Alyska

Unfortunately, I couldn't get ahold of Ms Faust, but I posted the project this morning.Milky Way and The Galaxy Girls on LEGO CUUSOO.I still would like to tell her about it, though, so if anyone knows how I can contact her, please let me know!I know the character bios on the website give the impression of being much girlier than MLP, but to be fair, if you read similar bios of the MLP characters (without having watched the show) they would probably give off a similar impression. I mean, you've got the fashion designer, the animal lover, the baker, etc, which sound like stereotypically girly characters until you see the show.I guess what i'm trying to say is that it depends heavily on the execution of the idea, rather than the idea itself, but with Lauren in charge, I'm sure it would be amazing.

I found another great Cuusoo project this morning, which uses customised Friends minidolls. Definitely worth a look, regardless of what your opinion on the dolls is.

I've just seen another Cuusoo project I would like to recommend- "Friends In Space" by builder42. The use of the modified Friends minidolls is just amazing.If Lego starts making figures like those, I'm sure it will convert many of the minidoll's critics.

Why do I get the feeling that Appledash ships are going to be renamed "ZapApple" ships?Is it bad that that was my first thought upon seeing the apples?

What is and isn't a gender specific toyline is difficult to define. I know I've pitched this as being "for girls", but I actually think it has the potential to appeal to both genders- especially in terms of the story. After all, most of my supporters so far have been male.I would actually say that Bionicle was a gender-specific toyline. It was deliberately aimed at boys, making absolutely no effort to interest girls, as you can probably see in the small number of female characters, and the overall marketing style. It had a story that could probably interest both genders, but that story was not communicated much in the advertising. I know I wouldn't have given Bionicle a second glance if I had not been looking over my brother's shoulder as he was playing MNOG. So, is it a bad thing that Bionicle was designed only to appeal to boys? Maybe, maybe not. There are both advantages and disadvatages to appealing to a narrow audience as opposed to a wide one, and I guess we just have to assume that Lego knows what they're doing most of the time. I actually think that if my project idea was done well, the number of males in its fanbase could definitely outnumber the number of females in the Bionicle fandom (not that that is much of an acheivement, but still...).As for the marketing... hey, Lego Friends is getting a $40 million advertising campaign. Lego wants to appeal to girls, and they are prepared to put time, money and effort into it. Hopefully, they will have succeeded in developing something of a female fanbase by the time my project gets through to the set designers (if it ever does, that is...). And if they dont succeed in getting female fans this year, doesn't that mean they should keep trying until they do? Lego in general is doing quite well at the moment, so now is a time when they can afford to take risks and try new things.

One thing about being a closet brony: You have to dumb down your knowledge of MLP when it comes up in a subject.

I used to do the same thing with Bionicle......I mean, uh, Bionicles!My brother doesn't really know I'm a fan of MLP, but I've watched a few episodes in his presence. He thinks I'm just doing it to troll him.

I sent off an email to Ms Faust this morning regarding Milky Way and Lego Cuusoo. Fingers crossed.

Yeah, the main idea of this is for the parts to blend in as seamlessly with Bionicle and HF parts as possible, while maintaining the feminine look, and, hopefully introducing some nice, streamlined new pieces. Because the characters are wearing virtually full suits of armour except for the faces, they would be closer to the Superhero sets than the Galidor line.

Yeah, I was being sarcastic/ironic with the gingers thing- sorry if I failed to get that across or offended anyone. I was just trying to point out why the ad wouldn't be published today, and you don't see a lot of redheaded kids in advertising for that reason. Actually, if you think about it, discrimination against people based on hair colour is technically racism, except that most people don't see it like that.And bumblebee, those things on your list add up to a broader concept about gender- It's the idea that male is the default, "normal" form of humanity, while women are... something else. That's why, in our modern society, a woman is allowed to do virtually anything a man can do, but there are certain, "womanly" behaviours/traits that are considered off-limits to men. (The example I like to use is the brony-hater brigade. It's okay for me as a female to like Bionicle, but apparently it's not okay for blokes to like a show aimed at young girls) It ends up being offensive to both sexes when you think about it.

That ad has been doing the rounds of the internet for a while now. And you're right, Zippy- no one would want to see an ad with a child dressed like that any more, although it's more because she would be perceived as scruffy/daggy rather than questions about her gender. Little girls in ads these days need to be immaculately groomed, have perfect hair and teeth, and preferably be at least two to three years older than the intended age group (I remember seeing an ad for Clikits where the girls looked about sixteen). Oh, and no gingers. Ever.

It was Lauren Faust, on a certain art site. Although her ideas may or may not be canon at this point.Besides, I think if Pinkie had seen her own sister onstage, she probably would have at least said hello.

