LEGO Pulls Support for Police & Firefighter Sets 'In Response to Tragic Events

[Randy Gray]

Below is an article about LEGO. As a retired firefighter I think the 4 million dollar donation is great, but what the heck has the firefighters done so wrong to not support them? I believe I have bought my last LEGO products.


LEGO Scales Back Marketing on Police and White House Toys, Donates $4 Million to Fight Racism

Samson Amore
The Wrap June 4, 2020

This week, we’ve seen a lot of corporations make statements about how they support the fight for racial justice. Some of them have made donations here and there, and they refrained from posting to social media on Blackout Tuesday. But few went as far as The LEGO Group did in putting its money where its mouth is, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of four police officers.

On Tuesday, websites that receive affiliate marketing money to promote LEGO toys got an email from marketing service Rakuten, according to The Toy Book. “In light of recent events, LEGO has requested the below products to be removed from sites and any marketing ASAP,” read the email, which included a list of 31 sets that depicted scenes with police, firefighters, and the White House.

This sparked a bit of confusion at first, as some wondered if LEGO was stopping the sales of its sets. That’s not the case, as a statement from the company later clarified.

“We would like to clarify that we have not removed any sets from sale,” read the statement sent to SheKnows. “The misunderstanding is the result of an email that was sent on our behalf to members of our affiliate marketing program. The intent of the email was to ask that they pause promoting and marketing a selection of LEGO products on their sites. We paused all marketing across our own social channels earlier this week in response to the tragic events in the U.S. We regret any misunderstanding and will be clearer about our intentions in the future.”

The pause was meant to last only one day, a spokesperson told us. But the company is making a more lasting commitment to the cause, to the tune of $4 million.

“There is no place for racism in our society,” LEGO’s statement said. “We stand with the Black community against racism and inequality. Our mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow, and that includes inspiring them to be tolerant, inclusive and kind. There is more to do and as one small step, we are donating US$4 million to organizations in the U.S. dedicated to organizations that support Black children and others that educate all children about tolerance and racial equality."

LEGO has an interesting history when it comes to race. The stated reason that its minifigures are yellow is so that all children can relate to them. The only exceptions are figures based on characters.

“We want to inspire the builders of tomorrow — that means kids from all around the world!” reads the Brick Facts page on the LEGO site. “We want every one of our fans, wherever they live and whatever their own skin colour, to imagine themselves as part of the action. When we invented minifigures almost 40 years ago, we chose yellow because it’s a neutral ‘skin colour’ — nobody in real life has bright yellow skin, so LEGO minifigures don’t represent a specific race or ethnic background and nobody is left out.”

[GoodLife]

Below is an article about LEGO. As a retired firefighter I think the 4 million dollar donation is great, but what the heck has the firefighters done so wrong to not support them? I believe I have bought my last LEGO products.


LEGO Scales Back Marketing on Police and White House Toys, Donates $4 Million to Fight Racism

Samson Amore
The Wrap June 4, 2020

This week, we’ve seen a lot of corporations make statements about how they support the fight for racial justice. Some of them have made donations here and there, and they refrained from posting to social media on Blackout Tuesday. But few went as far as The LEGO Group did in putting its money where its mouth is, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of four police officers.

On Tuesday, websites that receive affiliate marketing money to promote LEGO toys got an email from marketing service Rakuten, according to The Toy Book. “In light of recent events, LEGO has requested the below products to be removed from sites and any marketing ASAP,” read the email, which included a list of 31 sets that depicted scenes with police, firefighters, and the White House.

This sparked a bit of confusion at first, as some wondered if LEGO was stopping the sales of its sets. That’s not the case, as a statement from the company later clarified.

“We would like to clarify that we have not removed any sets from sale,” read the statement sent to SheKnows. “The misunderstanding is the result of an email that was sent on our behalf to members of our affiliate marketing program. The intent of the email was to ask that they pause promoting and marketing a selection of LEGO products on their sites. We paused all marketing across our own social channels earlier this week in response to the tragic events in the U.S. We regret any misunderstanding and will be clearer about our intentions in the future.”

