Everyone is Awesome says Lego in rainbow tribute to Pride

Rainbow coloured Lego figures against a rainbow Lego background — (Image credit: press)

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.’

Brightly coloured Lego figures against a half built rainbow

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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Hannah Silver is a writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in journalism, spanning national newspapers and independent magazines. Currently Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles for print and digital, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury since joining in 2019.