Conley Hausle

ENGL 327W
Dr. Ouelette
14 November 2018
Reflection Three: Legos
Legos have long been an interesting part of culture. They are one of the most common
toys, and one of the most versatile. In the article “How Lego clicked: the super brand that
reinvented itself,” Johnny Davis mentions the idea that Legos are backwards compatible. This is
interesting in the context of Bennet and Royle’s argument that we are subjected before we are
even born. I specifically remember growing up and playing with a mixture of new Legos that my
parents bought for me and older Legos that my grandparents bought for my parents when they
themselves were children. As a result, I was exposed to Lego sets from another generation,
which influenced my idea of just what a Lego was.
Another interesting point raised in the article was the idea of Legos specifically for girls.
This is interesting in the light of Horkheimer and Adorno’s argument that people need to
conform to society’s standards in order to be seen as acceptable. This is actually seen on both
sides of the coin. Lego is conforming in that they feel they must make toys specifically aimed at
girls in order to maintain a good profit margin and be seen as relevant. It is seen in the parents
who buy these sets for their daughters, as they are conforming to the idea that girls need to play
with girls toys. It also presents the idea to girls that there are certain toys they should and should
not play with, which goes back to Bennet and Royle’s idea of being a subject from the moment
one is born.
A further point alluded to in this article is Hebdige’s statement that film is a way to study
culture. In his article, Davis states that “The Lego Batman Movie, outperformed the last “proper”
Batman movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, to such a degree that DC Comics now
faces a genuine problem: audiences overwhelmingly prefer the Dark Knight in his pompous and
plastic version voiced by Will Arnett, rather than Ben Affleck’s portrayal (Davis, 2017).” This
shows an interesting shift in culture, wherein consumers prefer the fun and lighthearted Lego
movies to the darker DC movies. This in itself is actually an interesting tie-in to Benjamin’s
point that “the adjustment of reality to the masses and of the masses to reality is a process of
unlimited scope, as much for thinking as for perception (Benjamin, 1936).” In other words,
filmmakers are forced to adjust to the idea that, especially in this day and age, audiences don’t
always WANT everything to be doom and gloom. Sometimes they need something fun and
lighthearted to escape from their everyday woes. Lego is delivering for audiences in the movies
they are producing, and the films’ ratings show it.
A final point one could refer to is Klein’s views on generational identity being a
packaged good. In the article, Davis makes the statement that “Lego gets inundated with requests
for re-releases, but they won’t do it. Their focus is the kids of now and tomorrow, not yesterday
(Davis, 2017).” This is proof of how much people make small things, such as toys from when
they were children, part of their identity. They want to hold on to it, because to them, it’s part of
who they are.
In conclusion, Legos have been an important part of cultures and identities around the
world for a long time. They have been an important part of many childhoods and have shaped the
way many people see the world. Despite the fact that they are a simple toy, they have a lot of
meaning to many people around the world, and will likely remain a cultural icon for a long time
to come.
 References
Benjamin, Walter. The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. Prism Key Press,
2010.
Bennet, Andrew and Royle, Nicholas. “Me”. 14 Nov., 2018.
Davis, Johnny. "How Lego Clicked: the Brand That Reinvented Itself | Johnny Davis." The
Guardian, 4 June 2017, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/04/how-lego-
clicked-the-super-brand-that-reinvented-itself. Accessed 14 Nov. 2018.
Hebdige, Dick. “From culture to hegemony.” The cultural studies reader (1993): pp. 357-367
Horkheimer, Max and Adorno, Theodor W. “The culture industry: enlightenment as mass
deception.” Media and cultural studies: Keyworks (2006) 41-72.
Klein, Naomi. “Alt. Everything: the youth market and the marketing of cool.” No logo, Picador,
2002, pp. 63-86.