I have not purchased Legos in a long time! My boys loved them but they are 18 and 21 years old now...I recently went shopping to buy some for a friend's child and wow...I am so disappointed!! And I am wondering...if this happened to Legos, what will be next for kids? What am I disappointed in?...
It isn't the price of them! It isn't that the quality has gone down! My problem is that the word Lego means, "Good toy" and Legos were not just good toys--they were great toys! Kids would get this huge box of shapes and using their creativity, mind power and math skills they would take nothing and create something wonderful! And the same shapes could create 1,000's of different things depending on the age, creative skills and time the child had to play!
They were not simply good toys--they were great toys, in fact I would say...the PERFECT toy!
But now, the makers of Lego toys have discovered the movie industry and now all the Legos I could find came in boxes designed from movie sets and movie plots. There were Indiana Jones Legos sets, Star Wars Lego sets. Big sets and small sets but all based on movie plots and they clearly came with instructions about how to make, Lego brick by Lego brick, each set so it will look exactly like the movie set!
This is my problem...they have actually taken the creativity right out of the perfect toy!! I know kids can still take them and make other things out of them...but the kids I talk to, make these sets and then ask for the newest movie collection of Legos.
Kids need to think, play, create...make things as unique as they are!
I am begging Legos to go back to being a creative, good toy! If Legos has started marketing to kids using the movie industry...what is next?
Kids are unique, smart, and creative...let's trust that and help them find toys that help them express themselves, and not simply recreate movie sets!
And may we all find ways to express ourselves even though those marketers around us would have us believe we are all one size fits all kind of people!