The pause was meant to last only one day, a spokesperson told us. But the company is making a more lasting commitment to the cause, to the tune of $4 million.

“There is no place for racism in our society,” LEGO’s statement said. “We stand with the Black community against racism and inequality. Our mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow, and that includes inspiring them to be tolerant, inclusive and kind. There is more to do and as one small step, we are donating US$4 million to organizations in the U.S. dedicated to organizations that support Black children and others that educate all children about tolerance and racial equality."

LEGO has an interesting history when it comes to race. The stated reason that its minifigures are yellow is so that all children can relate to them. The only exceptions are figures based on characters.

“We want to inspire the builders of tomorrow — that means kids from all around the world!” reads the Brick Facts page on the LEGO site. “We want every one of our fans, wherever they live and whatever their own skin colour, to imagine themselves as part of the action. When we invented minifigures almost 40 years ago, we chose yellow because it’s a neutral ‘skin colour’ — nobody in real life has bright yellow skin, so LEGO minifigures don’t represent a specific race or ethnic background and nobody is left out.”

LOL, only a few weeks ago all first responders and medical workers were heroes.

This is what happens when woke millennials take over.

[bilcon]

Remind me not to visit Lego Land ever again or buy any Lego products.

[billethkid]

I wonder who they call when they are in a life threatening situation?

Clearly the management/ownership are not responding or care about the majority of their customer base.

:popcorn:

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

I read what LEGO said and I can’t see how anyone could be upset with them������ in fact I’m liking LEGO even more when I read about them using yellow as a universal color for most of there figures. I’m 81 my mother was way ahead of her time in many things , but the most important was teaching me to be color blind and tolerant of others lifestyle. I had 33 years living around the world , I don’t judge people’s skin color or gender , only what kind of person they are

[Bucco]

"LEGO pulled police- and White House-themed toys in response to nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd.
Rating
False
False
About this rating "


Did LEGO Pull Police Playsets from Stores? (https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lego-police-toys/)

[fdpaq0580]

I read what LEGO said and I can’t see how anyone could be upset with them������ in fact I’m liking LEGO even more when I read about them using yellow as a universal color for most of there figures. I’m 81 my mother was way ahead of her time in many things , but the most important was teaching me to be color blind and tolerant of others lifestyle. I had 33 years living around the world , I don’t judge people’s skin color or gender , only what kind of person they are

I'm in my mid 70's. When I was little and colors were used as a descriptor for people, yellow was the color for Asians, red for Native Americans, etc. I think it more likely that various groups of kids were offered various color choices to see what color was most popular with them. Bright yellow won in the groups tested.
I was exposed to various cultures and ethnic groups growing up and was not taught to be "colorblind", but to appreciate the wonderful variety of cultures. Like you, I have been around the world and experience many cultures (ie: Mexico, Japan, Philippines, Mauritius, Angola, Senegal, and many more.) I learned from my experience that, like the old saying, variety is the spice of life. I enjoy various types of food, music, culture, etc.
LEGO is, imho, just trying to protect its business in the way they think will be most beneficial to them. Right or wrong, it's a business decision and nothing more.

[rjm1cc]

I though we were to evaluate each person on there own merits and on the group they belong too or the color or their skin.

[davem4616]

, etc.
LEGO is, imho, just trying to protect its business in the way they think will be most beneficial to them. Right or wrong, it's a business decision and nothing more.


totally agree...this is a CYA public relations play

if it wasn't for the 4M it would be completely hollow...(4M is just chump change for LEGO, but it is a statement)...so who does it go to, how will it actually help?

More interesting to me is, what the heck have Firemen done to deserve this treatment by LEGO?

Oh, yeah my bad, I forgot...Firemen crossed the line when they put themselves at risk and rushed in to put out the fires set by the "looters"

As someone else posted...odd that our 'first responders' were considered hero's just days ago, now LEGO is 'shunning' them :ohdear:

[billethkid]

totally agree...this is a CYA public relations play

if it wasn't for the 4M it would be completely hollow...(4M is just chump change for LEGO, but it is a statement)...so who does it go to, how will it actually help?

More interesting to me is, what the heck have Firemen done to deserve this treatment by LEGO?

