Lego has encouraged creativity and self-expression in generations of children as a toy with limitless combinations, that lets you build, configure and reconfigure the world any way you want it. Now, the iconic brand is celebrating inclusivity and diversity with a new collection. Kickstarting pride month, on 1 June 2021, the Everyone is Awesome set will launch, offering a buildable display model inspired by the rainbow flag. The set also includes 11 differently coloured minifigures, each with their own individual hairstyle (naturally).
‘It’s the first time we’re launching a product that celebrates diversity in our fan base,’ says set designer Matthew Ashton, vice president of design. ‘We’ve included the whole spectrum of rainbow colours and the LGBTQIA+ flag. We’ve purposely designed the minifigures to be very simple and eye-catching, and hopefully something people will be very proud to display in their homes.’
Consistent with the brand values of fun, creativity, learning and imagination, the Everyone is Awesome collection invites everyone to put their own spin on a classic design.
‘With the colours, we represented the flag, which is a symbol of love and inclusivity. We also wanted to make sure we represented the breadth of the community as well. When we created the line-up of characters we tried not to gender them. It’s up to the builder what gender they see each of the characters,’ Ashton says.
‘Before we [decided to release it], it’s something I built for my desk at work – just a little personal thing I wanted to display. When the topic came up of launching something for the LGBTQIA+ community, I said, “I’ve actually got something here ready to go.”’
He adds: ‘I’m so proud to work for a community that wants to make a statement like this. In the past few years there’s been a lot of struggles in the world and I think that’s made us reflect as individuals. We could all be doing a bit more to show empathy, love and acceptance of other people and that’s what we want to do with this set.’
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