The California Highway Patrol recovered around $300,000 in stolen Lego merchandise this week after busting a retail theft ring.
CHP officials served search warrants on Tuesday and arrested four people involved in the ring, who would steal Legos from Target and other retailers in Southern California and sell them to fences – people or groups that buy stolen products and resell them, NBC Los Angeles <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/local-2/300000-in-stolen-lego-merchandise-recovered-by-chp/3384730/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Often these fences sell the stolen merchandise to legitimate businesses or online and at swap meets. Fences may not even know the products they purchased are stolen, the outlet noted.
Jeremy Johnson, 44, of Orange, California; Marta Hardt, 39, of Huntington Beach; Chung-Pei Yu, 47, of Studio City; and Shen Li, 35, of Brea, were arrested as part of the bust, ABC 7 <a href="https://abc7.com/lego-theft-bust-chp-retail-crime-task-force/14643660/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The four were booked on charges of theft and conspiracy.
CHP officers made the bust as part of a retail crime task force that has been working to reduce the increasing number of retail thefts in California.
Retailers who were the victims of this ring estimate their total losses somewhere around $300,000.
Photos of the bust show numerous Lego sets, ABC News <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100059306690876/photos/822340856419463/?paipv=0&amp;eav=Afb9q_mX5qoJJz_SV3LurDzGCQaW01K2Vu7pBaxMUHBcdsR5W5rpxUExl0FP3fhedmE&amp;_rdr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Many Star Wars Lego sets, such as the Millennium Falcon, can retail for around $900, NBC reported, adding that photos it received of the bust showed dozens of that particular set and other rare Lego products.
Late last year, a top Home Depot executive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/home-depot-exec-describes-soaring-violent-threats-from-shoplifters-in-congressional-testimony" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a> before a congressional panel about the increasing threat of shoplifting. Scott Glenn, head of loss prevention at Home Depot, said the company had seen a “significant uptick” in situations where employees come into “violent contact with bad actors.”
In April 2023, a woman fatally shot a Home Depot security guard while stealing a phone charger. She fled the scene in a vehicle driven by her boyfriend while her two-year-old child was in the backseat. In 2022, an elderly Home Depot worker was killed after a shoplifter shoved him to the ground.
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California, in particular, is struggling with retail theft, with some stores taking extreme measures to combat the crimes. Supermarket chain Safeway, for example, has installed exit gates at the self-checkout lanes in some of its San Francisco stores, while one Walgreens went so far as to put chains across its freezers.
California has become known for smash-and-grabs, where thieves enter a store, smash display cases to steal items, and leave quickly. At one Pasadena jewelry store, thieves made off with nearly $500,000 in merchandise in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-california-smash-and-grab-sees-thieves-make-off-with-half-a-million-dollars-in-jewelry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one incident</a>.
Many attribute the increase in retail theft in California to a statewide ballot measure approved by voters almost ten years ago that reduced thefts of property valued under $950 from felonies to misdemeanors.

Lego

California Police Arrest 4, Recover $300,000 In Stolen Legos After Busting Retail Theft Ring

California

Crime

shoplifting

U.S.

