People Upset About New Lego Toys For Girls

Ok, so the makers of Lego have decided to come out with a new line of Lego toys for girls called Lego Friends. They have all those other sets like Star Wars, tanks and whatever so it seems to make sense to make something that girls might be interested in, if they aren’t interested in the ones that are already out. This is apparently causing some issues with some people who feel that these new sets are implying that Lego toys haven’t really been for girls before and I don’t think it should be taken that way. One of my cousins, a girl, had a ton of Lego toys including a medieval castle set 20 years ago and it was never a problem. One of the complaints was that the toys were bright pink which I don’t really see as a problem. Some girls like pink, like my nieces, and just because an adult is going to view that badly, doesn’t mean little girls are going to notice or even care. One of the reasons lead paint was used in toys was because it gave the toys a shiny look that got a kids attention. Pink is just a color used to get a little girls attention and it has been for a long time. It seems like this is being viewed as something to imply views of the past, but it’s just a color that is generally viewed as being a girl color and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. My cousin had a non-girl set and maybe that is what she wanted and maybe not. All I remember was that being kids, it didn’t matter. That was the toy we had to play with. I’m sure there are girls out there who like Star Wars and the other Lego sets that would be typically viewed as a toy for boys, but perhaps not all girls wanting a Lego set would welcome tank set 42 or a Lego X-wing. In that case, there are these new Lego sets as an option for girls who might like something like this. I think what it comes down to most if you don’t like the Lego sets then don’t buy them. If your girl likes the other sets then pass over these new girl ones and get a different one. A funny thing about products is that when they don’t sell, the companies stop making them and they go away. Also, all making complaints about a product does...

Mega Bloks Making Warcraft And StarCraft Sets

Fans of Mega Bloks can now look forward to some new sets to play with in the form of Blizzard based game sets. Blizzard has set up a licensing agreement with Mega Bloks to create themed Mega Bloks sets based on their most popular games Warcraft and StarCraft. Blizzard is very careful on who they allow to create merchandise based on games so this should be a very big thing for Mega Bloks so hopefully they don’t blow this opportunity. It confuses me a little bit because Mega Bloks are something you have to assemble and depending on the complexity of the set, it could take a while. That time could be spent playing their games. Then again, maybe that is meant to counter all the issues with people playing their games too much. Something to get you away from the computer or gaming console to make toys based on the people, places and things you see in their games. But could fans of the game pull themselves away to make/play with those toys. Oh the dilemma. I also wonder why they picked Mega Bloks over Legos. Legos seem to have more experience making sets based on popular franchise, such as Star Wars, and Legos seem to be more of a collector type item to have over Mega Bloks. If some guy told me he collected Lego sets I wouldn’t give it a second thought however if a guy told me he collected Mega Bloks sets, that would sound a little weird to me. The sets are supposed to be released in the summer of 2010, but there is no mention on what these sets might consist of specifically. Mathew McCurley has some ideas for potential sets listed here along with more information about the Warcraft and StarCraft Mega Bloks sets. I never played the games so I don’t know the references, but you...

Man Calls 911 For Toy Helicopter Crash

It was an embarrassing day for a motorist on the Interstate 526 bridge that crosses the Wando River. He witnessed a helicopter smoking and plunge toward the water below. The only problem was it wasn’t real, it was a toy helicopter. After rescue crews made it to the scene, one of the police officers on site noticed it was only two feet long and thus, no one needing rescuing. Two people under the bridge were flying the helicopter and nothing was mentioned as to why they were flying there. It could have been innocent or it could have been a prank. Although not specified what toy helicopter it was, you can rule out this recalled toy helicopter since its only 7 inches long. It’s easy to pick on the guy for not noticing it was a toy, but you never know. If you only got a quick glance of it, you might not notice it was a toy. Looking at the sky with nothing to compare distance with, it could have been real and farther away. Had it been real and he hesitated, people could have died. You never know if you would spot a toy or not in the same situation. It’s like playing game shows at home. It’s easy to yell out the answer in your own living room. It’s completely different when you have millions of people watching For the details, read the full Post and Courier article...

Other Companies Paying A Civil Penalty

For the past couple weeks I have been posting about several toy makers and toy distributors who have been fined a civil penalty over making or selling toys found to have safety issues. Family Dollar Inc was the big name in a recent bizjournal.com report that said nine companies were being fined, but only Family Dollar Inc was mentioned. In a follow up to that story, the other eight companies are now listed with their fines. I had originally thought that Family Dollar Inc was the big name because they were either the biggest name in the group or it had the largest fine of the nine, but they don’t have the biggest fine and it could be argued they aren’t the biggest name in the group. Dollar General and Cardinal Distributing Co. Inc both have a $100,000 fine, $25,000 above the Family Dollar Inc fine. Hobby Lobby Stores and First Learning Company Ltd have to pay $50,000 fines, Michaels Stores Inc has a $45,000 fine, A & A Global Industries Inc and Raymond Geddes & Co were both fined $40,000 and Downeast Concepts Inc had the lowest of them all with only $30,000. This probably won’t be the last of civil penalties for toy companies and toy distributors who made or sold bad...

T-Mobile Wins Lawsuit VS Dollar Store

It’s not something you might expect in terms of copyright infringement or similar issue, as usual for a dollar store, but rather a violation of the trademark law. A recent ruling posted at courthousenews.com states T-Mobile won its case against Sam’s One Dollar Store for selling modified T-Mobile phones. The phones were deprogrammed and could be used outside T-Mobile’s wireless network, making it an unauthorized use of the phone. Since the owners of the Sam’s Dollar Store, Noushad Mian and Shazia Noushad Mian, didn’t show up in court, T-Mobile asked for default judgment and they were awarded $25,000 by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor. The dollar store owners didn’t fight the charge so it was deemed reasonable. I never would have thought a dollar store would be selling real phones, but they weren’t allowed to. You’d also think they’d want to avoid such issues because they probably aren’t making a fortune despite increased sales at dollar...