Lego Friends thoughts

Hello whoever might be out there,

I love Lego Friends. It is a interest that has stuck with me ever since I was six years old, so much so that it influenced my choice in name change (no, Mae is not my real name). I was there for the OG five with their OG designs. Mia, Emma, Olivia, Stephanie, and Andrea. I have seen the drama over the 2018 redesign. I have seen even more drama over the 2023 overhaul. Nova, Autumn, Liann, Leo, Olly, Zac, Paisley, and Aliya. I love it.

To (not so) briefly outline, the original designs of the five girls were extremely non-diverse and stereotypical. Four out of the five girls were white, and even then Andrea was simply the token "slightly darker skinned" girl. From left to right: Mia was ginger and liked animals but notably, unlike the other girls, wears trousers!; Emma was black-haired and liked art and karate. Andrea was, as I previously stated, the token non-white girl with brown curly hair, and she liked singing; Stephanie was blonde and liked baking; Olivia was brown haired and liked science. Very stereotypical, but still very nostalgic. The brand was making a name for itself within the Lego franchise. But it became so popular that there were TV shows and films made, which I am lucky enough to own two of, "Friends are forever" and "Friends together again". (By the way, if anyone has the middle DVD of this set, please do let me know because it is driving me nuts that I am missing "Friends always together".) These films became a staple in kids animation at the time, and I am so glad they did, because the popularity of Lego Friends pushed workers at Lego to see the issue with these stereotypes among girls. At the time, the characters' personalities were not overly distinct, and traits often blended together to serve as one odd collective personality, something that nostalgia blind fans refuse to admit. You can like something while still acknowledging its problems. Promoting positive themes of kindness and friendship, but also still reinforcing labels in a way that I don't care if I get called "woke" for calling out.

The 2018 redesign was like breathing a breath of fresh air. The girls have (mostly) all new looks, personalities, and in some cases, races. People who hate on this redesign are people-haters. Nostalgia blind. Ignorant. This redesign solves 99% of the problems from the original, and accompanies an absolutely top tier TV show I will discuss in a separate post (it was originally supposed to be this post, but once I start talking about Lego Friends, I can't stop.) The girls are suddenly people. Five different people all united by friendship and a strong sense of justice. It sends a positive message, that doing the right thing sometimes involves taking risks but always ends up net-positive. It sets the precedent that girls can be bold and outspoken. They can have goals and dreams, and most importantly; they can achieve them. You could say these girls are... on a mission. That's a pun by the way, it's the name of the show. Even in the photo I have attached, the girls' individual personalities show. Stephanie remains the same appearance wise, but her interests have focused to be more sports based, reflecting and emphasising her competitive and determined personality. Emma's appearance has now changed to show her Asian decent, which just made sense, and she now has a much stronger focus on art as well as fashion design and textiles, but is just as aloof as she has always been. Mia is more ginger, shocker, and is much more confident and sarcastic, still keeping her "tomboy-ish" personality with her love for skateboarding and camping, but still has that love for animals, specifically horses. I like to say this redesign simply made her more her own person. 

Olivia is the most drastic change between the two, receiving the most backlash from so called "fans". She is now of Latina descent, as is her mother, and also has glasses. She has become even more passionate for science, describing herself as a "mad scientist" but would only ever use her powers for good. Or what she sees as good. People who were fans of Olivia before the redesign didn't like Olivia for her personality or interests, and that is clear from the amount of backlash her character received after the redesign. Her personality hardly changed, the only thing that did were her looks. The brown haired white girls lost their Lego Friends representative. And that includes me! I look pretty damn similar to 2012 Olivia. But I am not mad, because I have the social awareness to know that my appearance is not something that is, by any means, lacking representation in the media. I can let this one go. This change to Olivia was good, and anyone who says otherwise only value Lego Friends for what they look like, not the message they bring. Finally for the 2018 redesign, Andrea is no longer the token "dark-skinned" girl. She is black, and that is something that was long overdue. She is bold and passionate, although not always level-headed and doesn't think her plans all the way through unlike Olivia and Mia. She is perfect.

It is also important to discuss how family dynamics have shifted in this redesign to reflect what many young people seeing, the show in particular, would be experiencing. Emma has a step-dad and isn't afraid of that fact. Mia is dealing with her older brother moving away for college. Stephanie has tension with her older sister. Andrea has a fantastic dynamic with her younger sister who, much to Andrea's disappointment, sees Olivia as her role model. But my favourite by far is Olivia's family dynamic. Her parents are divorced, and there is an entire episode (Season 3, Episode 9 - Daddy's Girl) dedicated to her Dad trying, and somewhat failing, to reconnect with his daughter. The reference to this episode in the latest episode of The Next Chapter inspired me to write this blog in the first place, but I will gush about it more in another post. But that episode of Girls on a Mission is a gorgeous piece of children's animation. It shows everything Lego Friends stands for. Would recommend, you can watch it on Netflix.

The only somewhat valid argument I have seen regarding the hate towards the redesign is the shift in aesthetic between the two. The 2012 version focuses on purples and pinks, while the 2018 version introduced this bolder rainbow palette. I think this signifies the eras of the girls' development. They aren't shy and awkward anymore, they're bold and proud. And anyway, why can't girls like blue?