Large <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> retailers that refuse to display a so-called gender neutral section for children face getting slapped with a fine of up to $500 under a new state law set to take effect in the new year.
Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom made California the first state in the nation to pass such a law — <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1084" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Assembly Bill No. 10584</a> — which mandates that retailers with 500 or more employees display a section that sells childcare items and toys for &#8220;gender-neutral&#8221; kids. Newsom signed the bill in 2021 without comment.
&#8220;Childcare item,&#8221; according to the bill, &#8220;means any product designed or intended by the manufacturer to facilitate sleep, relaxation, or the feeding of children, or to help children with sucking or teething.&#8221;
Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), who introduced the legislation, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-signs-law-requiring-gender-neutral-toy-sections-at-large-retailers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;We need to stop stigmatizing what&#8217;s acceptable for certain genders and just let kids be kids.&#8221; The bill, he said, was designed to &#8220;encourage more businesses across California and the U.S. to avoid reinforcing harmful and outdated stereotypes.&#8221;
&#8220;Part of it is to make sure if you&#8217;re a young girl that you can find a police car, fire truck, a periodic table or a dinosaur,&#8221; Low reportedly said. &#8220;And then similarly, if you&#8217;re a boy, if you&#8217;re more artistic and want to play with glitter, why not? Why should you feel the stigma of saying, &#8216;Oh, this should be shamed,&#8217; and going to a different location?&#8221;
Former California State Sen. Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-california-3270657e85f4b7c4bee79138ba056a28" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> voted against the bill, arguing the state &#8220;let parents be parents.&#8221;
&#8220;Unlike the author, I actually have children, five of them to be exact, and I can tell you it is very convenient for parents,&#8221; Melendez said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think parents need the government to step in and tell them how they should shop for their children.&#8221;
Several business and conservative groups fought against California lawmakers passing the legislation, saying state regulations against establishments have made it hard enough and adding on another government requirement disrupts their ability to thrive in a free market.
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The Capitol Resource Institute, a public policy organization advocating for Judeo-Christian values, said at the time of the bill&#8217;s passage that the group rejects the belief that the California Legislature&#8217;s role is &#8220;to overstep the natural process of the free market.&#8221;
&#8220;Retail stores are very attuned to the supply and demand of their merchandise, and they are very aware of the clientele they serve,&#8221; the group <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/10/11/california-law-gender-neutral-children-toy-section/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, according to The Washington Post.
Jonathan Keller, president of the conservative California Family Council lobbying group, dismissed the idea that activists and state legislators have the right to force retailers to adopt government-approved messaging about gender.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a violation of free speech and it&#8217;s just plain wrong,&#8221; Keller <a href="https://www.californiafamily.org/2021/05/ca-legislators-seek-to-force-stores-to-sell-and-display-gender-fluid-clothes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement.
The latest development in California&#8217;s effort to become a sanctuary state for radical gender theory pushed onto children comes as big box stores like Target received backlash for its Pride collection, which included the controversial &#8220;tuck-friendly&#8221; bathing suits.
Target&#8217;s CEO, Brian Cornell, pulled the items from the shelves earlier this year after the store <a href="https://corporate.target.com/press/statement/2023/05/target-statement-on-2023-pride-collection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> its team members experienced threats against them and their &#8220;sense of safety and well-being while at work.&#8221;
But despite facing opposition for the products, corporations like Target and Lego continue to move forward to offer items that go against fundamental biology.
Lego issued a statement when the bill passed, saying it was working to make toys more inclusive for girls, the Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12829429/California-retailers-gender-neutral-bill.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;The company is committed to making Lego play more inclusive and ensuring that children&#8217;s creative ambitions – both now in the future – are not limited by gender stereotypes,&#8221; a statement from Lego said.
Retailers who fail to comply with the legislation beginning on January 1, 2024, will be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $250 for a first violation or $500 for a subsequent violation, according to the bill&#8217;s text.

gender fluidity or gender confusion: baby doll staring sideways at buttons with pronoun choices

California Retailers Without ‘Gender Neutral’ Section For Kids Face Fines Up To $500 Under New State Law

California Retailers Without 'Gender Neutral' Section For Kids Face Fines Up To $500 Under New State Law

