Lego Friends is a product range of Lego construction toys designed primarily for girls. Launched in 2012, the theme introduced "mini-doll" figures, which are about the same size as traditional Lego minifigures but are more detailed and realistic. The five main characters of the theme are Andrea, Olivia, Stephanie, Mia and Emma. The Lego Friends sets depict scenes from suburban life set in the fictional town of Heartlake City and usually include one of the character's names in the titles. The sets are complemented by an animated series that premiered in 2012. The Friends product range replaced Lego's previous female-oriented theme Belville, which had been in production since 1994, and featured dolls that were much larger than both the mini-dolls and minifigures. The launch of Lego Friends in 2012 was one of Lego's biggest successes, as it not only doubled sales expectations, but also extensively widened Lego's customer base within the girls' sector. Despite receiving initial criticism relating to its representation of girls and their interests, the line has consistently performed well and has been regularly listed as one of The Lego Group's best selling themes.

Overview

Lego Friends focuses on five characters named Andrea, Olivia, Stephanie, Mia and Emma who live in Heartlake City. Each of the characters has specific interests, such as animal-lover, beautician and pop star. The theme depicts their houses, hobbies, cars and favourite places to spend their free time. The line introduced the mini-doll figure in Lego Friends construction toy sets, replacing the traditional Lego minifigure. The mini-doll is slightly taller than a minifigure, thinner and curvier, and was an improvement on the Belville range, which did not have customisable figures. It is also compatible with the wider Lego product range. Lego Friends also introduced a range of new brick colours, including purple, lavender, teal and turquoise.

Characters

The Lego Friends theme focuses on five teenage girls who live in the fictional town of Heartlake City. Each character has a distinctive personality, which is illustrated by her favourite activities. * Andrea - a confident and charismatic singer who loves to perform. She has a pet bird which she calls Pepper. She also loves being the centre of attention and dreams of being a celebrity and a great singer of all. * Emma - a creative and imaginative character who expresses herself through art. She has a cat for a pet which she calls Chico. She loves cheese a lot, is the silliest of the group and is shown to be smart. * Mia - an animal lover who enjoys being outdoors. She has a pet rabbit which she calls Twister. She loves being sarcastic and will do anything to protect the wilderness. * Olivia - a curious character with a passion for science. She is the smartest in the group and has a pet hamster whom she calls Rumble and usually stays in the robot thingy that Olivia built to help out. * Stephanie - a sporty character who loves health and fitness. She is the most competitive one in the group and will turn anything into a competition and has a pet dog whom she calls Dash.

Development

Before the launch of the Lego Friends range, The Lego Group had previously targeted both boys and girls in its marketing. An American commercial in 1955 depicted both young boys and young girls playing with Lego. In 1974, the Lego minifigure was introduced, with a female minifigure introduced two months after the male minifigures. By 1979, the company had begun to specifically target girls with the launch of Scala jewellery. In 1981, a young girl holding her Lego creation was showcased in a Lego advert. In 1994, the Belville product line was introduced for girls, which focused on a fairytale theme and did not include minifigures or buildable toys. Scala was later resurrected in 1997, which emphasised gender roles. Lego Friends was launched following four years of research. In 2008, The Lego Group conducted research about its customer base, which showed that 90% of Lego sets sold were aimed at boys. This meant that there was a huge untapped market of girls who were not using Lego. A Lego spokesman, Michael McNally reported, "Seeing that the play pattern was really skewing so heavily toward boys, we wanted to understand why. We embarked on four years of global research with 4,500 girls and their moms. Some of the things we heard were really surprising and challenging in ways that weren't really comfortable for us as a brand." The research showed that boys and girls play very differently and construct different worlds of play. McNally noted that, "The boys immediately grabbed the figures and the horses and the catapults and they started having a battle". By contrast the girls were more focused on the structure. "They all looked around inside the castle and they said, 'Well, there's nothing inside'. This idea of interior versus exterior in the orientation of how they would then play with what they built was really interesting. If you think about most of the Lego models that people consider to be meant for boys, there's not a whole lot going on in there. But

he girls had He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

this idea of, 'There's nothing inside to ''do''.'" The Lego Friends line was developed to target the girl's market. The Lego Group conducted extensive ethnographic research, which aimed to identify girls' preferences. Mauricio Affonso, Friends model designer commented, "One of the main things was they couldn't really relate to the minifigure, it's too blocky. Boys tend to be a lot more about good versus evil, whereas girls really see themselves through the mini-doll. They wanted a greater level of detail, proportions and realism." The research also showed a difference in the way that girls assemble Lego sets. McNally commented, "One of the things we learned in the research was that—where boys were perfectly happy going through two hours assembling a single structure—girls were much more interested in small bite-sized assembly that provided a role-play opportunity, before then building again".

