LEGO's newest characters are incredibly important for young girls
LEGO
The trend of men dominating STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, math) has been omnipresent in the US, but not for any biological reason, many experts say. Most girls just aren't pushed in that direction.
Now the world's largest toy company wants to offer a gentle nudge.
Last year, LEGO released a massively popular line of female scientist minifigures, or "minifigs," those modular yellow characters the company is known for.
The idea was born on the LEGO Ideas site, where fans can nominate new product lines that LEGO considers if an idea amasses at least 10,000 supporters. The end result was Research Institute, a trio comprised of a chemist, a paleontologist, and an astronomer.
The company's new line of minifigs, released this month, includes female veterinarians, deep sea explorers, aerospace engineers, mechanics, and pit crew members.
Take this rough and tumble Dune Buggy operator, for example.
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The design will be available for purchase on August 1.
LEGO
Admittedly, LEGO still has a long way to go before achieving total minifig gender equality. While the company does produce more female characters overall, they're typically confined to non-professional personas, such as LEGO's line of Friends minifigs.
The open democracy of LEGO Ideas could pick up the slack.
Among the nominated entries are:
- The 19th-century computing pioneers Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage
- Noted geologist Circe Verba, depicted conducting research in both the lab and field
- Several of history's famed female scientists: paleontologist Mary Anning, x-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin, physicist Lise Meitner, and physicist Marie Curie
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