The LEGO Friends line of products got a lot of flak from feminist critics when it was first introduced, mostly because it took what was envisioned as a completely gender-neutral toy and turned it into a very tradition-conforming example of femininity. The pastel-hued sets are inspired by shopping malls and Disney princesses; the minifigs have bright eyes and slender waists. And there’s so much pink! You know what the LEGO Friends could use? Some superheroes.
In July of this year, freelance developer Jon Lazar decided to put together a LEGO Friends project that “utilize the same figures in order to the break the stereotypes that they had been assigned.” He asked people on different social networks about their favorite superheroines and then selected a small group of them—mostly Marvel comic characters, interestingly— transform into modified LEGO Friend minifigs. He writes:
For me, the project was a success. I was not only able to challenge the stereotypes put forth by the Friends line, but I was also able to open dialogs about those pink clichés and just reach out to fans of those heroes. I was also able to engage with some of the comic book creators and show them what can be done with their characters and LEGO Friends.
There are 31 superheroines in all, one for every day of July. You can check out the whole project on Jon’s blog, but below are some of our favorites. Look at little tiny Batwoman! I am smitten.
[slideshow id=2453]
(via JustJon.net)
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