Launch

Lego Friends was launched in January 2012 in North America (December 2011 in France), with the release of 14 sets. The first wave included 23 sets and featured five friends named Andrea, Olivia, Stephanie, Mia, and Emma in suburban settings. In the initial release the larger sets included the Heartlake Vet, City Park Cafe, and Butterfly Beauty Shop. Smaller sets included Stephanie's Cool Convertible, Andrea's Stage, Olivia's Invention Workshop and Emma's Splash Pool.

Reception

Controversy

The Lego Friends theme received initial criticism for its reinforcement of

gender stereotypes A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...

. Campaign groups in both the UK and the US particularly disliked the use of the colour pink in the product range and the particular range of activities enjoyed by the characters. Abi Moore of UK campaign group,

Pinkstinks Pinkstinks is a Advocacy group, campaign founded in London in May 2008 by twin sisters Emma Moore and Abi Moore (born 1971, London) to raise awareness of what they claim is damage caused by gender stereotyping of children. Pinkstinks claims th ...

remarked, "We want toys that offer all sorts of opportunities to all children. We think that cupcakes, parties and having everything revolve around leisure is just tiresome and heavily stereotyped." In the US a petition launched by the Spark movement achieved 50,000 signatures with the aim of pressuring The Lego Group to change its marketing strategy. In addition, the slim figures of the Friends characters have also drawn criticism from eating disorder specialists. The

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood Fairplay, previously known as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), is a United States "national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups, parents, and individuals who care about children nd isthe only nationa ...

nominated Lego Friends for a TOADY award, which is a "worst toy" award that is an acronym for "Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children", having opined that the Lego Friends line was "so jam-packed with condescending stereotypes it would even make

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...

blush". However, The Lego Group has responded to its critics by stating that the line was the result of research with 3,000 girls who wanted to find relevance in Lego construction sets. Lego spokesman, Michael McNally commented, "There were a lot of people at the beginning who said, 'They’ve dumbed it down, it's not nearly as complicated s the original Lego it's special for girls because they don't think girls can build. The reality is, just about piece for piece, there are just as many pieces required to put something together mong Friends sets" McNally defended the Lego Friends product line against its critics by stating, "I think there's been a lot of momentum around this idea that everything should be gender neutral. That's not what we're striving for. We don't see anything wrong with the natural ways that children are choosing to play. We try being gender inclusive." In response to further criticism raised in a letter written by a 7-year-old girl in 2014 about the nature of the girls' activities in Lego sets, The Lego Group released a Research Institute play set, which included a female palaeontologist, astronomer and chemist.

Success

Despite the controversy, Lego Friends is one of Lego's biggest successes. In 2012, when the Friends line was launched, the line doubled sales expectations, with sales to girls tripling in the same year. In the first six months of 2012, The Lego Group's net profit rose 35% to 2bn kroner (£213m) partially driven by the success of the Friends line. This success caused other construction-set companies such as

Mega Blocks Mega Brands Inc. (formerly Mega Bloks Inc. and Ritvik Holdings) is a Canadian children's toy company currently owned by Mattel. Mega Bloks, a line of construction set toys, is its most popular product. Its other brands include Mega Construx, Mega ...

to introduce girl dolls. Following the launch of Lego Friends, sales in the girls' market were growing as much as 20 percent each year. Three years after the launch, Lego achieved sixth place in the list of gifts that girls wanted most for Christmas, according to a survey by the

National Retail Federation The National Retail Federation (NRF) is the world's largest retail trade association. Its members include department stores, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, and independent retailers, chain restaurants, grocery stores, and multi-level ma ...

