Lego unveils new figures: stay-at-home dad and working mum
"We need to stay in tune with the world around us," says LEGO's president
Barbie isn't only the iconic kid's toy that's keeping up with the times.
Just recently, Lego introduced a new figure: a work-at-home (bearded hipster) dad pushing a baby stroller and a working mum wearing professional attire holding a baby bottle.
Reflecting modern family dynamics, the new figures are part of their Lego City line.
"We need to stay in tune with the world around us,” Lego’s President Soren Torp Laursen, told Fortune. He is also quick to clarify that the new additions are in no way a response to any urgent demand; it is simply the by-product of keeping track of the changing world around them and allowing their brand to grow along with it.
This effort to mirror present-day society was a hit when it debuted at the New York Toy Fair.
The new additions to the family of ‘little yellow people’ both focus on building a happy home.
In 2012, there were about 2 million stay-at-home dads in the United States.
Studies reveal that the number of fathers staying home with their children has nearly doubled since 1989.
Other new additions to the Lego Family
Aside from hipster dad and yuppie mum, the Lego city line also added female scientists as well as a wheelchair-bound figure to further broaden the diversity of their figures.
The fact that only 16 percent of Lego figures were female prompted author Melissa Wardy to post a petition on Change.org urging Lego to create an all-female scientist series.
Work Life Balance @LegoAcademics enjoy Friday drinks...because they know they'll be working through the weekend (v2) pic.twitter.com/kROfakdI9e
— Lego Academics (@LegoAcademics) August 12, 2014
"Girls can't be what they can't see and we demand more examples of girls and women that celebrate our intellect, courage and creativity," Wardy wrote in her petition on Change.org, which received over 40,000 signatures.
The entire Lego City line is set to be available in the market on June 2016.
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below.