Alyska

Well, there's obviously a market for this sort of thing, so I don't bame Lego for wanting to appeal to girls by doing "girly" sets. On the other hand, I think that diversity is just as important for girls as it is for boys, and so there should be a wide range of products and styles available to them. Lego has attempted this by giving the Friends characters different personalities, but I think it's really only scratched the surface. Everything is still uniformly pastel-pretty.I hope Lego branches into different genres for girls, too. I'd like to see them do a fantasy line (preferably one in which the main characters are not princesses).I was coming up with a pitch for Lego Cuusoo the other day, which involved a toyline for girls, and I found myself stressing over whether I was being too stereotypical or not. Eventually, I just came to the conclusion that each character would have a completely different design and personality, so I could have a shamelessly girly character balanced out by more neutral or tomboyish characters. Having multiple characters allows you to that.

Okay...Anyone got any other ideas for a Lego line aimed at girls, that cuts down on the stereotyping?I was trying to think of some good licensed themes they could run, and then I realised that most franchises are boy-oriented or unisex, unless they are explicitly designed to sell toys to girls.Although, the new Pixar film is going to have a female lead. I'm looking foward to that.

It's nice to know that they've put a lot of thought into this, however, I kind of wish that Lego had been more willing to take risks and do something totally original for girls.

I've got some... ah... strong oppinions on stuff like this.I don't really like the fact that toys a re gender based.For one, if a girl in the Target age group liked hf, would she be made fun of? Maybe, but not as much as a 5-10 year old boy would for liking this. But why? Personally, I think its because that's what society encourages, fit in a stupid little mold, and if you don't, you become an outcast... somebody everyone picks on.And I know what that feels like. (Not that I like "girl" toys, but I certainly don't fit in that stupid mold.)

I do agree somewhat. It would be nice if more toys were percieved as gender neutral, but, in the world we currently live in, boys' and girls' toys are heavily segregated, and Lego's gotta do what they gotta do in order to make money. I remember that last year I suggested here that Lego could make Bionicle more gender-neutral by adding more female characters, and the response was overwhelmingly negative- and that was just the older fanbase talking! One thing that may help solve the problem of boys being ridiculed for liking something "girly", is an improvement in the quality of products aimed at girls, so that "feminine" is no longer synonomous with "lame". Maybe then, after a few years, it will be possible to make toys that appeal to both genders, when boys are no longer deterred by girls liking it, and vice versa.If you look at the friends sets, many of the girls are shown doing stereotypical things, such as cooking or horse riding, but there is one character who apparently likes to build robots in her spare time. I think the message that toys for girls need to start conveying is that there are many different ways to be a girl, all of them equally valid, and that you don't need to fit into the "shopping and makeup" mold.Incidentally, I'm now trying to pitch an idea for a Bionicle-equivalent for girls on Lego Cuusoo. I'd be interested to know what you guys thought of it.

Well, there's a possibility that superhero stories for girls are going to make a comeback, thanks to a certain Ms Faust working on a new TV show about the DC superheroines. There's also Mattel's Monster High, which I love as a premise for a girls' toyline, although it needs a bit of work on characterisation, and the outfits are still a bit Bratz-like. Other franchises are turning away from the stereotypical pastels and pinks, so if Lego starts playing follow-the-leader, they may eventually come out with something decent in, oh, about five to six years' time.But, yeah, the other franchises I mentioned are probably geared at a somewhat older audience. At that age, kids will be forming a more complex sense of identity, and moving away from the "I'm a girl! I like pink!" line of thought. At least one thing I'm pretty sure of is that LEGO will never resort to over-sexualised imagery like Barbie and Bratz- they're still keen to maintain their family-friendly reputation.I'm reading the Bloomberg article now, and I'm thinking that a lot of the principles that they applied in designing Friends- the detailed, attractive designs and the individual character personalities- could easily be applied to my idea for the constraction line, without it looking stereotypical at all. I think I may have incorporated some of those principles unconciously already, but I'm considering adding them to my rationale.

So, what's your opinion on the various girl-oriented sets released over the years? Paradisa, Clikits, Belville, and the new line, Lego Friends?Is there anything you would really like to see in a "girls' line" (Boys, this includes you, too- perhaps there's a specific part you would like in a colour that tends to be used only in products aimed at girls?)I for one would really like to see a story-driven constraction line (buildable figures) aimed at girls, with a more streamlined, feminine design than Bionicle or Hero Factory. I think it has the potential to include a wide range of styles and colour schemes.

