Lego Introduces its First Disabled Figure

By Linda DiProperzio January 29, 2016

For generations, kids have been building masterpieces with their Legos. And on Thursday, the company came up with something no one has seen before—its first-ever disabled figure, according to CNN Money.

At the urging of the online campaign, #ToyLikeMe, that amassed over 20,000 signatures on a petition that called on the company to produce figures that represent disabled children, Lego first unveiled the figure of a hat-wearing boy in a wheelchair at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair in Germany. Now it will be part of a new Lego CITY set—Fun at the Park—that comes out in June.

Although there was a LEGO Duplo range that featured an elderly man in a wheelchair, that set was criticized by activists for reinforcing stereotypes about wheelchairs only being for the elderly, according to The Mighty.

"We are beyond happy right now," Rebecca Atkinson of Toy Like Me says in a statement posted online. "Lego have just rocked our brick built world and made 150 million disabled kids, their mums, dads, pet dogs and hamsters very, very happy."

The family-owned Danish business became the biggest toymaker in the world in terms of revenue and profit in 2014, beating its rival Mattel, thanks in large part to the success of The Lego Movie. The company made 60 billion Lego pieces in 2014, while its sales grew 18 percent in the first half of 2015.

Never hear 'I'm bored' again with our weekly family-activities newsletter!

Download our Freebie Guide to Fun Winter Activites