Lego has produced its first ever disabled minifigure after a campaign gained over 20,000 signatures to a Change.org petition.
The plastic figure of a young man in a wheelchair apparently accompanied by an assistant dog was unveiled at the Nuremberg toy fair in Germany and shared on websites. Lego have confirmed that the figure is part of a set due to go on sale in June.
Inclusive of disabled people
The campaign for Lego to be more inclusive of disabled people was launched by parent Rebecca Atkinson, who garnered interest after she posted pictures of toys she had adapted with different disabilities on the internet. Rebecca established the #ToyLikeMe movement to secure better representation of the 770,000 disabled children in the UK.
#ToyLikeMe drew interest from around the world and Rebecca soon became a creative disability consultant with Playmobil, working on adding characters to its range.
The campaign criticised Lego for “pandering to disability stereotypes” because its only previous wheelchair-using character was an elderly man. A previous online campaign via a Lego website for the creation of a Lego wheelchair skatepark failed on the basis that submissions with a “political agenda” would not be accepted.
“This move by Lego is massive in terms of ending cultural marginalisation. It will speak volumes to children, disabled or otherwise, the world over.”
Ending cultural marginalisation
Rebecca said of the new character: “We are beyond happy right now.
“Lego have just rocked our brick-built world and made 150 million disabled kids, their mums, dads, pet dogs and hamsters very, very happy.
“We’re all conga-ing up and down the street chucking coloured bricks like confetti.
“But on a serious note, this move by Lego is massive in terms of ending cultural marginalisation. It will speak volumes to children, disabled or otherwise, the world over.”
Online hub
Determined Rebecca has no plans to stop there though. She is now seeking investment via a crowdfunding website to grow #ToyLikeMe into an online hub that parents can use to find products which represent disability. In a few days it has so far raised £3,638 of a £16,000 target.
A spokesperson for disability charity Scope, said: “Everything is awesome!
“This is great news for disabled children and their families. One in 14 children in the UK are disabled. Yet they rarely see their lives reflected in toys or characters in books and films.
Improve attitudes
“Many parents tell us it is important for their children to have toys which they can identify with because it builds their confidence, self-esteem and the feeling of being included in society.
“It is great that Lego has responded to this demand and will go on sale in June. We hope this move will help build a better future and improve attitudes towards disabled children and their families. However too many toy manufacturers are still missing a trick by not making toys with impairments widely available. After all, the spending power of disabled consumers is worth over £200 billion.”
Find out more about the #ToyLikeMe campaign on their Facebook page here.
