“Today’s Lego characters are looking increasingly angry and carrying more weapons, indicating an important shift in the way kids play and interact with toys.”
CNN said so, citing a study led by New Zealand university researcher Christoph Bartnek that concludes, “We cannot help but wonder how the move from only positive faces to an increasing number of negative faces impacts how children play.”
The study closely examined 3,655 Lego figures (which is probably less than your own children have). Specifically, it scrutinized the 628 different faces the company produced between 1975 and 2010.
In an interview, Bartnek told U-T San Diego: “I was amazed by the beauty and complexity of the emotions, so I made a catalog of these expressions … because I’m a guy who likes to put things in order.”
“For the first eleven years, only one smiley face was produced, but since then the number of different faces seem to have increased and also the themes that LEGO is producing subjectively appear to become increasingly aggressive,” the study reveals. “The children that grow up with LEGO today will remember not only smileys, but also anger and fear in the Minifigures’ faces.”
I’m not even sure where to start. Luckily the Internet did. Comedy and insights ahead.
BUT I LOOK HAPPY! RT @StarryNite1889 What say you @Loki_Lego?? 😉 Lego faces getting angrier, http://t.co/XkxA1EZQfv pic.twitter.com/QjXA1C7kRo
— Lego Loki (@Loki_Lego) June 12, 2013
Read the full article HERE