Business

Gavin Newsom

Gender Identity

Gender Neutral

Social Issues

Target

Lego Group is committed to removing “gender bias and harmful stereotypes” from its toys, the company announced in a statement Monday.
Lego cited a study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a non-profit <a href="https://seejane.org/about-us/">pushing</a> for “gender balance” in entertainment and media, showing that the majority of children “believe that some activities are just meant for girls, while others are meant for boys.” Lego is “calling on parents and children to champion inclusive play” to change the perception of children, the toy company said in a <a href="https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2021/september/lego-ready-for-girls-campaign">statement</a>. The statement said in part:
<blockquote>Ensuring more inclusive play and raising the debate around gender norms is critical, not just for girls but for any child. The LEGO Group knows that boys are also battling prejudice when it comes to creative play and playing with toys that are traditionally seen as being for the opposite sex. 71% of boys vs. 42% of girls say they worry about being made fun of if they play with a toy typically associated for the other gender.
The company is committed to making LEGO play more inclusive and ensuring that children’s creative ambitions – both now in the future – are not limited by gender stereotypes. We know there is work to do which is why from 2021, we will work closely with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and UNICEF to ensure LEGO products and marketing are accessible to all and free of gender bias and harmful stereotypes.</blockquote>
Lego Group, the world’s largest toymaker, has already stripped its products of labels saying “for girls” and “for boys,” according to Lego Group chief product and marketing officer Julia Goldin.
“We’re testing everything on boys and girls, and including more female role models,” Goldin told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/11/lego-to-remove-gender-bias-after-survey-shows-impact-on-children-stereotypes">The Guardian</a>. “Our job now is to encourage boys and girls who want to play with sets that may have traditionally been seen as ‘not for them.’”
Geena Davis, the founder of the Geena Davis Institute, celebrated Lego’s announcement in a statement.
“As a Mom of three children, I have long admired the LEGO Group and I’m heartened by their global commitment to this study to inform how we can dramatically inspire creativity in girls through play and storytelling,” Davis said. “We also know that showing girls unique and unstereotyped activities can lead to an expanded viewpoint of possibilities and opportunities.”
Lego’s announcement comes on the heels of a new California law mandating that large retailers stock a gender-neutral section of their stores. The bill’s author, Democrat state assemblyman Evan Low said that his legislation is a step toward eliminating “harmful and outdated stereotypes” about boys and girls. As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toys-r-they-ca-law-requires-stores-to-have-gender-neutral-area-for-kids-products">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new law on Saturday, which orders large stores to set aside a gender-neutral section to display “a reasonable selection” of items “regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys.”
The bill was authored by Evan Low, a Democrat state assemblyman, who said he was “incredibly grateful” the governor signed the bill this year.
Low said he was inspired by the 10-year-old girl daughter of one of his staffers, who “asked her mom why certain items in the store were ‘off limits’ to her because she was a girl,” the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-gavin-newsom-california-state-legislature-legislature-6ee331cbf5eb7a22c046f5ed528b42f9">reported</a>.
“We need to stop stigmatizing what’s acceptable for certain genders and just let kids be kids,” Low said. “My hope is this bill encourages more businesses across California and the U.S. to avoid reinforcing harmful and outdated stereotypes.”</blockquote>

Lego Declares An End To ‘Gender Bias And Harmful Stereotypes,’ Strips ‘Boys,’ ‘Girls’ Labels From Its Products

Gender

Remember last week when The Daily Beast published a “scoop” revealing that one of the men charged in the January 6 Capitol riot had a “fully assembled” Lego model of the Capitol in his home? It turns out it wasn’t true; the man merely had the unopened box set.
“Federal investigators seized an unusual piece of evidence from a Pennsylvania man indicted last month for his role in the Capitol riot — a Lego replica of the building he allegedly stormed,” <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/robert-morss-had-fully-constructed-us-capitol-lego-set-at-home-fbi-says?via=twitter_page">The Daily Beast</a> originally reported. “Robert Morss, 27, is accused of leading fellow rioters in what prosecutors say was ‘one of the most intense and prolonged clashes’ with officers on Jan. 6.”
But in a new court filing, highlighted by Julie Kelly of American Greatness, it is said that the original detention memoranda, which denied bail Morss of Pennsylvania, was inaccurate.
&#8220;In original detention memoranda, the undersigned stated that law enforcement found a &#8216;fully constructed U.S. Capitol Lego set.&#8217; That statement appears to be inaccurate. The Lego set was in a box and not fully constructed at the time of the search,&#8221; the new filing says.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Phew! <a href="https://t.co/UHH0kt5LFW">pic.twitter.com/UHH0kt5LFW</a>
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) <a href="https://twitter.com/julie_kelly2/status/1414045749382459399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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This is in stark contradiction to the original filing, which was reported on by the Beast. As The Daily Wire’s Ian Haworth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/internet-brutalizes-daily-beast-over-scoop-that-january-6-riot-leader-had-fully-assembled-lego-capitol-in-his-home">reported</a> last week, the Beast was thoroughly mocked for its article, in which it insinuated Morss used the toy to plan the Capitol riot. “[P]rosecutors didn’t say whether Morss used his toy to help plan the Capitol insurrection,” the Beast wrote, as if a toy model was akin to architectural blueprints.
Part of the criticism against the reporting came from those who questioned the Left’s narrative that Trump “incited” the January 6 riot, while simultaneously trying to claim it was pre-planned.
Julie Kelly <a href="https://amgreatness.com/2021/07/08/no-relief-for-lego-man-or-other-january-6-detainees/">reported</a> at American Greatness that the Lego set was one of many common items used to arrest Morss for his role in the riot. Among the other items found in a raid on his home were a “Don’t Treat on Me” flag and a neck gaiter, both of which matched items he brought with him to Washington, D.C. on January 6. Police also found “a military utility bag, a black tourniquet, and military fatigues,” which he allegedly wore during the riot as well.
As Kelly noted, dozens of people arrested for the January 6 riot remain behind bars months later without any charges filed against them.
“In more than 100 cases and counting, [Attorney General Merrick] Garland’s prosecutors have sought and often received pretrial detention for first-time offenders, including defendants not accused of committing any violent crimes,” Kelly reported.
Further, many of those incarcerated are kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, as if they are on death row. This is said to be done for their protection, but it has the effect of severely punishing people before they get their day in court. Many of those treated this way, including the “QAnon shaman” Jacob Chansely, aren’t even charged with any violent crimes.