. Lego Friends has also reappeared in The Lego Group's annual report as one of its five top selling themes, most recently in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Lego's chief operating officer, Bali Padda remarked, "We tried reaching into the girls' audience a number of times over the last 15, 20 years, and this is the first time, with Friends, that we've had true success". On 28 September 2022, The Lego Group reported that the

Lego Star Wars Lego ''Star Wars'' is a Lego theme that incorporates the '' Star Wars'' saga and franchise. Originally it was only licensed from 1999 to 2008, but The Lego Group extended the license with Lucasfilm, first until 2011, then until 2016, then ag ...

Lego Technic Lego Technic is a line of Lego interconnecting plastic rods and parts. The purpose of this series is to create more advanced models with more complex technical functions, compared to the simpler brick A brick is a type of block used to b ...

Lego Icons Lego Icons (formerly known as Lego Creator Expert) is a series of Lego construction toys aimed at a demographic of adolescents and adults. Beginning in 2000 without an established logo or icon, Icons features models such as aircraft, sculptures, ...

(formerly Creator Expert), Lego City,

Lego Harry Potter Lego ''Harry Potter'' is a Lego theme based on the films of the '' Harry Potter'' series. It is licensed from Warner Bros. Lego models of important scenes, vehicles and characters were made for the first six films and all of the published boo ...

and Lego Friends themes had earned for the six months ending 30 June 2022. Revenue for the period grew 17 percent to DKK 27.0 billion compared with the same period in 2021, driven by strong demand. Consumer sales grew 13 percent, significantly ahead of the toy industry, contributing to global market share growth.

Awards and nominations

In 2012, Olivia's House (set number: 3315) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Construction category by the

Toy Retailers Association The Toy Retailers Association (formerly British Association of Toy Retailers) is a trade association that represents its members in the UK & Ireland. It promotes the role of the toy retailer and the value of toys to the consumer. It represents ab ...

. In 2013, Dolphin Cruiser was awarded "DreamToys" in the Granny Knows Best category by the

. In 2013, Lego Friends was awarded "Toy of the Year" and also "Activity Toy of the Year" by the

Toy Association The Toy Association is an American trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a s ...

. In 2014, Heartlake Shopping Mall was awarded "DreamToys" in the Build The World category by the

. In 2016, Amusement Park Roller Coaster was awarded "DreamToys" in the Action Station category by the

. In 2017, the Lego Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster was awarded "Toy of the Year" and "Construction Toy of the Year" by the Toy Association. In 2019, Rescue Mission Boat was awarded "DreamToys" in the Trains, Planes and Automobiles category by the

. In 2020, Jungle Rescue Base was awarded "DreamToys" in the Crafty Kids category by the

. In 2021, Forest Camper Van and Sailboat was awarded "DreamToys" in the Everybody’s Building category by the

. In 2021, Heartlake City Shopping Mall (set number: 41450) was listed as one of the "Top 10 toys for Christmas 2021" by

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

Relaunch

In October 2022, The Lego Group announced the relaunch of the brand, which will introduce eight new characters in January 2023 named Aliya, Autumn, Leo, Zac, Liann, Olly, Paisley and Nova. The line up will represent a new generation of characters that will be accompanied by a new series. The Lego Group stated that it had been working with the Geena Davis Institute to present greater diversity.

Toy line

Construction sets

Following the initial launch, Lego Friends sets have been released in waves and have expanded on the various interests of the characters and their friends. These have included various vocational, recreational and academic interests, such as agriculture, equestrianism, wildlife animal rescue and rehabilitation, and pop stardom. The range has also included suburbia-themed sets, as well as an amusement park and skiing theme. The largest sets since the original wave have been the Summer Riding Camp, Heartlake Shopping Mall and Heartlake Grand Hotel. According to

Bricklink Lego A/S (trade name: The Lego Group) is a Danish toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks aro ...