Then there is the 2023 redesign. I have included a named photo for convenience. This one caused drama because it was a complete overhaul of the theme. A whole new generation, quite literally. One of the characters, Autumn, is Mia's daughter. And I think it works nicely. We all grow up, and the girls we grew up with are grown up themselves now. It was a smart move by Lego. A new generation, or as the accompanying show calls it, "The Next Chapter." These young people represent what young people really are - diverse! First and most obvious, there are boys included in the main eight! Boys have featured in Lego Friends forever, Ethan is considered to be Emma's boyfriend, Daniel is Mia's older brother and has featured several times since 2012, Jacob was prominent in the original 2012 series. But now boys make up 50% of the Lego Friends, just like the real world. Lego Friends isn't a "girls" theme anymore, it's for everyone. Additionally, within the group, some members are closer than others, and that is okay! Paisley and Olly are the first pair that spring to mind. Paisley is an extraordinarily shy and awkward girl but has an incredible gift for music, inspired by her late mother, but she is encouraged by Olly, a flamboyant, fame craving fashion designer. They pair up in the series and it is a perfect demonstration of how friendships aren't always perfect, but they work through problems. Zac and Aliya are also often paired together, but I think the fact they are cousins has influenced that. They are stereotypical dead opposites. Zac is rather chaotic and impulsive and loves dance, while Aliya is a perfectionist academic neat freak. Aliya's character is interesting to me, as I know multiple people who this reminds me of, and even at some points myself. She strives to be perfect, be the best at everything, to always win. However, in the process she overwhelms herself with more work than she is prepared to manage, sometimes having to be, quite literally, in two places at once. She is how any Lego Friend should be, confident and strong in her own personality, but still having that glaring flaw that makes her human. She knows what she wants. And contrary to popular belief, and a personal pet peeve of mine when people believe this, she is not Andrea's daughter!

Aliya is also paired a lot with Autumn. They often seem to be "best friends" but they are so different! A life in nature is the norm for Autumn, however it pushes Aliya out of her comfort zone, notably horse riding for the first time. They face some tension because of these differences, but always make-up, showing the truth that it is okay to not always agree and fight sometimes, it is what you do after that matters. I love Autumn. I really do. Not just because she is Mia's daughter, but because she manages to be her own person despite being Mia's daughter. Some shows have a problem of making children clones of the parents, but Lego Friends doesn't let that happen. Yes Autumn has a passion for animals and nature like her mother, and yes they are both ginger, but that is it. While Mia is sarcastic, but still confident and reasonable; Autumn often doesn't think twice before acting, acting on impulse and pushing herself further than she should. That leads on nicely to talk about what I think shows how inclusive Lego Friends is. Autumn has a limb difference - her left hand. Lego didn't include it just for the sake of performative inclusivity, they explore it fully. It all came after a girl wrote to Lego, expressing her wish for more representation. And it came true. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-63427962) I think this is what Lego is about. Making toys for children, by children. And Autumn's character is perfect for the message they bring. Season 2 Episode 4 of The Next Chapter explores Autumn's decision to try a bionic arm after pushing herself too far during sports activities she struggles with due to her limb difference. Autumn doesn't want to try it at first, she doesn't want to admit that her disability does make it dangerous to do certain things, she is very much the daredevil, thrill seeking type. She is confident in what makes her different, and that is a positive message, but it is also positive to admit that it is okay to admit you have a "weakness" and need help doing the things you love. She ultimately agrees to the bionic arm, and enjoys the new sense of freedom it gives her to do all the things she loves. It is a heart-warming watch.

Nova is also often seen with Autumn. She is the sarcastic gaming nerd of the group. I see myself in her. I recognise her passion for gaming and doing things that other people might not understand. I understand her frustration in Season 1 Episode 4 - Tap Tap Pup Pup Clean. She spends ages working on her own game after an argument with Autumn, coding what she believes to be the perfect video game, and it would be for someone who has an interest in video gaming. However, Autumn's much simpler game gains much more popularity despite Autumn's lack of interest in coding and gaming. I love this episode because it really shows Nova's character and how she deals with jealousy. It solidifies her as the sarcastic, "dark-humoured" one of the group, but she isn't a complete jerk!

Liann and Leo are the last "pair". I feel as if their friendship pairing isn't as thought through as some of the others, they just usually end up together, and it works really well. Liann is our resident skateboarding artist, rather aloof and doesn't always understand the full gravity of the situation. Sound vaguely familiar? Inspired by a character so awesome they just had to reincarnate her for round two. But she is still her own person. And they are not related! Leo is the multi-talented king. Football and cooking? He knows what he loves, but sometimes struggles to stand up to it without the help of his friends. He is also overly helpful, often overcommitting himself to help others and not thinking of his own best interests. I would love to see him take more of the focus of the story, but he seems rather happy to be the bystander rather than always being the focus of the action. He is quite literally just happy to be there.

But this is where friendship is so important. As a group they always overcome their problems together, even if it is not always all of them involved. That is the beauty of having eight main characters, they can hand pick which personalities and traits would work best for the story rather than having to awkwardly adapt all five characters to every situation. The only downside is the sometimes lazy excuses as to not include all eight characters, but I understand why it has to be done.

With the exception of Autumn's limb difference, I have rarely discussed the inclusivity and diversity aspect of the new Lego Friends. And it is because I feel like I don't have to, because the theme of 2023 Lego Friends is quite literally "Different together." (https://youtu.be/riAM-LJjIJo?si=cw9Zbvl3dVy8ua-H) The diversity doesn't feel forced unlike the 2018 redesign. It feels much more natural because it is new. They know they are all different, and they are okay with that. They celebrate that. And that is what I think Lego Friends always wanted to stand for, even if it started with noticing a gap in the market for a "girl" toy. Anyone can preach inclusivity, kindness, and friendship, and letting the Lego Friends change without drama would be the perfect example of that.

Yours faithfully,

MD