LEGO

Botched: More Embarrassing Details Emerge In FBI’s Snag Of Rioter With Lego Set

Capitol Riot

The Daily Beast on Wednesday was brutalized on social media after making Lego the focus of a report on a January 6 &#8220;riot leader.&#8221;
The outlet published a piece Wednesday titled, “Riot Leader Had ‘Fully Constructed U.S. Capitol Lego Set’ at Home, FBI Says.”
“Federal investigators seized an unusual piece of evidence from a Pennsylvania man indicted last month for his role in the Capitol riot — a Lego replica of the building he allegedly stormed,” <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/robert-morss-had-fully-constructed-us-capitol-lego-set-at-home-fbi-says?via=twitter_page">The Daily Beast</a> reported. “Robert Morss, 27, is accused of leading fellow rioters in what prosecutors say was ‘one of the most intense and prolonged clashes’ with officers on Jan. 6.”
The report referenced court documents obtained by <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/lego-evidence-seized-745916">The Smoking Gun</a>, with The Daily Beast adding that “prosecutors didn’t say whether Morss used his toy to help plan the Capitol insurrection.”
Critics immediately blasted The Daily Beast for their report on social media.
The Blaze’s Sara Gonzales tweeted, “President Trump ‘iNcItEd An InSuRrEcTiOn’ or the Capitol riot was ‘pre-planned.’”
“Pick one,” she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
President Trump “iNcItEd An InSuRrEcTiOn” or the Capitol riot was “pre-planned.”
Pick one.
&mdash; Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SaraGonzalesTX/status/1412765683012804611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Rita Panahi replied with a meme of The Simpsons’ Ralph Wiggum holding a sparkler.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
 <a href="https://t.co/dAby3Tg5So">pic.twitter.com/dAby3Tg5So</a>
&mdash; Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RitaPanahi/status/1412895479558332417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Other users were also quick to mock The Daily Beast.
“Which would suggest the riot wasn’t spontaneous,” <a href="https://twitter.com/Neolorica/status/1412730800232148994">replied</a> one user. “Oh, The Babylon Bee is going to have fun with this one,” <a href="https://twitter.com/James07910075/status/1412760155431882754">responded</a> another.
One critic pointed out that other lines of investigation are comparatively cold.
“Meanwhile, the dude who placed two actual pipe bombs the night before remains free to build whatever he wants to build,” they <a href="https://twitter.com/BuzzPatterson/status/1412815362140237826">said</a>.
Others were more comical with their responses.
“Oh gosh, my child has a Millennium Falcon Lego set. I&#8217;m going to have to keep close tabs on him,” <a href="https://twitter.com/AmThruster/status/1412769642947489796">wrote</a> one parent. “Ok serious question&#8230;should I get rid of my grandson&#8217;s Lego Millennium Falcon? I don&#8217;t want the government thinking he&#8217;s a smuggler,” <a href="https://twitter.com/jennifur68/status/1412908489299615745">joked</a> another. 
Another user <a href="https://twitter.com/gtrswhiskeyguns/status/1412771342391328768">responded</a>, “Fully assembled? Nobody can fully assemble a Lego set on their own. It must be a conspiracy.” 
Part of the criticism surrounded the fact that media outlets focused on the “fully constructed U.S. Capitol Lego set,” while burying other more relevant factors, such as the line, “FBI investigators seized an array of firearms from his home.”
This wasn’t the first time in recent days that the media was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/still-not-sleeping-hill-reporters-mocked-for-lamenting-lingering-trauma-from-capitol-riot">mocked</a> for coverage of January 6.
On Tuesday, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/4avqqn/reporters-survived-capitol-riot-struggling?utm_source=vicenewstwitter">VICE News</a> portrayed journalists as victims of the Capitol riots. “NEW: Reporters who survived the deadly Capitol riot are still struggling,” the outlet tweeted. “Some won’t go back into the building. Several have sought therapy to deal with trauma. Many still aren’t sleeping well.”
“This is ridiculous. Grow up you weirdos. How can one group of people be so addicted to pretending they’re victims?” responded Robby Starbuck. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is ridiculous. Grow up you weirdos. How can one group of people be so addicted to pretending they’re victims? <a href="https://t.co/9hJlhwpM3n">https://t.co/9hJlhwpM3n</a>
&mdash; Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1412544346646274051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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“‘Reporters who still survived…’ You mean…all of them?” joked Sara Gonzales.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“Reporters who still survived…” 
You mean…all of them? <a href="https://t.co/l3z7NIDzBt">https://t.co/l3z7NIDzBt</a>
&mdash; Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SaraGonzalesTX/status/1412563621280980992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Federalist co-founder Sean Davis was less subtle. “Get a freaking grip, you bunch of whiny babies,” he tweeted.
https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1412503378136031246

