This month, LEGO introduced the LEGO Ideas Research Institute set. The set includes an all female cast: a paleontologist, chemist, and an astronomer. When I ordered the set last week, the site listed a 30-day wait, but now the set is completely out of stock on LEGO’s site. I’m encouraged by the popularity of the set, and I hope they plan to make more of this set. LEGO, I think, is long overdue for some serious sets depicting women doing things other than baking or making lemonade. Not that there’s anything wrong with baking or making lemonade, but the LEGO Friends sets do tend to put females in a stereotypical box. (Although, to be fair, the new Jungle Falls Rescue set looks interesting, with activities such as rescuing a cub). But, the LEGO Ideas Research Institute set reaches beyond LEGO Friends, and gives us a set that not only includes female scientists, but includes those scientists as minifigs, rather than the “dolls” of the LEGO Friends sets.
Why did LEGO move past the “dolls” of LEGO Friends to female scientists? Earlier this year, 7-year-old Charlotte wrote a letter to LEGO complaining about the divide between the “female” toys and “male” toys. The letter went viral, and many news outlets referred to her letter earlier this month when LEGO Ideas Research Institute was released. This article (used here as a typical example of what I saw), asks the question, ”Could the new female figures be a response to the scathing letter — which went viral over social media — written by a 7-year-old girl?. The article then notes, Lego responded that is developing new male and female figures. And, then the article (and many other articles I read) goes on to discuss the letter and it’s relation to the LEGO Ideas Research Institute set. It’s a cute story. I loved Charlotte’s letter and that it went viral. But, to end the story there leaves out the really cool story of how the set developed.
The LEGO Ideas Research Institute set was originally submitted as a LEGO Ideas (then LEGO Cuusoo) in 2012. LEGO Ideas is a program that allows users to submit their designs to be considered for official LEGO sets. The way LEGO Ideas works, in a nutshell, is a user submits his or her design and works to get support. Once, the design has 1000 supporters, the project gets an official mention from LEGO. Once, the project has 10,000 supporters it moves on to LEGO’s review board for consideration, where the project might possibly become an official set. But, moving to review doesn’t guarantee LEGO will manufacture the set. At this point, LEGO takes into account many other factors, such as set stability, copyright issues, whether or not they think the set will sell to a larger audience, etc. Ellen Kooijman submitted this set in 2012, and it received its 10,000 votes by Jun of 2013. LEGO announced the set, originally submitted as LEGO Female Minifigures, would become the official LEGO Ideas Research Institute on June 3, 2014. It’s possible Charlotte’s letter had an impact on this set (and, I like to think it did), but I hate to ignore the long process the set when through to pass review and become official. The sets designer, Ellen Kooijman and her many supporters show that this is the type of set many fans were hoping for. (Its quickly sold-out status certainly doesn’t hurt that argument either!)
I think it’s necessary to recognize that the designer, Ellen Kooijman, is a female geoscientist. However, I have also seen some criticism about the way she is listed on LEGO’s site. The product’s description notes the set was “Created by real-life geoscientist, Ellen Kooijman.” Some understandably object to the necessity of noting that she is a “real life” scientist. I agree that perhaps the wording could be better. But, I appreciate the nod to her profession, as it legitimizes playing with LEGOs and perhaps gives girls a role model. I think it’s badass that a geoscientist designed the set, and it makes me feel a bit better about the countless hours I spend playing with the bricks. I hope we can look forward to more sets in this series.
