Constraction line for girls?

[Alyska]

I don't, unfortunately, and I'm a bit rubbish in the technical drawing department. But if you do a Google search for Celtic Armour, you sort of get an idea how the shapes might overlap in a more streamlined, elegant way- add a few more curves, ornate patterns and some brighter colours and you'd probably be on your way to a strong design with cross-gender appeal. I think the key is to have enough overlapping shapes to disguise the ball joints, which are the main source of the "clunkiness". And, of course, there are hundreds of streamlined and feminine MOCs out there built with existing parts for your perusal if you choose.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

I think a constraction line geared to girls would be difficult to pull off, but it could be done. 

[Thormen]

Why do balls and sockets have to be bulky? Just make sure they don't stick out too much. Barbies have poseable joints as well, I admit they don't have balls and sockets but the principle is the same: just hide the internal workings of the joints.

 

Edit: Also, I don't think the balls and sockets are the bulky objectionable part for marketing BIONICLE to girls. I think all the decorative pistons and the stuff that looks like it came straight out of an internal combustion engine is far more 'boyish' than the balls and sockets. After all, balls are round, aren't they?

Edited October 18, 2014 by Thormen

[Timageness]

I liked Thormen's idea of having a new constraction set eventually weaving its way into the Bionicle mythos.

If it worked for He-Man and She-Ra, why not Legos?

[SailorQuaoar]

Ok I wanna reply to a few people here, it's been a while. I'm glad I generated some good discussion though.

 

Girls can like whatever they want. It doesn't need to be all pink and sparkly - Something LEGO didn't seem to understand when they made LEGO friends.

 

Many girls like pink, and some boys do too. They shouldn't be forced into liking those colors, but they should be an option. I don't think colors should be gendered in the first place, but in order to market a product a company has to conform to some social stereotypes. It's just how the world works.

 

A classic case of treating the symptoms and ignoring the disease. Creating a new line of pink! and purple! warriors marketed towards girls is just a sexist as creating a line of strong! and powerful! heroes marketed towards boys. 

 

Again, like I said, one toy line can't change centuries of social conventions. In order to market successfully, almost any product line has to play into stereotypes to a degree.

Like Aanchir said, girls wouldn't be forced into only liking "feminine" lines, but seeing something marketed towards them might spark an interest in other Lego products. And I'm sure there are plenty of males and others who would like these types of set designs.

 

And in terms of aesthetics, think less "Barbie" and more "Monster High".

I've brought up Monster High multiple times as a franchise with broad appeal across genders and age groups. Sure the line features plenty of pink, but the dolls come in almost all colors, and include "edgy" elements that most other doll lines do not. The dolls are so well-designed that they are loved by children, adults, males, and females.

Now of course constraction figures are not dolls, but Monster High shows us that you can have a character be feminine in many more ways than just having a pink color scheme, and that girls appreciate many different kinds of aesthetics.

 

Yes, our society has some silly ideas about gender. We can't change the world overnight. But maybe, something like this would help parents and children to think a bit more openly when it comes to Lego.

[Prime Axiom]

I look at lego the same way I look at MMA. It's great if girls get into it, and I wouldn't have it any other way, However, if violence is a core essence in what your trying to sell (such as with action figures) you can't be surprised if they try to target it towards those with high testosterone.

 

Lego should just make stuff that is cool, and not worry too much about who it attracts. 

Edited November 6, 2014 by Prime Axiom

[Taka Nuvia]

Some fantasy-themed constraction line with a decent gender-balance would already kinda suffice, IMO?  After all, Elves are cool. (so are dragons and dwarves and unicorns and giant robots and knights and spaceships and aliens and I guess you know what I mean by now)

 

But yeah, seeing something more specifically aimed at girls too (not necessarily exclusively) would be great.

(though I'd love to see something like fairy sets with gear functions on the -probably translucent- wings someday. :3)