Internet Brutalizes The Daily Beast Over ‘Scoop’ That January 6 Riot Leader Had ‘Fully Assembled’ Lego Capitol In His Home

The Daily Beast

LEGO released a new Pride-based toy set modeled after the progressive pride flag that appears to be aimed at children. 
The new set is called “Everyone Is Awesome” and showcases 11 figurines with different hairstyles and faceless heads in each color of the progressive pride flag. The set includes a purple-colored drag queen.
On the product, LEGO claims that it is designed for an 18+ audience, though set designer Matthew Ashton said in a statement that the set was designed with children in mind. Ashton recalled his experience coming out as a gay man in his teens and said that if he had received this set from a loved one he would have felt more supported. 
“Children are our role models and they welcome everyone, no matter their background. Something we should all be aspiring to,” Ashton <a href="https://www.lego.com/en-us/page/why-i-designed-everyone-is-awesome">said</a>. “ If I had been given this set by somebody at that point in my life, it would have been such a relief to know that somebody had my back. To know that I had somebody there to say ‘I love you, I believe in you. I’ll always be here for you.’ So, in a way, this set is not just for the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s for all of the allies — parents, siblings, friends, schoolmates, colleagues, etc. — out there as well.” 
In the same statement, Ashton said that the design includes pale blue, white, and pink figurines to “support and embrace the trans community,” and the purple drag queen as a “clear nod to the fabulous side of the LGBTQIA+ community.” 
The <a href="https://freebeacon.com/culture/lego-embraces-drag-queen-marketing/">Washington Free Beacon</a> reported that this is LEGO’s first set that explicitly promotes the corporation’s support of the LGBT movement, though the LEGO Trafalgar Square set included a Pride flag and the company sells interchangeable bride and groom “BrickHeadz” to avoid “heteronormativity” in marriage. 
LEGO received negative press from gaming activists who claim that the company is insufficiently &#8220;woke&#8221; because the toy is rated 18+ despite its low difficulty level. A writer for “<a href="https://gaymingmag.com/2021/05/lego-gay-everyone-is-awesome-pride-set/">Gayming Magazine</a>” said that the set “isn’t awesome.” 
“Sadly, what isn’t awesome is that this set is rated 18+,” the article reads. “Usually, Lego kits are age rated based on complexity, but at only 346 pieces to build a simple right-angled diorama, the Everyone is Awesome set is considerably simpler than, for instance, the Lego City Town Centre set (790 pieces, rated 6+), or the Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets kit (a whopping 1176 pieces, rated 9+).”
LEGO has partnered with LGBT “ally” associations such as Workplace Pride, Stonewall, and Open for Business. The corporation also <a href="https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2021/may/everyone-is-awesome/">supports</a> the UK-based charity Diversity Role Models “which works to educate children about inclusivity and empathy in order to build supportive and inclusive future generations.”
According to the Washington Free Beacon, Diversity Role Models provides children with online activities designed to teach them about LGBT inclusivity. The material is allegedly designed for one to seven-year-olds and has activities that ask children to inquire about the importance of the phrase “love is love.” The charity also created a music video of a “fun LGBT+ inclusive kids’ song.” The video displays a nontraditional family dynamic and shows a drag queen. 
A previous version of this article misidentified the name of the Lego set. It is called &#8220;Everyone Is Awesome,&#8221; not &#8220;Everything Is Awesome.&#8221;

