I noticed these Lego Friends sets at my Target about a week ago. I was trying to decide how I felt about these because they are regular Legos that have little characters and such designed to appeal to girls. They also have little things you can build like hair salons and a cafe… and I wasn’t entirely sure it was the right message to send to my girls.
But I do like the idea of Legos for kids and the bottom line for me is that these will probably appeal to my girls more than the regular Legos. So we decided to grab a set and see what the kids think and I wanted to mention them to you as well.
I found them at Target starting at $9.99 and it looks like Amazon has slightly better prices. They have sets starting at $7.49 and the mid size sets run about $19.99 and the large go all the way up to $69.99.
The shipping is free on a $25 order.
You can also get the Lego Friends sets starting at $6.99 at Toys R Us but shipping is only free with Shoprunner or a $75 order.
I decided to get the Olivia’s Treehouse which is priced at $19.99 right now.
I’m not sure why you would hesitate in buying these for girls, I think they’re super cute and much more appealing for them! Let’s face it, girls love going to salons and meeting girlfriends for coffee and shopping. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.
LOL- I think I was overthinking them :). I just don’t like the idea of dumbing things down for girls with beauty parlors and making them little home decorators but then again the Star Wars legos and such have zero appeal. I think my girls will like these ones with the pink and purple and the little girls they can play with. The displays at Target were very cute.
My daughter bought one of these with her Christmas money. She picked the dog show set, because she is three and loved dogs. She has a big brother, so is also exposed to all the boy stuff. She actually gives her “friends” rides in her brother’s Star Wars lego ship. Of course she wants the house, which is around $70. Lego should of been a little quicker, because this would have been her “Santa” present!
My soon-to-be five year has added these to her birthday list after seeing them at Target, but she told me that she plans on having her big brother (a confirmed Lego-holic) put it together for her. Hmmm…
I love that they are bringing Legos for girls now! My 5 year old LOVES to sneak in her brothers room and play with their legos and now she can have her own legos to play with!! Perfect!!
These are awesome, I have wanted a girl’s line for years!
Charlene – I know a lot of Moms (including myself) were questioning it just like you did! (There was a lot of heated discussion about it on Lego’s Facebook page and even in my local newspaper). I think the article that was written in the December 19th issue of Bloomburg Businessweek called “Lego is for Girls” was fantastic (it can be pulled up online). It explained how Lego performed 4 years worth of research into how girls play before coming up with this line. Very interesting article! I can’t wait to see if this line ends up being successful.
Ooh… these are going on my birthday lists for both my girls. I can just imagine them combining them with their other legos and building houses, etc. for them.
I am realizing more and more the benefits of kids playing and building with Legos. It increases their math and early geometry knowledge by leaps and bounds!! I have two girls like you Charlene, mine are 6 and 4, and have never shown any interest in Legos. My oldest saw these the other day and was so excited, she added them to her birthday list as well. My point is, I understand the overthinking thing, but I am thrilled to get these in the hopes that they will actually start playing with them 🙂
I agree Charlene. My girls love my son’s building toys(toy story was the most recent one), lego and all and we normally don’t buy specific color gender toys. 🙂 They do seem to use most of his toys as cooking items. LOL
Whitney I think it encourages the concentration and math skills too. Totally agree with you.
P.S. – For the younger set, I love the new Creative Cakes (Lego Duplo 6785) set that just came out. However, I am disappointed that they didn’t also release a version in neutral or boy colors because boys between ages 2 and 5 love to “cook” too! 🙂
Oh that is cute! I will check for deals on that set.
Last week my daughter was handed a booklet in the Lego Store that introduced this new line. It describes each character and their interest – in addition the ones you mentioned there is also a set with a vet clinic and another that has an inventor’s workshop (the character is a scientist). So, there are many options for different sets.
