Lego Friends, err, FIENDS

[Whiteagle]

Pube whips.

...I didn't know you were a fan of Bobobo-bo Horseman...

[Natalya]

I think its possible to have a story or something with a female protagonist I feel like boys could like it but only if that girl wasn't limited by her being a girl. By limited i mean like Bella in twilight is like totally pointless because her existence is determined by Edward... Her life revolves around him. That kind of crap boys won't go for but maybe if there was something where it wasn't dumb like that? I guess i don't know of any examples.

[Bragallot]

How about the Dark Swan so far trilogy by Richelle Mead? It's about a chick who kills demons and gets fucked by two guys repeatedly, but she doesn't take shit from either of them. Well, not as much as a stereotypical girl would anyway. They'd have to tone it down a little, but it could work.

It's not like Lego over-stereotypes women. The woman (not sure if she ever had a name) from Rock Raiders was totally badass, the one from Alpha Team wasn't a wimp either and Princess Storm just kicked ass. Then there's the female ninja, too. They also just released a Valkyrie collectible minifig.

All in all, it's just how you use your imagination however. In my Lego world Lego's King Leo's Wife is a badass sorceress and the King Leos have been degraded to normal footsoldiers, currently vikings even. Kids won't just stick by what you place in front of them, fe I remember someone saying - I think it was on this forum - that his kid liked the 'evil necromancer' of the Fantasy Era the best: he probably has him clobbering crownies around like a baws even though Lego made it obvious he's the bad guy.

But really, what does it even matter. Next thing you know people are going to insist including jews and muslims in kid's toys.

[mgb519]

I think its possible to have a story or something with a female protagonist I feel like boys could like it but only if that girl wasn't limited by her being a girl. By limited i mean like Bella in twilight is like totally pointless because her existence is determined by Edward... Her life revolves around him. That kind of crap boys won't go for but maybe if there was something where it wasn't dumb like that? I guess i don't know of any examples.

I can't claim to have personally played it (once watched my cousin play it), but what about "Oni"?

[Ben-Jammin]

How about the Dark Swan so far trilogy by Richelle Mead? It's about a chick who kills demons and gets fucked by two guys repeatedly, but she doesn't take shit from either of them. Well, not as much as a stereotypical girl would anyway. They'd have to tone it down a little, but it could work.

Is the movie of the same name based on this book series? Sounds somewhat interesting.

the one from Alpha Team

There were two actually: Cam and Radia.

[stubby]

It's not like Lego over-stereotypes women. The woman (not sure if she ever had a name) from Rock Raiders was totally badass, the one from Alpha Team wasn't a wimp either and Princess Storm just kicked ass. Then there's the female ninja, too.

Yeah, but even those are a sacrifice. The more prominently those characters are highlighted, you see immediate loss of interest in the target market. Just having them in there at all costs sales in a very real and measurable way, but Lego keeps sticking them in there because they're so conscious of their poor male-to-female minifig ratio.

They also just released a Valkyrie collectible minifig.

The collectible minifigs cater to a much broader market whose obsessive preoccupation with gender is much less overriding.

[NapalmKing]

There is buffy the Vampire slayer she is like bella in twilight except she slaughters vampires(this is the tv show not the BS movie)

[Natalya]

I totally want the valkyrie... Pics?

[Whiteagle]

There you go:

[Insert_blank]

All in all, it's just how you use your imagination however. In my Lego world Lego's King Leo's Wife is a badass sorceress and the King Leos have been degraded to normal footsoldiers, currently vikings even. Kids won't just stick by what you place in front of them, fe I remember someone saying - I think it was on this forum - that his kid liked the 'evil necromancer' of the Fantasy Era the best: he probably has him clobbering crownies around like a baws even though Lego made it obvious he's the bad guy.

I think this is a good point. When you buy an action figure or a doll there's not too much choice with how you play with them. Lego is different because it's entirely customizable. You can get a set and there are some instructions on how to build it but you can also throw those away and build whatever you want, customize the minifigs/dolls however you want, etc. My main argument for the Friends line is you don't have to build what's on the box. And I know that kids don't because my little brother and sister and I all used to play with Lego and build all kinds of stuff (now it's just me ) Kids have much bigger imaginations than most adults do and Lego is the toy that can let them use it quite easily.

[sjosten]

I think its possible to have a story or something with a female protagonist I feel like boys could like it but only if that girl wasn't limited by her being a girl. By limited i mean like Bella in twilight is like totally pointless because her existence is determined by Edward... Her life revolves around him. That kind of crap boys won't go for but maybe if there was something where it wasn't dumb like that? I guess i don't know of any examples.

bronises totally confirm this.

[Silverdream]

Next thing you know people are going to insist including jews and muslims in kid's toys.

I hope they do. We could always use a new bank or courtroom set. As for the muslims, I suppose you could have a bazhaar or something.

[aoffan23]

I'd also like to point out that there was a girl in the Pharaoh's Quest line. She came in two of the sets, and was equipped with the same stuff as the guys. But she was the only one with a scared face, so I think that was a dumb move by Lego. There was also the girl in Alien Conquest and the new Dino line. I think that including a female character, even if she's not the protagonist, would do the trick to get rid of the heat they get.

But honestly, it's a little unfair to blame one toy company for warping children's perspective of the two sexes. It's been driven deeply into society for as long as we know; hell, even prehistoric humans (as far as research shows) separated the men and the women into baby-raisers and hunters, respectively. Like stubby said, going against the grain doesn't always pay off, especially when it comes to little kids who see the same kind of roles portrayed on cartoons, in movies, fairy tales, etc.

[Gungnir]

But she was the only one with a scared face, so I think that was a dumb move by Lego.

I think that has less to do with "women are helpless" and more with "we have all these extra decals."

The chick in the Atlantis line was pretty kick-ass, IMO.

[Ross_Varn]

Is it a bad thing that I wish I had more female minifig heads on hand? No. It's not. And I guess I can see how that impact effects the market, but I personally don't agree with it. Both sides of the argument seem to make up a lot of things where they don't belong- actually that's true for almost any high-stakes argument nevermind