Oh, yeah my bad, I forgot...Firemen crossed the line when they put themselves at risk and rushed in to put out the fires set by the "looters"

As someone else posted...odd that our 'first responders' were considered hero's just days ago, now LEGO is 'shunning' them :ohdear:

They still are. Just ignore those who promote the contrary.
They have a separate agenda.

Fortunately those who know better significantly out number
the special interest minority (NOT RACE).

[Marvic 1]

I believe LAGO is donating bail money to release those arrested - Pepsi Cola and a few other as well......

[ColdNoMore]

"LEGO pulled police- and White House-themed toys in response to nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd.
Rating
False
False
About this rating "


Did LEGO Pull Police Playsets from Stores? (https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lego-police-toys/)

No fair pouring water on a nice, heated rant.

What's next, asking that social media...not allow outright lies? :D

[anothersteve]

LEGO City Police Mini Movies Compilation Episode 1 to 6 | LEGO Animation Cartoons - YouTube (https://youtu.be/K527oNxtO7o)

Steve

[davem4616]

They still are. Just ignore those who promote the contrary.
They have a separate agenda.

Fortunately those who know better significantly out number
the special interest minority (NOT RACE).

I agree...thanks for the post

[roscoguy]

Below is an article about LEGO. As a retired firefighter I think the 4 million dollar donation is great, but what the heck has the firefighters done so wrong to not support them? I believe I have bought my last LEGO products.

It seems that most here, including the OP, misread, misunderstood or ignored what the quoted article actually said. I've removed much of the OP, but left the most pertinent portions below. Maybe that'll help those that seemed to have hostile, knee-jerk reactions.

LEGO Scales Back Marketing on Police and White House Toys, Donates $4 Million to Fight Racism

This sparked a bit of confusion at first, as some wondered if LEGO was stopping the sales of its sets. That’s not the case, as a statement from the company later clarified.

“We would like to clarify that we have not removed any sets from sale,” read the statement sent to SheKnows. “The misunderstanding is the result of an email that was sent on our behalf to members of our affiliate marketing program. The intent of the email was to ask that they pause promoting and marketing a selection of LEGO products on their sites. We paused all marketing across our own social channels earlier this week in response to the tragic events in the U.S. We regret any misunderstanding and will be clearer about our intentions in the future.”

The pause was meant to last only one day, a spokesperson told us. But the company is making a more lasting commitment to the cause, to the tune of $4 million.

LOL, only a few weeks ago all first responders and medical workers were heroes.

This is what happens when woke millennials take over.

Remind me not to visit Lego Land ever again or buy any Lego products.
Two of the more obvious over-reactions... :ohdear:
I believe LAGO is donating bail money to release those arrested - Pepsi Cola and a few other as well......
And WHAT THE HECK is this even about? You must have way more inside information than either DuckDuckGo or Google; neither one could shed any light at all on this 'theory'! :confused: :loco:

(I must admit, I don't understand why Firefighter themed toys were included in their 'marketing pause' decision either...)

[GOLFER54]

If LEGO chose the color Green, they would have ****ed off the Martians

[Bay Kid]

I don't use Legos anymore, thank goodness.

[Eg_cruz]

Below is an article about LEGO. As a retired firefighter I think the 4 million dollar donation is great, but what the heck has the firefighters done so wrong to not support them? I believe I have bought my last LEGO products.


LEGO Scales Back Marketing on Police and White House Toys, Donates $4 Million to Fight Racism

Samson Amore
The Wrap June 4, 2020

This week, we’ve seen a lot of corporations make statements about how they support the fight for racial justice. Some of them have made donations here and there, and they refrained from posting to social media on Blackout Tuesday. But few went as far as The LEGO Group did in putting its money where its mouth is, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of four police officers.

On Tuesday, websites that receive affiliate marketing money to promote LEGO toys got an email from marketing service Rakuten, according to The Toy Book. “In light of recent events, LEGO has requested the below products to be removed from sites and any marketing ASAP,” read the email, which included a list of 31 sets that depicted scenes with police, firefighters, and the White House.

