Fox News has claimed that Lego had “Gone Woke” after the Danish toymaker unveiled a range of inclusive figures.
“These are really important issues,” said host Harris Faulkner. “Do you want Lego in there?”
Fox Radio host and guest on the Faulkner Focus show replied, “Definitely not. But what’s so fascinating about this story is the divide in the country. Republicans think it is insane that they are forcing identity politics into Legos. Democrats are upset they didn’t make a drag queen stripper.”
The offending toys include a range of more diverse identities and personality traits. One figure reportedly suffers from anxiety, another is in a wheelchair, and there is one with Down Syndrome.
“The reason they force identity into toys is because they think identity comes with a built-in political orientation, and that’s what they’re after here,” Failla added. “I’m not having it.”
Fox has famously been on a campaign against what it considers wokeness in recent months. However, the Murdoch-owned station clearly doesn’t have its finger on the pulse as the offending Lego Friends collection launched at the end of October last year.
The company said:
“The brand-new universe of authentic, interesting, passionate, and diverse characters includes additions of multiple skin tones, cultures, physical and non-visible disabilities, and neurodiversity.”
As well as the Down Syndrome character, there are characters with limb difference, vitiligo, and a dog.
“At the LEGO Group, we understand that children want the characters they encounter to be more like the diverse personalities they meet in real-life”, said Tracie Chiarella, head of product, LEGO Friends at the LEGO Group.
“We’re continuously evolving our products so that they’re reflective of society today and that’s why we’re proud to launch this brand-new generation of LEGO Friends. We want children to see the new LEGO Friends Universe, both in the physical product and the content we’re launching in 2023, as a reflection of their own friendships and to see the characters as authentic. We have chosen to evolve the LEGO Friends Universe and TV show to be more inclusive in order to give parents and kids more tools to navigate friendship and their emotions as they grow and learn.”
The “news” according to Fox
“LEGO GOES WOKE”
h/t @McmasterReed pic.twitter.com/LXb1s0j94f
— Lis Power (@LisPower1) February 22, 2023
