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Iconic toy brand LEGO recently launched a new line of toys meant just for girls — but two young women, Bailey Shoemaker-Richards and Stephanie Cole, think the products are unfairly “dumbed down” for girls. The new line is called LadyFigs, and it’s made up of busty, pastel-colored figurines that come with interests like shopping, hair-dressing, and lounging at the beach. The uninspired toys even come with pre-assembled environments — so there is no assembly (or imagination) required. Bailey and Stephanie say they’re frustrated that LEGO is pushing outdated gender roles on girls and cheating them of the opportunity to build and discover. So they took to the internet, blogging about what they call the new “Barbielicious” LEGOs and petitioning the toy company to lose the sexist LadyFigs line and go back to empowering both boys and girls with its original products. Click here to sign Bailey and Stephanie’s petition today. LEGO hasn’t always thought its toys were only for boys. In the 1980s, the company was actually celebrated for a major advertising campaign that spotlighted a young girl and her LEGO creation with the tagline “What it is is beautiful.” But since then, LEGO reversed course and decided to market its products only to boys. The company claims its research shows girls just don’t appreciate the original LEGO line. But Bailey and Stephanie argue that with LEGO’s renewed emphasis on boys — featuring only boys in its ads and stocking products in the boys’ aisles of toy stores — it’s no wonder young girls wouldn’t think LEGOs were meant for them. Bailey and Stephanie’s fight to get LEGO to return to its gender-neutral toys is already making waves, with the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Time weighing in on the issue. But LEGO is stubbornly holding its ground and told Business Week that the LadyFigs launch is a “strategic” move to “reach the other 50 percent of the world’s children,” as if girls have never been part of LEGO’s focus. Public pressure can prove LEGO wrong. If enough people sign Bailey and Stephanie’s petition, it could convince LEGO that the new LadyFigs are bad business and the company should return its focus to empowering boys AND girls with toys that inspire creativity and innovation. Tell LEGO to stop selling out girls — sign Bailey and Stephanie’s petition today. Thanks for being a change-maker, – Shelby and the Change.org team |
Tag Archives: Lego
You did it! Mattel cuts ties with rainforest destruction! …Rolf Skar
Thank you. |
Because of you, we’re one step closer to protecting the last Sumatran tigers.
Our campaign to get Mattel, the world’s biggest toy company, to stop doing business with Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has ended in a resounding victory. This is great news for Indonesian rainforests and the communities and wildlife that depend on them. But there’s more.
Mattel has not only instructed its suppliers to avoid wood and paper from companies involved in controversial forest destruction like APP, but also to increase the amount of recycled paper and wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in their packaging.
APP has been driving the destruction of rainforests in Indonesia for years, including the forest homes of the last 400 Sumatran tigers. Despite expensive ad campaigns claiming they are environmentally responsible, Greenpeace has shown they are continuing to drive the destruction of tiger habitat.
That’s why Greenpeace launched an international campaign to go after their customers, knowing that, once the company’s true colors were exposed, companies would drop them and help protect Indonesia’s forests. That campaign is working.
In June we launched a report calling out leading toy makers for wrapping their toys in packaging made from rainforest destruction. Within a month, Lego agreed to drop companies involved in deforestation, including APP. Now we can celebrate Mattel adding to that progress, dropping APP and releasing a global paper buying policy.
I’m so proud of what we’ve done together. The news today is a big win for Indonesian rainforests, Sumatran tigers and our planet. But our work isn’t done. APP is still destroying Indonesian rainforests, and there are still companies doing business with them. We need to keep the pressure on until APP finally learns that rainforest destruction is bad for business and cleans up its act. There is no time to waste if we want to protect the last Sumatran tigers and the rainforests they call home.
With your support, I know we will succeed.
For the forests,
Rolf Skar
Greenpeace Senior Forest Campaigner
P.S. This work is only possible because of your support. Greenpeace doesn’t take a cent from corporations or governments. Help us protect the last Sumatran tiger and the world’s rainforests.
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1st Victory …Rolf Skar, Greenpeace
You have helped us achieve something amazing and I can’t thank you enough. Thanks to you, we have shown a global spotlight on Mattel and exposed Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) for destroying tiger forests. As a result, the toy industry is starting to clean up their act.
There’s no doubt they know you are watching.
Since our campaign kicked off last month, the response has been amazing. More than 60,000 of you sent letters to Mattel urging them to drop APP and adopt policies to protect forests. But Mattel isn’t the only toy company we are holding accountable. In our recent Toying With Extinction report, we showed that Hasbro, Disney and Lego were wrapping toys in rainforest destruction.
I’m happy to say we have our first victory!
Just last week, Lego became the first toy giant to stand up for Indonesian forests. This is big news, and sign that our efforts are working. Lego announced a plan to end business with companies linked to deforestation, reduce its packaging, maximize recycled paper content, and source only certified sustainable wood for any virgin tree fiber it uses. That’s great news for rainforests and the people and wildlife that depend on them.
As for Mattel, they have said publicly they will drop APP and make a new policy to protect forests. But for forests, actions are more important than words. Greenpeace is keeping the pressure on Mattel — the world’s largest toy company — until they back up their statements with real changes.
You might wonder, do toy companies really matter? The answer is: absolutely. Mattel claims to sell three Barbie dolls every second. That’s just one of their toys. And Mattel is just one of the toy companies we’re changing. Add them all up, and the toy industry uses a lot of paper.
Through our high-profile, global campaign, we are sending a clear message to companies around the world that rainforest destruction is bad for business. We couldn’t do that without you.
Our work isn’t done yet, and its critical that we keep up the pressure. I’ll update you as we achieve more together. But for now, it’s also important for us to pause, celebrate our latest victory, and say thanks.
For the forests,
Rolf Skar, Senior Forest Campaigner
Greenpeace
P.S. Our dedicated staff around the world — including those on the ground in Indonesia — are fighting hard to save critically endangered Sumatran tigers. With your help, we can bring them back from the brink of extinction. If you haven’t already please make a donation to Greenpeace today.
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