From the very first moment with begin to play as kids, it can help shape our future in many ways. It can inspire careers, interests and our view of the world around us. The importance of play has always been at the core of many LEGO products. Minifigures had a yellow skin tone to make them as generic as possible to appeal to kids of all ethnicities. But differences don’t just end at the colour of someone’s skin. People can have physical differences and as a young person, these can prove challenging and isolating, if the world around them is a little less unique. As much fun as it is for LEGO sets to let kids become their favourite superheroes, craft their own starships or wrangle dinosaurs, being able to see yourself in the characters in those sets is equally as important.
Back in 2017, the LEGO Group quietly introduced a new minifigure-scale wheelchair accessory in the LEGO City People in the Park set. This received widespread praise and was one of the first steps in having a more inclusive cast of characters in their sets. More recently an improved wheelchair element was introduced in the Avatar Floating Mountains set.
Similar wheelchair users have also been featured in other LEGO themes, including LEGO Friends, LEGO City and LEGO ICONS sets. They have also been featured in a more sporty light with a stunt-loving wheelchair user included in the LEGO City Skate Park and a Wheelchair Racer in the Series 22 LEGO Minifigures.
Sticking with LEGO City, a hearing aid user was included in the LEGO City Adventures Main Square set. A blind guide dog user was included in the Town Centre set and more recently, a shopper with a blade prosthetic leg was included in the Grocery Store set.
With the announcement of the LEGO Ideas Table Football set, its 22 minifigures introduce even more inclusive minifigures, including one with Villagio, a skin condition which results in unique patches of different coloured skin. All these little details help those who deal with differences see themselves in the world around them.
8th October 2022
I think LEGO are really trying to encourage diversity through the sets and toys they produce, and, in my opinion, it’s about time.
Children are very accepting. They don’t have preconceptions around disability or race or gender or things that make us different. Their play friends are Oscar and Ruby and Mohammed and Sara.
And, as LEGO regularly quote: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”