This sparked a bit of confusion at first, as some wondered if LEGO was stopping the sales of its sets. That’s not the case, as a statement from the company later clarified.

“We would like to clarify that we have not removed any sets from sale,” read the statement sent to SheKnows. “The misunderstanding is the result of an email that was sent on our behalf to members of our affiliate marketing program. The intent of the email was to ask that they pause promoting and marketing a selection of LEGO products on their sites. We paused all marketing across our own social channels earlier this week in response to the tragic events in the U.S. We regret any misunderstanding and will be clearer about our intentions in the future.”

The pause was meant to last only one day, a spokesperson told us. But the company is making a more lasting commitment to the cause, to the tune of $4 million.

“There is no place for racism in our society,” LEGO’s statement said. “We stand with the Black community against racism and inequality. Our mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow, and that includes inspiring them to be tolerant, inclusive and kind. There is more to do and as one small step, we are donating US$4 million to organizations in the U.S. dedicated to organizations that support Black children and others that educate all children about tolerance and racial equality."

LEGO has an interesting history when it comes to race. The stated reason that its minifigures are yellow is so that all children can relate to them. The only exceptions are figures based on characters.

“We want to inspire the builders of tomorrow — that means kids from all around the world!” reads the Brick Facts page on the LEGO site. “We want every one of our fans, wherever they live and whatever their own skin colour, to imagine themselves as part of the action. When we invented minifigures almost 40 years ago, we chose yellow because it’s a neutral ‘skin colour’ — nobody in real life has bright yellow skin, so LEGO minifigures don’t represent a specific race or ethnic background and nobody is left out.”
It states it is not removing any sets and LEGO was asked to stop running ads..... it sure way your mad at them

[GoodLife]

Just got one of these for the grandkids

84455

[BlackhawksFan]

It's pretty clear some of thhe respondents have low comprehension skils.

[merrymini]

Political BS from LEGO. Sad.

[Joe C.]

WOW!!! And I was going to buy my wife a Lego set for out 50th wedding anniversary.
Guess I'll just take her to Dairy Queen instead.

[kendi]

I read what LEGO said and I can’t see how anyone could be upset with them������ in fact I’m liking LEGO even more when I read about them using yellow as a universal color for most of there figures. I’m 81 my mother was way ahead of her time in many things , but the most important was teaching me to be color blind and tolerant of others lifestyle. I had 33 years living around the world , I don’t judge people’s skin color or gender , only what kind of person they are

I don’t believe being color blind is the answer. Respecting a person for who they are, including their color is the answer. Telling someone you are blind to their color is insulting.

[ColdNoMore]

I don’t believe being color blind is the answer. Respecting a person for who they are, including their color is the answer. Telling someone you are blind to their color is insulting.

Excellent point!

Now ask those same people to walk a while in the shoes of those people who they view as "colorless," then come back later to see if they still think that the color of someone's skin...doesn't really matter. :ho:

[ColdNoMore]

I'm just grateful, that I no longer have to worry about or deal...with THIS! :D


http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/funny-lego-jokes-52-57e0e8f89201a__605.jpg

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

I don’t believe being color blind is the answer. Respecting a person for who they are, including their color is the answer. Telling someone you are blind to their color is insulting. it doesn’t mean you don’t see there color or ethnic group it should mean that you treat everyone the same with no bias Or preconceived thoughts about them , we all may have different ways in this planet but we are all the same ,we are all human and half of my life spent around the world reinforcing that thought

[fdpaq0580]

If LEGO chose the color Green, they would have ****ed off the Martians

Thank you for my first really good laugh of the day!!!

[ColdNoMore]

it doesn’t mean you don’t see there color or ethnic group it should mean that you treat everyone the same with no bias Or preconceived thoughts about them , we all may have different ways in this planet but we are all the same ,we are all human and half of my life spent around the world reinforcing that thought



"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.

Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

:ho:

[Curtisbwp]

Below is an article about LEGO. As a retired firefighter I think the 4 million dollar donation is great, but what the heck has the firefighters done so wrong to not support them? I believe I have bought my last LEGO products.


