Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1997)
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Steven Asbury MANAGING EDITOR: Thom Schoenbom NIGHT EDITOR: Mike Schmierbach & Shannon Sneed EDITORIAL EDITORS: Ashley Bach &• Brian Diamond editorials, letters, commentary and perspective NEWSROOM: (541)346-5511 DISPLAY ADVERTISING: (541)346-3712 BUSINESS OFFICE: (541)346-5512 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: (541) 346-4343 The greatest toy of all ...'.X ■ OUR OPINION: LEGOs stimulate creativity, cross over gender and generational gaps and may be the best toy ever made here are certain things in life that are just timeless. Things that cross over generational boundaries to unite all people. Things like blue jeans, beer and, most importantly, LEGOs. Who didn’t once play with LEGOs as a kid? Further, who doesn’t secretly long to dig through the closet and pull out that old LEGO castle set and play with them again? Quite simply, LEGOs were and are the greatest toy ever invented, and we think it’s time to recognize that. What is it that makes LEGOs such a great toy? First of all, they allow kids to create in a way that very few toys do. Most toys limit a child’s options for play. GI Joes were primarily for war games, Barbies for house games, but LEGOs were for any kind of game possible. With LEGOs, there are no limits. What other toy allows kids to literally build their own fantasy world? Sure, there were Lincoln Logs, but all you could build with them were cabins. And that got pretty old pretty fast. LEGOs can be made into virtually anything. Castles, space ships, gas stations and hundreds of other objects that can only be defined inside a chid’s imagination. Even people who aren’t too creative can have fun following the directions on the box ^ and admiring their final product. LEGOs provide ■£3 i something for everyone, which is why almost everyone played with them. That includes both boys and girls. Unlike the majority of toys on the market, LEGOs represent a truly gender-neutral toy. Both sexes grew up playing with them because they weren’t exclusively targeted at either sex. This separates LEGOs from almost every other toy available. Unfortunately, the creation of new pink LEGOs threatens this gender neutrality. Now there is a new set of LEGOs available that is exclusively targeted at girls. They’re pink and can be built into houses, beauty shops — all the stereotypical “girl” creations imaginable. Not only do these new pink LEGOs violate the entire premise of building with LEGOs, but they are unnecessary. By bringing gender roles into the world of LEGOs, the limitless creativity of playing with them is severely threatened. Saying that one set of LEGOs is for boys and one is for girls draws a divide into their unified world. From the castle LEGOs to the space LEGOs to the generic bucket of LEGOs, we truly believe LEGO toys are something unique. Wannabe copy-cat LEGO toy sets simply aren’t the same. Only the original LEGO has the power and broad based appeal to deserve the title of best toy ever. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald v editorial board. READER VOICES CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald What do LEGOs mean to you? “I think they symbolize the future. Because it's like building some thing: you start with nothing, just broken fragments and make them into anything you want.” Henry Jones Junior, biology “I love LEGOS. I still have one of those great big boxes of them. I still play with them. I like the origi nals, though. Now they have all those weird sets.” Heather Hardaway Senior, exercise and movement science “They mean creativity and colors to me.” Charily Pickett Sophomore, journalism “Creativity. Definitely agelessness. I have a little brother who's two, and he plays LEGOs, and I have a brother who’s 19, and he'll sit down and play | with the LEGOs too." Nicole Sanson Senior, dance and foreign languages “LEGOs mean a time for relaxation and play. They are very therapeutic for adults.” Sussn Pucci Senior, psychology K._ ■ “LEGOs mean everything to me. LEGOs are the building blocks of life." Brian Lakefish Senior, - business j Blocks of ISO LEGO world headquarters is * located in faraway Billund, Denmark. Also in Billund is Legoiand, a full-size theme park, complete with rides and I other attractions. Another i \ Legoiand is located in \ Windsor, England and v \ numberthree will soon \ ) open in Carlsbad, ]/ California. Some LEGO bricks have a life of their own—well, sort of. Electronic Bricks have simple “ j electronic circuits inside and i when put together, can form robotic creatures with interesting and complex behaviors. h According to a 1980 catalog, | LEQO Group Companies - would like their customers to keep the LEGO brand name special. Therefore, they prefer their prod uct be called “LEGO Bricks and Toys," not “LEGOs." One of the most common in ternational advertising phrases for LEGO is, “LEGO is a new toy every day" or “LEGO c'est un nouveau jouet chaque |our or LEGO ist jeden Tag ein neues Spielzeug." The proper cleaning process for LEGO Bricks and Toys are by hand, in warm water (104 degrees, max.) with a mild liquid dish detergent. Also, do not wash the faces of the LEGO people; their faces will rub off. Fortough brick separation, an official LEGO “Brick Separator" can be bought for under two dollars in stores worldwide. LEGO comes from the Danish “leg godt” meaning “Play well". 300 million children have owned LEGO sets since they were first made. MOTTO: “Det bedst er ikke for godt,” which translates into “The best is not too good." The meaning is that even the best isn't good enough for LEGO. Official LEGO web site: htttpy/www.lego.com/ SOURCE: Compiled lot the tec toys lego newsgroup.
