Josie was very lucky to be sent some of the latest Lego Friends range to review. Despite some of the initial household raised eyebrows about pink Lego in our house and on the Internet a large, Josie was so pleased with the last little set she received that she blew some birthday money on more of it. So getting a fresh set, in the shape of Mia’s musical bedroom the other day was a major bonus.
The new range concentrates mostly on outdoor pursuits and animals; while I’m no fan of gender specific toys in general, I do like that Josie has really enjoyed playing with this range in her own way. She’s naturally imaginative and likes to play complex games with bits of stuff, but she’s also a ‘set’ type of child. She doesn’t particularly mix things up and she likes toys to be represented by the things they really are, so she tends to keep her Lego friends in their own little box and enjoy building and playing with the bricks they came with. No mini figures are allowed to cross the ‘Friends’ threshold 😉 Gradually though, extra Lego has been allowed to make accessories and buildings for them, so it’s expanded her creativity, while letting her play in a style that suits her. A Lego figure with a drum set though, now tha she likes 😉
You can see the full new range (melting hearts at the riding school here!) on the Lego website. I can forsee the advent calendar, coming out soon, being a huge hit 🙂 As it happens, I’ve also been waxing a bit lyrical on the DKL site about construction toys, so there you go. Perfect 😉
I have been put off by the gender stereotyping issue but the boys have been telling Tabby she wants Lego Friends for so long that now of course she does, so will probably be on the Christmas list. I bet the boys will play with it as much as she does though, just as much as as she plays with theirs!
My initial reaction to the Friends range was much the same as yours – eye rolling and concerns about gender stereotyping. Then a Lego designer told me that girls who start with Friends gradually expand into other bricks and other ranges. It’s nice to hear that is what Josie is doing.