Yes, because lines like Hero Factory, Ben 10 and the new Super Hero constraction figures are boy-only lines that don't appeal to girls. We all know that girls ONLY buy products that are PINK, and quite right too.Heck, imagine if girls started to LIKE toys that boys like?! The next thing, they'll want to BE boys. DOWN WITH THAT SORT OF THING.So anyway, no. Let's not push the same sexist divisions that more other companies push, eh? Infact, theres a 7 year old girl on a video site who does a lecture in a toyshop about this to her father, and she's far more convincing than me.- Tilius

Tilly, please take the time to look at my project before you criticise it.Out of all the characters I've drawn, there is exactly one character who has any pink on her. Complaining about pinkness when you haven't given it a proper look isn't going to make your argument very convincing. People are going to think you're just stereotyping, and I know you wouldn't do that. And I agree that in a perfect world, Lego should be a truly gender neutral toy, but the way things currently are, a majority of Bionicle and Hero Factory's fanbase is male. I liked Bionicle, but I was an anomaly, and as I grew older, there were a number of things about Bionicle's gender dynamics that seriously began to bother me.At one time, I truly did believe that Bionicle could be gender neutral if there were more female characters and a different marketing style, but every time I suggested something like that, I'd get cries of "NO! Girls have got Barbie, let us keep Bionicle!" or "I don't want a pink Toa!" or " Girls should be able to like Bionicle as it is! One female character out of six is enough!" (Funny how every time I mention girls, everyone assumes I want to paint everything pink. I never even mentioned pink.)Anyway, it was made very clear to me that a girl-friendly Bionicle was never gonna happen. So, I'm changing my tactics, and a lot of people have responded positively to it. Once they actually look at the page, of course.And that little girl in the toystore? She said girls should be able to like superheroes. I agree, so I'm making some cool, female superheroes for her and other girls to enjoy.I like to think that she would approve.

I seriously dont get this. not the project, but the news story. why did this get on the front page? just because it's made by a bzp member does that mean its on the front page? the minecraft one, I get. that makes sense because it was succesful, it got it's 10,000. but his? karzahni! lets make a front page story about every bzp member's cuusoo ideas!?!?!?!??!? i just think its not right to make a front page story about this, without making a news story about other bzp cuusoo ideas, like the bring back bionicle one, for mata nui's sake! like i said, I consider it fine to do a front page story about the ones that get their 10k, like the minecraft one, for instance, but making a front page story about this? it's unfair and disgraceful, in my opinion, putting THIS over all the other bzp member's ideas, when this hasn't even got its 10k! and your putting THIS over bionicle. thats just even more saddening and bone chilling then that my little pony meme

I don't quite know why my project got featured over so many others (I wasn't the one who submitted the news story), but I do know why the Bionicle one wasn't featured. The Cuusoo service is for original product ideas, whereas the BBB one is little more than petition and therefore, technically, an abuse of the system. I'm actually surprised that it hasn't been deleted yet.Aaand, it's been a slow news week. They had to put something up, right? :PMaybe if other people start recommending their favourite Cuusoo projects, they will be featured too. They could have a "Cuusoo idea of the week" or something.

So, anyone else interested in the Milky Way thing? I'm currently working on some concept sketches of what the characters might look like as "minidolls", and so far, I like the way they're turning out. If enough people are interested, I might make a separate topic for it...

Thanks!After reading that article, I definitely want to see more shops laying out toys based on type, not gender. It encourages kids to define themselves by their personal interests, rather than their gender. If my Cuusoo project ever got made, I would want to see the sets on the shelves in the Lego section, right next to Hero Factory, or whatever other constraction lines Lego is producing by then.Actually, that brings me to a big question that's risen up in several places since the release of Friends:"Why is Lego not a gender neutral toy?"I think it it's partly due to the assumption many people have that anything that is not explicitly for girls must be a boys' toy, a mentality which quickly gets passed down to children. It also seems to be deliberately invoked by Lego through the storylines and marketing- the advertisements almost always focus on boys, and the story-driven lines have little to no female characters. I think one day, Lego will be able to produce truly gender-neutral products, but it will require a serious overhaul of how toys in general are marketed before it can work.

I was wondering where all those new votes were coming from...Thank you so much for featuring this! And a big thank you to everyone who voted, too. This has just made my week. :)Kanohi_master- Actually, the idea for this originally came from a topic I made on BZP a few years ago, speculating whether Bionicle could appeal to a gender-neutral audience if it had, say, a few tweaks to the marketing and more female characters. The response I got was an overwhelming NO, even from Greg himself. So, this is my idea of a compromise- a separate line, compatible with Bionicle parts, that can hopefully help bridge the gender divide.

It depends... does it come with its own quill and paper, so you can PRETEND she's doing her HOMEWORK?

Great. Now, remember the Minecraft project on Lego Cuusoo? BZP news covered it a couple of weeks ago. The makers of Minecraft, Mojang, started up an official project, and it got the required 10 000 votes almost instantly.What I think we should do is to get some talented builders to make some models of Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls, ( be they character models or other set ideas), send them to Ms Faust, and see if we can get her approval to pitch it as an "Official" project on Cuusoo. Hopefully, it will get plenty of publicity, which will draw in a few thousand bronies, and we can make this happen. If Lego has an ounce of sense, they'll be willing to let her do a show for it too.But first, the models- anyone got any ideas?

