoy buying lego sets even more if they came with curvy little lego chicks. XD
LOL! Too funny! You will like the post scheduled for tomorrow! ๐
LOL? Seriously? The guy makes a ridiculous statement about these not being marketed to little girls, then makes a comment about men buying them for the sexy little girl figurines, and you think it’s funny? Am I missing the target demographic of this blog?
Amy, most of the readers here are long-time LEGO fans. I mean guys and gals who are totally immersed in the hobby. We have our insider jokes, language, and quirky habits. Yeah, I know, we are a bit strange. ๐
But you are very welcome here, if you can tolerate our weirdness. Fresh views are always appreciated! ๐
UPDATE: I just uploaded a new post with comparison and compatibility pictures of the Friends figures with regular minifigs. I know many of you have been waiting for this: LEGO Friends vs. Regular Minifigs Comparison ๐
I think this is a cute idea! We’re Lego lovers in this house and I’m forever complaining that there are hardly any sets that cater to my inner girl child. This is adorable!
There will always be naysayers, no matter the product etc. But I like it. I don’t see a thing wrong with the sets. I like that Lego is creating figures and sets that have that feminine edge. I mean- let’s face it. We do the Minifigures just because we like putting the gorilla in the ice skater’s skirt..The current figs are so androgenous that I’ve found Jack Sparrow in the woman pirate lady/companion’s skirt…I’ve found *my* breakdancer in a Storm trooper helmet and a storm trooper wearing the pink pants of my breakdancer. Yes, I get the androgenous appeal but life can’t always be shades of yellow, blue, and red with square bodies forever…..right? :o)
Jenn, yeah, we are so used to, and so in love with those little stocky guys, that we don’t even notice how unrealistic they are! ๐
Having worked at a toy store for many years, it’s both depressing and a relief to see a set like this.
I have to work hard to convince parents to buy Legos for girls, because apparently people think a blue (or even green duplo) boxes means no little girl can enjoy them. That is not Legos’ fault, and I’d rather a little girl get a pink and green set than nothing at all – but it’s depressing that we’ve had to come to this to get people to buy stuff for girls.
I wish the roles weren’t so clean and cut — I hate the whole ‘smart girl’ idea, as if you have to be some kinda nerdy genius to like science and math. But that said, pleased to see some technology and mechanical things in otherwise very stereotypically ‘girly’ stuff. Especially the camera and computer coming with the fashion designer set.
Kayla, great to hear from someone who actually worked in a toy-store with first-hand experience! Thanks for sharing! ๐
Please note that I had to somewhat censor your comment (just took out one word) as there are a lot of young readers here. ๐
If one of them is a “smart” girl, does that mean the others aren’t? Being smart isn’t an interest…
I loved playing with Legos when I was a kid (I’m female) because of all the creativity you could wring out of a tub of blocks. This doesn’t give children very far to go. I totally agree with Bob up there.
The kids will have fun despite the adults, yes, but it’s up to the adults to set an example for the children. This is nothing new, but it’s nothing good either. Change the marketing and show more girls playing with the blocks, not necessarily pink ones. Make commercials where CHILDREN are having fun playing, not boys vs girls.
Amy, well said! ๐
Really? Do we need more pink and purple and other crap for girls? And the interests and career choices completely bite. Waitress? Veterinarian? Sales clerk? Really? That’s all there is?
I played with Lego growing up, before they even had mini figures. ALL my kids play with them now and my daughters are happy just putting long hair on the existing mini figures. There’s no way I’d buy these for my kids, ever, as it just marginalizes girls; now there’s “boy Lego” and “girl Lego”. Thanks for ruining a gender neutral toy.
Yes, woe that my daughter should follow in her veterinarian mother’s footsteps. A career choice that bites, literally.
(that was sarcasm)
I just had my 8yo girl look at this site. First words out of her mouth were “those look like Duplo” and “they are very different from the regular Legos”. I think girls are just as smart as boys and ALL children know what’s what. Companies do not pull the wool over their eyes but rather teach them they have limited choices. If the children aren’t offered generic creative toys then they will pick which gender they associate with the best and move on from there. Boys will continue to play with the guns and blow stuff up and girls will like to play with pink and purple flowery doll things.
By the time a child is eight, they have had a lot of time to be taught about nuances of gender. Unless your child is growing up inside a bubble and raised by scientists, your anecdotal data really doesn’t prove much.
Anyone else a little concerned by the racial breakdown here? The “smart girl” is white, the “social girl” is stereotypically white and blond…the only noticeably darker skinned girl is a singer – perpetuating the stereotype the women of color either work in the service industry, or go into entertainment, but never do anything with their brains.
I’m glad you brought it up– I was too blinded by the weird gendered aspect.
I’m curious, why is Emma called a beautician when she has a design studio?
Laurel, there is also a beauty-shop set for Emma. (See here: LEGO Friends Sets Pictures”) I guess designing clothes is her secondary pastime. ๐
UPDATE: Check out Bloomberg Businessweek’s front-page and editorial; all about LEGO Friends! It will shed some light on how the LEGO Friends figures were born: LEGO Friends: LEGO’s Billion Dollar Girl ๐
I’m a girl and I find these sets to be BORING. Even as a child, I would have ignored them. My dolls fought dragons or went to outer space and were Jedis. The colors are atrocious, and what happened to toys for girls who are NOT all about being a princess, or who aren’t curvy?
Worse, the new figures do not have interchangeable hair/hats, the legs can’t move, and the wrists don’t rotate, which makes them singularly unusable. I’ll be avoiding these like the plague.
Jessica, fo course nobody is forcing anyone to buy the LEGO Friends sets.
