Are modern toys being taken over by Lego?
I went into a toy shop recently and all I could see was Lego. Even other brands like Marvel and Hot Wheels had had the Lego treatment.
What is creating this stultified toy offer in the shops? A lack of demand for toys from kids? A Lego craze?
To me a world just of Lego is a boring place.
What do you think readers?
I like lego (and have even made the odd model from it) but it seems ridiculously specialised now, you can get any sort of 'brick' at all. For a recent little model I made I could choose from several different styles of mudguard!
ReplyDeletethe depth of the range is lost on me Kevin. Its the sheer amount in the toy shops that bothers me.
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ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with you, Woodsy. I kinda admire Lego's longevity and commercial success. It's colourful creative versatility and hands-on play value has survived and thrived. It has spanned generations and has adapted to a constantly changing demand for new TV and movie related themes. I had very basic brick Lego as a kid... nothing like the sophisticated sets which are on the shelves today. Personally, I think it's nice that it still captivates kids and adult collectors alike :)
ReplyDeleteYes Tony, its a classic that's stood the test of time for sure. But why so much? Its like a monopoly in the toy shops. Its not alone. There's too many Marvel toys as well. What has happened to diversity?
DeleteI'd also like to add 2 cents to the pro-Lego side, Woodsy. In this world where kids go digital at ever earlier ages, it's very good that Lego is still there to give them some hands-on creative construction opportunities. I agree with Kevin that the parts assortment has grown way out of hand perhaps (and parts have gotten so much smaller too) but those do help in bringing a required sense of detail to those licensed Star Wars craft and what have you. The licencing is a necessary evil to attract the youngsters' attention, who apparently don't have the required imagination to model much by themselves (when young I built Thunderbirds models out of Lego (in the wrong colours coz there was no green or pink) and the fun was in seeing how good I could get them). I'm hugely in favour of anything that'll boost creativity and imagination, so three cheers to the Danish Brick in still doing that for decades!
ReplyDeleteBest -- Paul
Yes I suppose with the digital tsunami sweeping over this generation its at least something that Lego flies the flag for normal toys. Maybe they have simply filled a vacuum created by Xboxes, Playstations and mobiles. Nostalgia has the better of me once again as I think back to the Sixties when Lego was but one small shelf in toy shops bursting with a thousand different toys.
DeleteLego as a creative tool, never mind a toy, is unparralelled. its virtually unbreakable, washable, resellable and infinitely adaptable. ok, it has become hyper specialised now and stupidly expensive, but it has a universal appeal and anyone can use it. If it didnt have a ridiculous price tag, id still be buying it myself.
ReplyDeleteI remain brick skeptical I'm afraid.
DeleteI'm just glad to see a toy I recognise from my childhood still available to today's kids. I think Meccano is still around too - or at least it was just a few years back. I know Airfix is still going, but I don't think their kits are as readily available in as many shops as they used to be.
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