Introducing the brand new 346 piece 40516 “Everyone is Awesome” LEGO set marketed under the new “Adult” branding 18+ range. Launch date is June 1st, and the RRP will be $59.99. Available online at LEGO.com and Lego brand stores near you!
At first glance – a set that is very much “out there” and screams Pride!
Now I totally understand why Richie and Dale reached out and asked if I would do a review as a member of the LGBTIQ+ community.
For those that are not sure of the acronym these days (I personally call it the alphabet!) LBGTIQ+ = Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay, Transgender, Intersex, Queer + (plus representing other sexual identities such as Pan-sexual, A-sexual, Non-Binary etc) – just to put it out there as its way easier to type the acronym.
We unbox. Dale starts sorting parts to photograph and I notice that on the inside cover of the instruction booklet is a message from Matthew Ashton, Vice President of Design, The LEGO Group and also a general statement from LEGO Group …..
“Everyone is unique, and with a little more love, acceptance and understanding in the world, we can all feel more free to be our true AWESOME selves! This model shows that we care, and that we truly believe ‘Everyone is awesome’!
The sentence that really hits home to me is “Everyone is unique…feel free to be our true AWESOME selves!”
This is what LEGO is all about – we get to build our own unique creations (MOCs), we don’t HAVE to follow the “leader” (the instructions) and be like everyone else (the intended build)… and the best part is that the LEGO community as a whole really does recognise and celebrate the diversity of each others creative builds and ideas.
LEGO really has hit the mark in these statements, and how LEGO bricks can be used to allow everyone to express themselves and be their “true AWESOME selves” no matter who/what/why. Of course that’s just my take on it!
Whilst this set is “aimed” at the 18+ market, I would like to think that the intention of this set (going by the statements in the book) is also aimed at the younger market – I mean what kid doesn’t like LEGO?
How good would it be for a younger person – who has confused feelings about their sexuality or their identity – seeing this set in a toyshop or on a shop shelf and feeling that there is a “toy” (for want of a better word – sorry AFOLs!) out there that represents them, supports them and gives them a message that it is OK and you “Are awesome”. Now that is a really awesome way to show that we care.
As I start to build this set, and Dale puts the minifigs together (I gave him the easy bits that I thought he could handle, haha!), what I notice is that conversation between us is quite LBGTIQ+ focused from the start but in a very positive way. We chat about inclusivity in general and then about the different colours of the pride flag and the additional 5 colours that are represented in this set (I will get to that in a minute). If this was one of the intentions of the LEGO Group – to get positive conversations started – then well done Lego! Of course, we also talked Lego and technical build type stuff also.
Myself, as a LEGO Fan/Builder, find the build itself to be fairly basic and a little repetitive. If I had the parts list and no instructions I could probably work it out easily enough. Build a base, stack some coloured 2×3, 2×2 and 1×1 bricks, then place some tiles and 1×2 plates on the base (for the minifigs to go onto). Put together some minifigs and hey presto – Set complete! After all – it is a small 346 piece set and 44 of those pieces make up the 11 minifigs.
If I was a non LEGO person and got this set purely for what it represents – this is a very easy build if you have zero LEGO build experience.
Now lets get back to those colours! Most people recognize the standard Pride Rainbow Flag colours…. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple. This set introduces 5 new colours (Black, Brown, Pale Blue, Pink and White) which are from other pride flag colours and have been added in to make up what is now known as the “modern” Pride Flag. There we go – Pride flag colour lesson complete.
Well Known Pride Flag
Newer Modern Pride Flag
As a LBGTIQ+ community member – I say well done LEGO Group on being up to date with the progression and development of the evolving Pride Flag and its colour representation. As a slightly OCD / attention to detail LEGO builder – I personally would amend the order of colours in the build to more closely represent the modern flag colour order. White, Pink, Pale Blue, Brown, Black and then Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue & Purple.
Having said that – there is nothing to stop anyone changing the colour order to however they wish it to be when they are building.
Quite often when companies produce LBGTIQ+ focused goods, it is sometimes thought that they are only after the “pink dollar” and using LBGTIQ+ symbols as a money maker. So is the LEGO Group going after the “pink dollar”?…… Maybe, but I only say that in the sense that non LEGO LBGTIQ+ consumers may buy this set for what it represents and not specifically because it is Lego. However – that could be a good thing – perhaps this is a great way to introduce non LEGO peeps to the thing we all love – LEGO! I guess I will just refer back to the beginning of my review and the statement on the inside cover of the instruction booklet – the LEGO group are “recognizing and celebrating the diversity of the world we live in” and I don’t believe they are intentionally chasing the “pink dollar”.
Now, lets get to the one thing that I am sure everyone wants to talk about, Monochrome Minifigs! The obvious inclusion, and the reason Dale will be buying this set, is for the monochrome minifigures. All of us who saw the recent Brothers Brick post of the monochrome minifig environments created by Caz Mockett, were instantly inspired by these wonderful creations. And I have no doubt The Brother’s Brick also received this set to review and were given inspiration to blog the environments as a pre-cursor to this bounty of monochrome figures.
Monochrome Minifigs are very popular and showcase the LEGO colour range in monochrome vignettes!
What is in the box?
Pouring out the contents of the box was like an advert for Skittles. Although there is no particular colour palette in this set, it is a rainbow (pun intended) of colour.
The set itself has a great footprint. And by that I mean it will display nicely in a living space without being too big or too small.
If you were planning on using the monochrome minifigs for monochrome vignettes, the box of colour left over from the set are a great start to the mini environments. Lots of Bricks and tiles to set you on your path to monochrome glory.
I imagine that there will be LEGO fans will go for this set purely for the monochrome minifigs and may not take note of the message the LEGO Group intend to impart in releasing this set. It would be a shame if this is the case but at the same time I recognise that there will also be the LEGO fans that acknowledge the set for what it is, the message that LEGO Group is conveying and see the monochrome minifigs as an added bonus.
Well done LEGO Group for producing a set that is inclusive, supportive, celebrates diversity and recognises that everyone is unique.
Well if you have got this far – HUGE thankyou for taking the time to read my LGBTIQ+ focused thoughts about this set and my very first review ever !
Thanks for making PerthLUG a place that is welcoming, friendly and a safe space for all.
Thanks to Richie and Dale for asking me to help out with this one.
And remember, no matter your colour, your dis/ability, how you identify or who you love, we are all unique
We are all awesome- even the people that don’t do LEGO!
Perth Lego Users Group 