New Lego Set to Include Minifig with Disability and Assistance Dog
by ParentCo.
January 28, 2016
Photos from the
Nuremberg Toy Fair confirm that a new Lego set, Fun in the Park, includes a young man in a wheelchair and his assistance dog. The minifig with a disability joins the ranks of other historical Lego firsts, such as the 2003 release of the NBA player minifigs with black and brown skin. Prior to this transition, all minifigs had bright yellow skin. Because apparently the toymaker was confused about what colors humans actually come in. Lego's new Fun in the Park set was likely influenced by London journalist and mother Rebecca Atkinson's
Toy Like Me campaign. The group's
Facebook page explains that their mission is to celebrate diversity in toys and call on the toy industry to, "...
better culturally represent 150 million disabled kids worldwide." Last April, Atkinson began a
petition asking Lego to:
Please make this the last Christmas disabled kids are culturally excluded from your much-loved products. Think outside the brick box. Mix it up a bit! Add some brawn, stamina, a few sweat bands, couple of half pipes and some lightning fast wheelchairs.
Today a note posted by Atkinson on the Change.org petition states:
BOOM!!!! We've got genuine tears of joy right now....LEGO have just rocked our brick built world! After nearly a year of hard work and lobbying from #ToyLikeMe and you guys, Lego have listened to this little ol' toy box revolution and included a wheelchair user with an assistance dog in their new Fun in the Park set unveiled at London Toy Fair this week!
It might be worth noting that the new Fun in the Park set also includes another Lego minifig first: a hipster dad pushing a stroller.
ParentCo.
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