Representation on International Lego Day

Christmas has been and gone and we’re sure plenty of our supporters either gave or received Lego as a gift. There’s something about building something from nothing that brings a real sense of joy, isn’t there?

Here’s a video of Oliver receiving his Lego-inspired arm from Team Unlimited!

Part of the magic of Lego is that it’s not only satisfying once built. The whole process can be somewhat therapeutic, and feelings of accomplishment are delivered through the many stages of a build!

International Lego Day takes place annually on 28th January, marking when Godtfred Kirk Christiansen - whose father founded Lego nine years prior - patented the original 2x4 brick in 1958.

Lego can be great fun for anyone. In recent years the company has started to outwardly embrace the “everybody” part of the equation through increased diversification in its products and how it speaks to its fans.

Considering we’re a charity with a focus on helping those in the limb difference community, that’s where we’re placing our focus here. It is worth noting that Lego is increasing its diversity efforts in several amazing ways!

Lego Friends

In October 2022, Lego announced it would be rebooting Lego Friends, releasing refreshed sets with a host of new characters for kids to enjoy. The company explained that the relaunch was made to “enable more children to feel represented during play”.

One of the new characters is Autumn. While she was born without the lower part of her left arm, she’s described as “curious and adventurous” as well as a rule-breaker and explorer. Her limb difference isn’t a main characteristic, nor does it render her unable to do the things she loves. This is not just a case of wonderful representation; it also sends the message – and rightly so – that it doesn’t define her.

Representation matters

Here’s Autumn from the new cast of Lego Friends.

A BBC article from October 2022 reacted to Autumn’s inclusion in the Lego Friends reboot, featuring a story from a young girl named Sofia. She was born without a left hand and felt unrepresented by toys.

Fenella Charity, Design Director at Lego Friends, revealed that a letter from Sofia inspired her department, and they spent two years hard at work on the Lego Friends reboot. The new roster features characters with different skin tones, physical and non-visible disabilities, and neurodiversity.

Heartlake City School

A year prior to unveiling Autumn and her fellow cast of Lego Friends, the toy company notably included a young girl with limb difference in promotional photos for one of its sets.

While only a light gesture, this model’s inclusion in photos for Heartlake City School 41682 was a small-but-mighty step towards removing any stigma and normalising differences in popular culture. Remember, Lego is for everybody!

A step forward

We applaud Lego for its recent decisions.

While there’s still a long way to go before we, as a society, reach full acceptance, decisions from big companies such as Lego prove we’re on the right path. Now, go and build!

As always, we’re grateful for those who support us here at Team UnLimbited as we continue to empower and inspire those with limb difference.

While we always appreciate donations, it’s worth noting that you can choose our charity as your Amazon Smile charity of choice. We receive a small donation from each purchase this way, at no cost to yourself. Perhaps you could buy the Heartlake City School set!