One thing I wanted to clarify is that the LEGO Friends figures can in fact be taken apart and mixed and matched. The hair-pieces, head, torso and leg-assemly are all separate. And the best part? The hair-pieces/headgear are also fully interchangeable with regular minifugres! ๐
Thank you for the clarification, although it hasn’t changed my mind. I’ll stick to the Harry Potter or Atlantis sets, or the Lord of the Rings ones when they come out. THOSE excite the heck out of me.
Jessica, yes, I expect that LOTR will be a huge hit! ๐
Seems to me just including female figures in the regular sets would be a big step toward legos being a gender neutral toy. Female police, rescue workers, construction workers, astronauts, doctors, etc hardly count as an imaginative leap. Can’t tell you how sad it makes me that excellent toys like Lego and playmobile are still so gender based. They could be a BIG part of the equality solution. There are consumers that really want creative, gender neutral toys.
That said-are there going to be big buckets of purple, pink and green blocks for free form building and play. I think that has been an important part of the traditional line, not just the specialized kits. Legos are “building sets” and building things is something all children like to do.
Bleh, I don’t like the pink and gender-stereotype stuff but I loved lego as a girl and if it means my girly-girly sister in law won’t get snooty when I give my niece this as a present, but my niece gets to play with lego, one of the best toys in the world, then good. And then next year I will give her a lego spaceship ๐
LOL! That is a great strategy! ๐
UPDATE: New post on LEGO Friends! Share your thoughts & opinions!: Dear LEGO…
I grew up with legos and graduated withe LegoTechnic ๐
From what I remember playing with legos, head covers didn’t really matter. And if I had to sub a needed block in place of a lost one, colors were the last consideration.
That said, I wish back the days they had female characters in the regular sets for more balanced plays (to give the knights more reasons for climbing over old armchairs to slay Barny-the-dragon), or to create more familiar scenes with male-female families.
(heck, I never backed away from playing with Barbies and Kens’ when my folks visited their friends with daughters… And they’d hug ‘n kiss evn though my mind then wasn’t as naughty as it is now that I’m “adult” ๐ )
* I’m sure Lego has finally decided to update its line of product, to make them go better with times. Why only stay with the Fantasy world, or cops ‘n robbers when they can give us more of modern life scenarios?
* Marketing-wise it’s also a smart move to start out with girls, as they are more likely to notice and appreciate the curves (the more realistically looking figurines) than boys are. After these female sets are well accepted, they’ll roll out more ideas with new body style, pets, and maybe even toned zoomba dancers!
* Figurines are interchangeable, so kids can play with both the old and new sets — Now a male figurine can walk into the cute lady designer’s shop, and walk out with a differently colored legs/pants
(Kids have more imagination in spite of us trying to ‘curb their enthusiasm’ with our distorted ‘politically correct’ views) ๐
I’m very excited over the Lego revamping, and I wish my 7 mo old was already 7 yo… or even better that I g back being 7 yo… (“If I could turn back time…”)
Not impressed with the need to add a specific body type and mini skirts, and of course the lack of skin colors represented in these figures. Why the need for breasts and mini skirts? Yet another marketing ploy that attacks little girls’ self esteem?
“Boy” legos were always good enough for me and my friends. Pink and purple are not “girl colors” and it’s not necessary to add them to perfectly good legos just so that “more girls” will buy them.
As a mom to a 9yo boy and 7yo girl who are playing with their legos on the floor in front of me as I type, I find these sets fun and new. Even my hubby thought they were cool for our daughter. Our boy thinks they are “99% cool for girls”, his words, not mine.
As for the figures being se*y and too curvy??? Seriously? You want flat chested, robotic little figures? I don’t find them se*y, or se*ist in any way. I’ve been more “offended” by the painted on cleavage of the regular minifigure women.
Sure, there’s a lot of pink and purple, but much less than if it were a Barbie set (yuck) or Bratz (not even allowed in our house).
There’s always going to be someone upset about change, but not in our household, at least this time.
I have two young girls who love Lego AND all things pink so they would find these sets appealing I am sure. As a parent I don’t dislike the idea of “girl” Lego however I would rather these sets allow girls to use their imagination more. These sets are no more stereotypical than most other girl toys on the market…that isn’t where I have the problem. It’s that they seemed to have simplified or “dumbed down” the Lego product to attract girls. Give little girls all the accessories to make their creations beautiful and magical but also the option to decide the final design without limiting creativity or skill level. I want my girls to know they can be innovative, creative, intelligent and beautiful.
UPDATE: LEGO Friends are now available! See here: LEGO Friends Available Now! Enjoy! ๐
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I grew up I had almost every box of Belville that came out around that time. Me and my sister made the most crazy thing from those sets combined with regular lego (like a large cargo ship, spacestation), so I know that those sets are really stereotypical with all the pink and stuff. But without Beville I would never had a LEGO experience during my youth. Because of the creativity and fun that I have with my lego I became an engineer.
I really was sad that Belville didn’t excist anymore because I really want that my girls (and cousins) will have the same experience has me when they grow up. So when I saw an article on the internet of Lego Friends I was really pleased. Ok, the sets are at the moment really stereotypical but with Belville in the beginning it was the same.
Forget to say that the Belville I played with was not the fairytale sets of the last years but contained a hospital, boat, a lot of normal houses,…
Silke, thanks for sharing! One thing about children is that they can be quite forgiving. Their imagination fills in the gaps when they don’t have the right ingredients for their play. If all they got is pink pieces they will still build a space-ship, and able to ignore the pinkness, or whatever the shortcomings are. Heck, children can play with sticks and rocks! They are truly wizards of imagination! ๐
The good thing about LEGO is that it fosters creativity, no matter what set or theme. So, I would say get your girls whatever LEGO sets they are attracted to and they will build amazing things within that theme and way out of it. Like your Belville cargo-ship space-station. ๐