I have a 10 yr. old boy and an 8 yr. old girl. They’ve both been playing with legos since they were 3 & 4, and not the duplo ones. She loves them just as much as he has, and loves star wars sets, the city sets, everything she can get her hands on. She’s excited about these new sets, and I agree, Lego should have brought them out in November. She’s going to like playing with them, but she’s going to have to wait a little while unfortunately.
It looks like these are not Shoprunner eligible on Toysrus.com.
Well it would be cheaper to use Amazon anyway. Or you can try for in store pickup or just call your store and ask what the price is and you can always drive there.
I can’t believe anyone would even question this!!!! Dumb things down? Really? Legos are to use your imagination. My 4 yr old dtr has been playing with Legos with her brother since she was two.
Brandi- your opinion might be different from mine and that is ok ;). We can still be respectful of each other and remember people don’t all think alike. Your child hasn’t been playing with these toys for 2 years because these were just launched a few weeks ago.
I think people are making a bigger issue out of it than necessary. I played with regular legos as a kid and needed up being a cosmetologist, which is not something to be ashamed of. Oh, and Charlene, Brandi never said her daughter has been playing with the lego friends, just legos in general.
Annie, I think that is probably a valid point but again there is no reason at all we can’t respect each other and understand there are differences of opinion. Personally, I just made a small comment that I wanted to think about these toys and then I said I bought them. From my perspective I just made a small comment that I wanted to think about them and I am kind of confused as to how that small comment turned into such a big deal? I didn’t say anyone needed to be ashamed of their profession because that is not what I think actually. I didn’t say legos in general were not wonderful toys- in fact I thought I said the opposite. So I don’t see why Brandi is upset and why you are upset? The discussion has nothing whatsoever to do with Lego toys in general. This is about these new Lego Friends specifically.
I have a tendency to say what I think and to inject far more of my personality into the blog than I probably should. This has been a great learning lesson for me to remember to just keep my opinions to myself next time. I will try much harder to post things without offering any commentary in the future. 🙂
Charlene, please don’t let the thread on this Lego post deter you from sharing your thoughts, comments, ideas and opinions. It’s your blog, we are but guests here.
Better that we all learn how nothing can so easily turn into “something”.
So, please, continue to share openly and without reserve.
Hahha..Charlene, I am not upset. I understand both sides of the issue. I do understand why someone would be a little put off by the generalization of the new girls legos. Its the same issue i had when i went to buy my son decorations for his room, everything was sports/cars related, so i get it. But i don’t think that its harmful for children to play with stuff that’s geared towards their gender. Also i bought some of the sets for my daughter and there are many other sets besides a hair salon/cafe, and i am sure there will be many more to come. Also i am a little surprised you cant even see why the comment pissed/upset so many people. It comes off as being an elitist whose children are better because they wont be working in a salon/cafe. Everyone wants their children to be the best they can be, but come on. If that happened to everyone then who would be working at Walmart, who would be waiting your tables,etc….
Well I am hardly an elitist and I don’t think that is what I said at all. My husband has a blue collar job and I spent 7 years working at restaurants and cafes myself to get through college and grad school. It is not at all what I said nor is it what I think and I am sorry you interpreted it that way. I have no idea where these accusations of elitism are coming from but they simply couldn’t be further from who I am as a person and what I believe. I read the post four times and I can’t see anywhere that I said anything even close to what you are suggesting.
My initial instinct was that kids grow up too fast and I wasn’t sure I wanted to encourage my preschoolers to be visiting hair salons and such. A lot of children look like adults to me right now and that really has zero to do with the employees that work or own a salon. I never once said my children won’t be working at a place like that because it is not true. They are going to have to learn a work ethic and we won’t be paying for every little thing they ever want so you are very, very mistaken in your assumption. I worked two jobs through college and they can certainly find jobs at cafes or whatever to chip in once the time comes.
I don’t want to comment any further on this topic because again the things you are accusing me of I can not see for the life of me so I think it is better to just move on.
I’m going to stick with my guns and say ditto to what Annie said. I never said my dtr was playing with this Lego set! She plays with the big kid Legos!!!!!