Now that they've been revealed, I'm looking at the new Disney LEGO minifigures with great interest. I mean, I doubt there's a kid on this planet who doesn't imagine an array of 18 Disney characters transformed into LEGO minifigures and know right away that there will be at least one they absolutely have to have, please Mom, I'll do anything, pleeeeeease....!
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It's a fairly diverse selection, with characters ranging from classic Mickey and Minnie, to Pixar faves, and even less blockbuster-ish characters like Stitch, all available in May in those $3.99 surprise packs. But looking more closely at the minifigs, I am kind of wondering about the choices for the female characters: -Minnie Mouse -Daisy Duck - Alice in Wonderland -Ariel, The Little Mermaid -Ursula -Maleficent So okay, there are six female minifigures out of 18 in all. Two of them are not from any films my kids could name. One of them they know best as a character in a cool Tim Burton movie. Five of them were released before my 10-year-old was born. Now I know that LEGO is awesome at creating what they think will make the most clever-looking, fun minifigs, male or female, so that may in part be how they came to their decision. (Props for Peter Pan and Captain Hook who I'm sure will get into some great adventures with Rey, Bilbo Baggins, and the LEGO Friends at our house.) But looking at the list, Ariel is the only modern female "hero" in the bunch. And maybe it's just me, but she's always been my least favorite of every modern female Disney lead -- not just because she's half-naked (I forgive her; if I had her figure and lived in the ocean I'd do it too) but because I've always thought a key lesson from that film was "just keep your mouth shut and maybe you'll get a guy." I know a lot of you will disagree. Also, I digress.Images via Brickmedia
While I see Buzz Lightyear among the Disney LEGO minifigures, there's no Jessie. I see Dash Parr, but no Elastigirl or Violet. I see Aladdin, but no Mulan, Merida, Tiana or Pocahontas. Not even Mama Odie! Or anyone from Inside Out. Or Eva from Wall-E. 'Sup, Disney? This may seem like nitpicking, and maybe it is. But the thing is, it's not just me that notices it. It's my daughters, and their friends, who are going to look for their favorite female heroines in the new Disney LEGO minifig series, and maybe decide that eh, they'd rather spend their hard-earned allowances on an earlier minifig series still for sale, so they have a shot at scoring the Battle Goddess or the cool female Samurai. Or, maybe the intended audience is actually adult collectors and not kids at all. I mean, my children have no feelings about Daisy Duck either way. Do yours? I think one awesome thing, however, is seeing all the female characters in all their blocky glory as classic minifigures and not made svelte and/or bodacious as mini dolls. In fact, just for fun, check out this cool series of Disney Princess minifigs created by a super fan on the Euroblocks message boards. Who knows, maybe one of them appear in the second Disney LEGO minifigure series. Because if I know anything about Disney and LEGO, there will always be a sequel. Find more about Series 71012 Disney LEGO Minifgures on the LEGO site, and find them in stores in May 2016.
