As I’ve mentioned in several of my Smart Mom Picks posts, my son loves Legos and super heroes. We were thrilled when we first learned about the DC Super Heroes Lego line. I was especially pleased to hear that the line included a set with a Wonder Woman minifigure, since she’s my all time favorite superhero.
Superman vs. Power Armor Lex, Item 6862, is a great Lego set. It has 207 pieces and the instructions are clearly written. My seven year old son was able to put everything together on his own with no problems. The robot is actually quite sturdy once assembled, so your kids can enjoy hours of creative play as they make up their own super hero stories. It’s also fairly reasonable in price, with a MSP of $19.99.
My main issue with this Lego set was how it was marketed. On the Lego site, it says “Help Superman to free Wonder Woman by overpowering Lex Luthor’s kryptonite robot and strength-sapping kryptonite gun!”
Wonder Woman is not affected by kryptonite. But, kryptonite rids Superman of his powers. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Wonder Woman to be helping to rescue Superman? Or maybe they could work together and defeat Lex Luthor before he crushes Metropolis with the robot?
Lego has gotten a lot of press recently about how they’ve been trying to interest young girls in creative play. Yet, they’ve taken one of the most recognizable female heroines in history and made her someone who needs to be “rescued” by a man. I may have a son, but I’m trying to raise him to believe that his female peers are just as smart and capable as he is.
I wish Lego would help make that easier by not enforcing outdated gender stereotypes. In our house, I’ve made sure Wonder Woman saves the day whenever this Lego set comes out to play.
What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you feel like Lego is being sexist with its marketing techniques?
photo credit: Lego