The main problem with this, is that Lauren Faust does not own MLP:FiM. Hasbro does.She's no longer in charge of the project.

I'm actually talking about Lauren Faust's other project, Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls, which she has been trying to get made into a show/toyline for the past few years. Hasbro hasn't picked it up, so I was thinking maybe Lego would.There are several reasons I think this could work:-Lego is now trying to appeal more to a female audience with the new Friends line and the introduction of the "Minidoll" figure.-Lego has started making TV shows for several of its toylines.-Lauren Faust has a well-established fanbase, and if Lego's got any sense, they should bend over backwards to get her on board.-The LEGO CUUSOO service allows the public to vote for new Lego toyline/set ideas.-And, well, you saw what happened when the official Minecraft project was announced...

I've got a couple of character bios up on Cuusoo, in case anyone's interested.And yeah, I've seen the Friends site... there's a lot of hugging involved. It's looking a bit sparse, content-wise- I was hoping they'd have some sort of story content avilable. The story stuff is really what's going to define whether it's sending a good message to girls or not, since there's so much emphasis on the individual personalities of the characters. I'm sure the sets will naturally branch out into less stereotypical stuff as the line progresses- this year is just playing it safe to give it time to gather an audience.I've read through all the bios, and I can't figure out which girl is meant to be the funny one. And if there isn't a funny one, I will be seriously disappointed. When not even a female-focused line can produce a female comic relief character, there is something very, very wrong. Comic relief. It's serious business.

I'm thinking maybe minidolls rather than minifigs, to suit the design of the characters a bit better. Similar to LEGO Friends, but perhaps with more rounded faces and a more cartoony look.If we could come up with a possible set for each of the twelve characters, that would be a good start- the trouble is that the website doesn't offer much information. (Is it scifi? Fantasy? Slice of life? Are the girls in space? Do they live on their respective planets? Except, they sort of are the planets... I'm confused. Eh, I guess it's open to interpretation for now.

Great. Now, remember the Minecraft project on Lego Cuusoo? BZP news covered it a couple of weeks ago. The makers of Minecraft, Mojang, started up an official project, and it got the required 10 000 votes almost instantly.What I think we should do is to get some talented builders to make some models of Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls, ( be they character models or other set ideas), send them to Ms Faust, and see if we can get her approval to pitch it as an "Official" project on Cuusoo. Hopefully, it will get plenty of publicity, which will draw in a few thousand bronies, and we can make this happen. If Lego has an ounce of sense, they'll be willing to let her do a show for it too. But first, the models- anyone got any ideas?

Is anyone here familiar with/interested in Lauren Faust's other project, Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls?It's something she's been working on for a while, but hasn't managed to get anyone to pick it up. The reason she got the job on My Little Pony was because she'd gone to Hasbro to pitch it as a line of dolls with a TV show.I have a plan.It involves Lego Cuusoo, an army of Lego MOCist bronies, and, hopefully, Lauren herself.Anypony interested?

I haven't watched all the episodes of the TV show, but do we know where Lord Garmardon is... Has he even appeared since he escaped from the underworld? Could his return to the world of the living have caused him to be transformed into a child?I mean, if Lloyd is Lord Garmardon, logically he should look a bit younger given that he wouldn't have had time to grow up... unless minifigs mature differently?

The thing is- we should be able to expect great quality entertainment from Lego. After all, their motto is "Only the best is good enough"- shouldn't that extend to their entertainment media as well as their toys? Hasbro has got the art of story-driven toylines downpat, so I think Lego needs to start heading in that direction by hiring experienced creators and scriptwriters.I was thinking last night of how good the Hero Factory podcasts were, and that Friends should do something similar. As a light-hearted line, there should be plenty of room for comedy. Just give one of the characters an additional interest in being a radio announcer/commedienne, and she can create her own podcasts featuring herself and her friends (A homemade radio studio would also make an interesting set). The fact that one of the girls is a singer could also provide additional material, as they could have some of her music on the podcasts.

Aanchir- I think the reasons MLP makes it work is because:1) The show sends the message that there are many different ways to be a girl. The fashion designer, the baker and the vet (?) are balanced out by the scholar, the athlete, and the farmer.2) The characters' personalities are shown to be much deeper and more complex than just their interests. It takes the girly stereotypes, runs around with them, drags them through the dirt, hits them a few times with a hammer, and then fixes them up to be better than they were before. It's girly, but it's redefined and reconstructed "girly" into something more substantial and interesting.Lego Friends seems to be attempting to recreate the first point, given the character of Olivia, who likes inventing robots. However, there is only one of her, so it's not a perfect balance. It will be interesting to see whether the characters' personalities are given more depth when the story material comes out.

It actually looks a bit sparse at the moment, compared to their other story driven themes...Lego said there was a $40 million dollar marketing campaign behind this. Did they spend it all on making those girls giggle and hug each other?