Lego to launch new disabled figures

This year, Lego has revealed its first ever young disabled mini-figure in the company’s 84 year history, creating a revolutionary moment for the toy industry to represent all children – including the 770,000 disabled children currently in the UK, and 150 million worldwide. Up until now, diversity has been major weaknesses of the toy industry, with disabilities of all kinds severely under represented.

Lego’s first disabled character – a young wheelchair user – is featured in the company’s new City range, due to go on sale in June, and was first seen on display amongst other characters in a park setting. Most notably, Lego have issued no formal statement regarding the addition to their mini-figure range, unlike competitor Barbie who issued a press-release regarding their new range of Barbies with different body shapes just this month.

Previously, Lego have featured wheelchair users, but it was always occupied by an elderly character, with immovable wheels. This new addition encompasses people with disabilities of all ages, promoting a more diverse group of characters for children to play with.

#ToyLikeMe Campaign

The change comes as a great victory for the campaigners behind the #ToyLikeMe movement, whose change.org petition amassed over 20,000 signatures last year, encouraging toy manufacturers to incorporate toys with disabilities into their ranges. The #ToyLikeMe campaign argued that of all the children in the UK with a disability, there was no representation for them in the very toys they played with – be it a wheelchair, hearing aid, or walking stick featured, and if there was, it was not represented in a positive way for children affected by disabilities.

Organiser Rebecca Atkinson wrote: “We’ve got genuine tears of joy right now”, signalling the huge step forward for the campaign in encouraging a more inclusive attitude in toy mini-figures amongst manufacturers.

Lego’s legacy

You won’t find many people who haven’t heard of the legend that is Lego, one of the leading toy manufacturers across the world. In just 2014 alone, the company made 60 billion Lego pieces, with sales increasing strongly following the success of The Lego Movie in the same year.

As one of the biggest toy manufacturers in the industry, Lego’s step forward is sure to signal a change across many more toymakers, helping to educate children about diversity and the different people that make up the world, and to allow every child to feel represented when playing with their toys.

Here at Stechford Mobility, we strive to provide the highest quality mobility equipment for people of all ages, so we’re always thrilled to see steps made to encourage diversity in any industry.

We provide a wide range of wheelchairs, mobility scooters and disability aids, with experienced staff always on hand to offer advice. For more information on the services we offer, feel free to get in contact with us today – we’re always more than happy to help.