Lego Friends needs to do moderately well, whether we like it or not. If they don't, Lego is not going to think "Oh, we're doing it wrong. Let's try something completely different for girls."; they're going to think "Girls are a waste of time and money," and not try anything else for another five years. Basically, it needs to do well enough to show that there's a market for it, but it needs enough room for improvement for them to want to make changes.And I agree with the bit about the age group. It seems to be aimed entirely at children under nine. I am a bit disappointed that Lego is going for something so generic, but the sets are quite well designed for what they are. Also, the advantage of something like this is that it's not dependent on story, like my Cuusoo idea is. It is definitely a "safe" option, but they have to start somewhere.I have a few issues with Cuusoo that I've mentioned in another topic, but one of the most irritating ones is that only the most recently updated/most supported projects get displayed on the front page. Basically, nobody is going to find a more obscure project unless they search for it. And so, some of the most "successful" projects are the ones that rely on comment spamming to stay on the front page.

Based on the first 24 hours, I don't have high hopes for my Cuusoo project, mainly because a majority of the target audience wouldn't be Lego fans already, and the site doesn't allow people under 13 to post or vote. And there's a lot of spam on that site, too.Oh well, it was worth a shot.Out of interest, does anyone else here have a Cuusoo account?

Well, they certainly have a long way to go, but at least Lego Friends is a sign that Lego is acknowledging that girls can like construction toys. I hope that the line sells reasonably well, so that Lego doesn't give up on girls altogether.

The number of suggestions regarding licensed sets has got me wondering whether the people who suggest them should actually get the 1% of sales profit, assuming such ideas end up being accepted. How much of it counts as their idea?Also, in the terms of the use of the service, there is a note about having to credit other people if you are not the original creator of it. I presume that many of the pitches would technically be violating this by failing to identify who actually owns the work. (It sounds like a nitpick, but it could result in Lego accidentally using another company's intellectual property without realising.)I don't think there's any limit to how many licensed themes can be suggested. And even if there was, the people on there are clearly not afraid to double up.

Seriously, this looks semi interesting. (not the theme, but more the idea) I wonder why Lego thinks this'll be successful when Belville and Clikits failed miserably.

Because these sets aren't ridiculously oversimplified and don't insult girls' intelligence?I think it's a step in the right direction, although it seems to be aimed squarely at the under-9s. I'm curious as to whether this line is going to have any story behind it at all... I'm kind of torn on stuff like this because in an ideal world, it should be possible to develop gender-neutral toys that have an even split between male and female characters, but at least this is a sign that Lego is acknowledging the potential for a female fanbase. Other companies, such as Mattel and Hasbro, cater to both genders equally (in terms of quantity,at least, if not in quality), so it's about time Lego started trying to catch up.

Trouble is, Sturgeon's law applies here. When you give everyone a voice, ninety per cent of what you get is crud. But that doesn't mean the service isn't worthwhile- the remaining ten per cent is worth dying for, even if it is hard to find. Perhaps the site could be moderated a little better, to avoid the dupe topics and the huge amount of spam in the comments section.But Lego does not have a good track record when it comes to maintaining web-based projects- they've cancelled Lego Universe, and they don't seem to put up much online story content for individual toylines after the first year. I hope they can keep this one up.Incidentally, one of the Cuusoo projects I saw this morning was "Bring back Lego Universe". I think that demonstrates pretty well that some people have completely missed the point of the service.

Could the Wendigos somehow be a creation of Discord, which would have been destroyed/ banished after the princesses defeated him? Perhaps Discord was still active during the events of the play, just not in the area where the action takes place.

Yeah, I was kind of wondering where the princesses were in all this. Although a tapestry/flag type thing that appeared to show Celestia and Luna appeared briefly.

So, what does everyone think of the new Lego Cuusoo service?I think it's a great idea, but I've found one issue with it. If you look at the "Top Ten projects" section, a majority of the most popular projects are licensed themes, rather than original ideas. Campaigns to bring back old lines, like Bionicle, also get a disproportionate amount of attention.Now, maybe the licensed themes are technically a fair use of the service, and many of the people submitting them have worked hard to create the MOCs, but I'm a bit concerned that they are jeopardising the opportunities of people who submit original ideas. Suggesting a licensed product gives you the advantage of instant brand recognition, and so people are more likely to vote for it than for something totally new. I would also question how likelihood of some of the licensed themes making it past Lego, as they require negotiations with the people who own the original franchises, not to mention licensing fees.Also, there is a potential problem with the doubling-up of ideas. Three projects out of the top ten involve Minecraft. Now, the one that got 10 000 votes and is currently in review by Lego is NOT the one that was created first. If Lego starts making Minecraft sets, who should the 1% of sales prize money go to in this situation?EDIT: I've just realised that the Minecraft project that did so well is actually one suggested by the company that owns Minecraft, not a fan. So, it looks as though none of the fans will get the 1% of the profit.So, what does everyone else think of the Cuusoo service?