LEGO Scales Back Marketing on Police and White House Toys, Donates $4 Million to Fight Racism

Samson Amore
The Wrap June 4, 2020

This week, we’ve seen a lot of corporations make statements about how they support the fight for racial justice. Some of them have made donations here and there, and they refrained from posting to social media on Blackout Tuesday. But few went as far as The LEGO Group did in putting its money where its mouth is, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of four police officers.

On Tuesday, websites that receive affiliate marketing money to promote LEGO toys got an email from marketing service Rakuten, according to The Toy Book. “In light of recent events, LEGO has requested the below products to be removed from sites and any marketing ASAP,” read the email, which included a list of 31 sets that depicted scenes with police, firefighters, and the White House.

This sparked a bit of confusion at first, as some wondered if LEGO was stopping the sales of its sets. That’s not the case, as a statement from the company later clarified.

“We would like to clarify that we have not removed any sets from sale,” read the statement sent to SheKnows. “The misunderstanding is the result of an email that was sent on our behalf to members of our affiliate marketing program. The intent of the email was to ask that they pause promoting and marketing a selection of LEGO products on their sites. We paused all marketing across our own social channels earlier this week in response to the tragic events in the U.S. We regret any misunderstanding and will be clearer about our intentions in the future.”

The pause was meant to last only one day, a spokesperson told us. But the company is making a more lasting commitment to the cause, to the tune of $4 million.

“There is no place for racism in our society,” LEGO’s statement said. “We stand with the Black community against racism and inequality. Our mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow, and that includes inspiring them to be tolerant, inclusive and kind. There is more to do and as one small step, we are donating US$4 million to organizations in the U.S. dedicated to organizations that support Black children and others that educate all children about tolerance and racial equality."

LEGO has an interesting history when it comes to race. The stated reason that its minifigures are yellow is so that all children can relate to them. The only exceptions are figures based on characters.

“We want to inspire the builders of tomorrow — that means kids from all around the world!” reads the Brick Facts page on the LEGO site. “We want every one of our fans, wherever they live and whatever their own skin colour, to imagine themselves as part of the action. When we invented minifigures almost 40 years ago, we chose yellow because it’s a neutral ‘skin colour’ — nobody in real life has bright yellow skin, so LEGO minifigures don’t represent a specific race or ethnic background and nobody is left out.”

I do not care nor do i follow lego.

[fdpaq0580]

it doesn’t mean you don’t see there color or ethnic group it should mean that you treat everyone the same with no bias Or preconceived thoughts about them , we all may have different ways in this planet but we are all the same ,we are all human and half of my life spent around the world reinforcing that thought

Agree with you. I was raised to believe in the Golden Rule. Simply put, treat others as you would like to be treated. That is a pretty simple concept, imo.
I believe that we all have some things we are born with, ie: fear or dislike of spiders or snakes. These we can learn to understand and overcome.
Fear, hatred and distrust of other humans is something we have to be taught, at home, at school, in life by our parents and siblings, teachers, playmates and community leaders, religious and secular. I realize that there are many points of view for many different reasons. Still, I believe that if we try to live by the Golden Rule we can learn to get along.

[Dilligas]

I'm in my mid 70's. When I was little and colors were used as a descriptor for people, yellow was the color for Asians, red for Native Americans, etc. I think it more likely that various groups of kids were offered various color choices to see what color was most popular with them. Bright yellow won in the groups tested.
I was exposed to various cultures and ethnic groups growing up and was not taught to be "colorblind", but to appreciate the wonderful variety of cultures. Like you, I have been around the world and experience many cultures (ie: Mexico, Japan, Philippines, Mauritius, Angola, Senegal, and many more.) I learned from my experience that, like the old saying, variety is the spice of life. I enjoy various types of food, music, culture, etc.
LEGO is, imho, just trying to protect its business in the way they think will be most beneficial to them. Right or wrong, it's a business decision and nothing more.
Another politically correct decision without much thought.

[rjm1cc]

I guess if one of their employees breaks the law we should stop buying their products????? No matter how many good employees at Lego need their job?????

[nancyre]

They pulled all advertising for just the 1 day. They have not pulled the product line.