In the short time since I wrote our LEGO Friends post, things have changed considerably. We are now owners of LEGO Friends.

…and they are awesome.

It was purely my girls’ decision to add them to our collection. Alright, perhaps purely is not the correct term here, since these “infamous” toys are right there in their very own section at the store. For whatever reason, maybe all the pink, or perhaps by merely overhearing Daddy’s rants, LEGO Friends suddenly became a “gotta have” toy. I didn’t just rush out and purchase them, either. The kids had some Christmas gift cards to spend, and this was their choice for what to spend it on.

Now, about four of the smaller sets have now been integrated into our collection. I can really say at this point that the concept, design and playability of the Friends line is right on par with all of the other LEGOs. Without going into too much detail, the sets have enough “standard” pieces to add to any collection, while they also contain enough unique pieces that won’t get completely lost in the mix of a big collection.

I found the sets themselves to be way less “sexist” than most Barbie sets of toys. One of the characters is even (impressively) a scientist. As for the rest… you know what? Who cares? Anyone who knows the “true spirit” of LEGOs knows that it’s all about using your imagination. The pre-made sets are great for teaching kids the different ways that pieces can interact with one another, but the fun (and learning) really comes from dumping a big box of miscellaneous pieces on the floor and going to town.

I could go on, but the mere mention of “going to town” reminded me of my daughters’ LEGO town that they have proudly put on display for the past week.

Pictures:

Lesson: The next time a big toy controversy sweeps across the internet, it’s just not as big of a deal as people make of it. Simply raise your children to be who they are. Piece by piece.

Disclaimer: Opinions are mine, and this was not a paid post. If someone from the LEGO Company wants to send us a nice fat check, on the other hand…