Lego and Mattel have been the undisputed leaders of the toy market for years. The creators of the most famous building blocks and the world’s most well-known doll have also long been under intense criticism. Both companies are accused, among other things, of promoting inappropriate role models and a false, stereotypical perception of gender among children. Especially in the case of the Barbie manufacturer, customer protests have gradually started to impact sales results. It is therefore no surprise that after several decades of slow evolution, both the Barbie doll and Lego bricks have finally decided to undergo a revolution appropriate to social changes. A revolution that resonated widely in the media space.
The Barbie doll is an inseparable companion of little girls’ play, as statistics confirm – one doll is sold on average every 3 seconds. During her 57-year career, Barbie consistently had the figure of a top model with flawless beauty. Over the years, the doll’s new incarnations were mostly limited to princesses and models, accompanied by accessories such as clothes and cosmetics. This sparked waves of criticism, especially from parents who rightly noticed that children should not identify with such a shallow ideal. Mattel responded to these accusations with slow but steady changes. Thus, the doll came in different skin tones, showed that she is not afraid of any job, and was even liberated from high heels. The real breakthrough, however, came at the end of January this year, when the world’s most famous doll finally changed her previously unrealistic proportions. The Barbie collection expanded to include three new body shapes: petite, tall, and curvy. This was accompanied by a wide-ranging PR-marketing campaign whose main theme is the diverse understanding of beauty. We believe we have a responsibility towards girls and their parents related to promoting a diverse understanding of beauty – confirms Evelyn Mazzocco, Vice President and Global General Manager of the Barbie brand. Well, let’s just hope that Mattel truly felt the weight of responsibility, and not just a drop in sales and negative brand perception…
So let’s move on to Lego, which is serving its customers a similar revolution this year. Starting with a tidbit – 7 Lego sets are sold every second worldwide. Like Mattel, Lego has not escaped criticism caused by the popularization of stereotypical approaches to gender social roles. To put it briefly, in the Lego world, women simply looked pretty and took care of the home, while men experienced adventures as fearless alpha males. Lego’s answer, as you can easily guess, were new sets of blocks where women took on the role of heroes – scientists, becoming chemists, astronomers, and paleontologists. But we already know this move from the previous paragraph. Lego made headlines last week when the company unveiled a new figure representing a person in a wheelchair at a trade fair in London. Critics sarcastically noted that a company that for years introduced a variety of characters – from warriors to celebrities to Star Wars heroes – took as long as 84 years to create a figure of a little person in a wheelchair. It should be added that Lego itself did not come up with the idea. The “disabled” figure is the result of the British “Toy like me” campaign aimed at encouraging companies to create toys that resemble people with disabilities. All in all, the new character sparked admiration among customers, activist communities, and media worldwide.
The toy market giants, paradoxically, are finally showing what corporate social responsibility is, and at the same time – how strongly CSR activities impact a company’s image. The example of Lego and Mattel also confirms society’s growing awareness regarding the responsible and, in this case, educational role of organizations toward their environment.
Author of the text: Martyna
Photo source: Mattel