LEGO Takes Flack From Activists Upset That Its Progressive Pride Toy Set Is Rated 18+

Pride

Pride Flag

Lego, the ubiquitous brand of children’s toy that has sold over 600 billion pieces around the world, is now offering an LGBTQ+ set called “Everyone Is Awesome” that consists of eleven figures, all but one of which have no gender assigned, while the only one with a specific gender represents “the fabulous drag queens out there,&#8221; according to the designer, Matthew Ashton, who also happens to be the Vice President of Design at the toymaker.
The set will start to be offered to the public on June 1.
“The colours of the stripes were chosen to reflect the original rainbow flag, along with pale blue, white and pink representing the trans community, and black and brown to acknowledge the diversity of skin tones and backgrounds within the LGBTQIA+ community,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/20/everyone-is-awesome-lego-launch-first-lgbtq-set">The Guardian</a> reported, adding that those figures were meant to “express individuality, while remaining ambiguous.”
Ashton said of the purple drag queen figure that it “is a clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there.”
Ashton told The Guardian, “Growing up as an LGBTQ+ kid – being told what I should play with, how I should walk, how I should talk, what I should wear – the message I always got was that somehow I was ‘wrong.’ Trying to be someone I wasn’t was exhausting. I wish, as a kid, I had looked at the world and thought: ‘This is going to be OK, there’s a place for me.’ I wish I’d seen an inclusive statement that said ‘everyone is awesome.’”
“I wanted to create a model that symbolizes inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love,” he continued. “Everyone is unique, and with a little more love, acceptance and understanding in the world, we can all feel more free to be our true AWESOME selves! This model shows that we care, and that we truly believe ‘Everyone is awesome!’”
Flynn DeMarco, a contestant on the television show Lego Masters US, echoed, “People look to a company such as Lego – a company they love and enjoy – and think, ‘Hey if it’s OK for Lego, maybe it’s OK for me, too.’ For Lego to do something so inclusive, so full of joy – it made me smile, then cry, then smile a little more.”
In March 2015, after a science journalist created a custom Lego set to honor female justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and submitted the set to Lego Ideas, she was informed the project was not accepted. <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/03/13/392871323/lego-says-you-can-t-build-that">NPR</a> wrote, “Lego does not accept projects relating to ‘politics and political symbols, campaigns, or movements,’ the policy said — though it has created a Lego White House and Lincoln Memorial as part of its ‘Architecture’ line.”
Lego writes on its <a href="https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/duplo/about-learning-through">website</a>, “We firmly believe in the transformative value of learning through play,” and quotes Dr. Elizabeth Byrne of the PEDAL Research Centre, University of Cambridge, stating, “The experiences we have as children have impacted who we are today as adults.”

In this photo illustration a Lego logo is seen on a

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