I just thought how creepy it was MLP introduced a kind of monster that is known for cannibalism.

Well, the series has referenced cannibalism before, in terms of Zecora and Luna hypothetically gobbling other ponies up......Come to think of it, both references were made by Pinkie Pie...

A. I would bet hundreds of dollars it will never happen. The fan base is too small, for one, and the characters look like robots. It seems lots of people think bionicles are robots, and it's confusing that they are merely biomechanical creatures. That might be a bit of a hurdle. Also, the toy line has been discontinued, but that isn't as big a concern seeing as this is assuming Bionicle did or was coming back.

I thought the same thing for a while. But then you have a movie like Battleship coming out. I don't know if there's even a fanbase for Battleship. Seriously, you could make anything into a movie.

The one that really baffles me is Stretch Armstrong getting a film. I mean, at least kids still play with Battleship. These days, who would buy a miniature Talor Lautner made of stretchy rubber?

The trouble with listing video game characters here is that many of them don't have much characterisation, meaning that they aren't strong characters, even though they may be strong females. But, yeah, it depends on your definition of what makes a strong female character.

Yeah, she's my favourite, too. I sort of designed them with an animated TV show in mind, but I tried to make it plausible for them to work as sets.Thanks for supporting it!

It's online!I made a few edits to it, and added in a little more about the problem with existing girls' toys. There is an edit button on it, so I can make changes to it if necessary.I've decided that I'm not going to give Lego story ideas, even if I think of them, because anything put up there automatically becomes Lego's property, (even if it doesn't get 10 000 votes) and I don't want to give Lego story ideas without some guarantee that they're going to use them. The artwork should give you a better idea of what I'm going for.Ugh, I hate Bratz, too. I mean, fishnet stockings on something aimed at seven year olds? No thank you.

Yeah, I think one of my main arguments for Lego doing this (in addition to their other stuff for girls) is because nothing like it exists yet. Then again, that also makes it a complete "wild card" in that Lego has no idea if toys of this sort would sell or not. There's a lot of material I could put in the main post, but I think I might save this sort of thing for the comments section. I should be able to edit it if I need to. I'm sure a topic as controversial as this is bound to attract discussion.I am expecting a lot of criticism in that "We already have Lego Friends for girls! We don't need this!" or "Nooo, don't replace Hero Factory with this girly crud!", so I'll probably need to point out that this line CAN co-exist with the others without cannibalizing sales, because of the unique niche it has. I am a little worried that not many people on Cuusoo will be in my target audience, though, so I'm not expecting a significant number of supporters...And I've decided that my concept art will include three characters: One extremely girly, one more neutral/tomboyish looking... and one goth. I want to get the message across that this line can be very flexible style-wise.

Hmm... okay... where should I look for sources for my research?Another thing I have to take into account is that it also has to hold appeal for the general public. It has to get 10 000 votes before Lego even sees it. So, public first, Lego second. That's why I don't want to rant too much about girls' toys in general, and I'm trying to keep it worded positively. And criticising Lego outright may bring down the wrath of people who might have otherwise supported the idea. I have already mentioned that the sets will have more flexibility and play value than *ahem* competing products. I wouldn't dare say anything bad about MLP- I'd get slaughtered!You know, I was actually more concerned about overwhelming them with story than overwhelming them with set descriptions, which is why I didn't put much effort into describing the story. That, and the fact that anything I submit automatically becomes Lego's intellectual property, whether they use it or not- which means that I will never be able to use the ideas myself. So, I've come up with some stuff I'd like to see in the story, without giving them any info on the story itself. I'd actually rather see what Lego comes up with on their own.

Okay, here's the draft copy of what I'll be submitting on Cuusoo. Thoughts?

It's a bit stereotypical in some places, but remember, this is a toy company I'm talking to here.

Hmm... I don't see why not, but... girl's line toys can be iffy. If they're all just too pink and frilly I'd be inclined to shy away from it... O.oNot to say pink is bad or anything, it's just these things can be over-done.

And that reason is exactly why Lego needs to start doing something about it. Girls deserve better.I have the blurb 90% done, but I need an image to go with it. I'm not a MOCist, so I guess I'll just do an illustration.

I wouldn't really recommend MLP toys to anyone who wasn't already a fan. I don't think they have a lot of play value. A DVD of the show might be neutral, though.Actually, I think that's a problem with a lot of toys for girls. They often don't do much other than sit there and look cute.I'm also considering suggesting an idea for a constraction line (buildable action figures) aimed at girls on Lego Cuusoo. How many people here would support something like that?