''Everyone is Awesome'' is a

Lego set Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...

released in 2021. The Lego product is the first designed to represent the LGBTQIA+ community. It was designed by Matthew Ashton and is themed to represent a pride flag and

transgender pride flag The first transgender flag is a pride flag having five horizontal stripes of three colors—light blue, pink and white. It was designed by American trans woman Monica Helms in 1999 to represent the transgender community, organizations, and indi ...

, and black and brown colors to represent LGBT people of color.

Attributes

The set has 346 pieces. It comes with 11 minifigures in colors representing pride flags. Six represent colors of the rainbow pride flag ( Gilbert Baker's 1978 "classic" flag with red, orange, yellow, green, dark blue, and purple), while three (in pale blue, white, and pink) represent the transgender pride flag, and two (in black and brown) represent the diversity of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds within the queer community. The black and brown stripes mirror Philadelphia's pride flag introduced in 2017. Each figure has a different hairstyle, also representing the LGBT and Lego community's diversity. None of the eleven figures have specified genders, except for the purple minifigure, meant to represent a drag queen, with a "highly stylized beehive wig". The Lego set measures about ; it is designed with a base and back wall, to fit on a shelf or windowsill. The set name is inspired by "

Everything Is Awesome "Everything Is Awesome" (stylized as "Everything Is AWESOME!!!") is a song by Canadian indie pop duo Tegan and Sara, featuring American comedy trio the Lonely Island. As the theme song to the 2014 Warner Bros. Pictures film ''The Lego Movie'', ...

", a song from '' The Lego Movie'', a feature film released in 2014. The set designer, Matthew Ashton, was an executive producer for the film.

History

The Lego Company has a short history of representing the LGBT community in sets. A build of

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

, released in 2019, includes a tiny rainbow flag, while sets of bride and groom figurines in the BrickHeadz line were sold separately, allowing fans to purchase two brides or two grooms if they choose to. The "Everyone is Awesome" set is the first set dedicated to the LGBT community in the Lego Company's 89-year history. It comes at a time as the toy industry is releasing products aimed towards more inclusivity. The set was designed by vice president of design Matthew Ashton, initially for his own desk. Ashton, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, designed it to make his new office space reflect him. Visitors to Lego's offices noticed it enough that he was prompted to make it an official set. Ashton noted that he grew up as a gay teen in the 1980s, in a daunting time when homophobia was widespread at the height of the

HIV/AIDS crisis AIDS is caused by a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which originated in non-human primates in Central and West Africa. While various sub-groups of the virus acquired human infectivity at different times, the present pandemic had its origins i ...

, and that he was constantly told which toys to play with. He expressed that having a set like this in one's childhood would be a significant relief and sign of support and love. The set was released June 1, 2021, in time for

LGBT Pride Month LGBT Pride Month is a month, typically in June, dedicated to celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride. Pride Month began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969, and ha ...

for many. In releasing the set, the Lego Company highlighted its employee diversity and efforts towards inclusion, as well as partnerships with LGBT organizations including

Stonewall Stonewall or Stone wall may refer to: * Stone wall, a kind of masonry construction * Stonewalling, engaging in uncooperative or delaying tactics * Stonewall riots, a 1969 turning point for the modern LGBTQ rights movement in Greenwich Village, Ne ...

References

{{Lego Lego themes Lists of toys LGBT and society Products introduced in 2021

Attributes

History

See also

References