, there have been a total of 481 Lego Friends sets released since January 2012. In 2018, the Lego Friends line announced some physical changes to the main characters, which according to The Lego Group, were made in response to feedback from children. The changes were made to make the characters "more diverse in their appearance" and add "more depth to their personality". In 2020, The Lego Group partnered with National Geographic to release several construction sets that focused on environmental issues. The Lego Friends line launched construction sets that centred on animal protection. The sets included Baby Elephant Jungle Rescue, Jungle Rescue Base and Panda Jungle Tree House sets. In 2021, Lego Friends launched a range of play cubes. Each cube includes a small brick build, a mini-doll and a pet animal, and is designed for ages 6+. In April 2021, five sets were announced for release in summer 2021, including Forest Waterfall, Forest House, Heartlake City Grand Hotel, Tree House and Horse Training and Trailer. In May 2021, Fenella Charity, design director and creative lead of Lego Friends discussed about Olivia’s Electric Car set and explained, “LEGO Friends is grounded in the real world, so as designers we take our cues from what kids experience in their everyday lives,” and continued, “We have a responsibility to let kids experiment and learn about topics that they are interested in and celebrate and inspire kids on the way the world could be." In September 2021, Matthew Ashton, The Lego Group's vice president of design announced that Lego Friends alongside

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, Creator, Classic, Technic, Speed Champions, Monkie Kid,

Ninjago Lego Ninjago is a Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. Whilst it retains some elements of the previous ...

, Collectible Minifigures and

DOTS Directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS, also known as TB-DOTS) is the name given to the tuberculosis (TB) control strategy recommended by the World Health Organization. According to WHO, "The most cost-effective way to stop the spread of T ...

themes will continue until at least 2023. On 3 January 2022, the Lego Friends brand celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Lego Group released eight new sets to celebrate a decade of friendship. On 1 May 2022, The Lego Group partnered with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

to release a construction set titled Olivia's Space Academy. In May 2022, 12 new sets were announced for release in summer 2022, including Emma's Art School, Andrea's Theatre School, Stephanie's Sailing Adventure and Mia's Wildlife Rescue. In August 2022, Lego Friends Advent Calendar was announced for release on 1 September 2022. The set contains 312 pieces with four mini-doll figures. The set includes Lego mini-doll figures of Santa, Olivia and two micro-dolls. In October 2022, five new sets were announced for release on 1 January 2023, including Paisley’s House, Dog Rescue Center, Heartlake Downtown Diner, Autumn’s House and Heartlake International School.

Fusion

Resort Designer was released on 1 September 2014 as part of the ''

Lego Fusion Lego Fusion was a Lego theme that combined standard Lego bricks with a mobile app (for iOS and Android) that was designed to interact and communicate with the build models according to the principle of augmented reality. The theme was first in ...

'' theme. The set consists of 263 pieces, a Fusion capture plate and one mini-doll figure. It enables children to create a 2D house model by placing bricks on the Fusion capture plate, scanning with a smartphone or tablet and playing with the ''Lego Fusion Resort Designer'' app to unlock game levels. The set includes a mini-doll figure of Olivia. The ''Lego Fusion Resort Designer'' app includes game levels for the ''Lego Friends'' theme. The set was designed primarily for girls aged 7 to 12 years old.

Animated series, web shorts and TV specials

An animated series and TV specials based on the Lego Friends theme have been released to accompany the product line. The story follows the adventures of the five friends in their hometown of Heartlake City. The toy line is also accompanied by a series of animated short films released on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

Series

''Friends of Heartlake City''

''Friends of Heartlake City'' is an animated television series that premiered on 3 November 2013. Each episode had a runtime of 25 minutes.

''Friends: The Power of Friendship''

''Lego Friends: The Power of Friendship'' aired on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

on 4 March 2016. The series includes two seasons with four episodes.

''Friends: Girls on a Mission''

''Friends: Girls on a Mission'' is a 2018 television series on Family Channel in Canada, on

KidsClick KidsClick is a former daily children's programming block distributed by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which premiered on July 1, 2017. The block, which primarily consisted of long-form animated series as well as some short-form content, was carried ...

and later

Kabillion Kabillion is a children's video-on-demand service owned by Splash Entertainment. Launched on January 7, 2007, Kabillion is available both as a free VOD channel currently available on Comcast, Spectrum, Charter Communications, Altice USA, Cox Co ...

in the United States, Pop in the United Kingdom and Ireland,

Super RTL Super RTL is a German free-to-air television network owned by the RTL Group. The channel originally launched in 1995 as a joint venture between RTL Group predecessor company CLT-UFA and Disney's Buena Vista International Television Investments ...

in Germany, and TVNZ in New Zealand. The series premiered on 25 October 2018 and has continued for four seasons.

TV specials

''Friends: Holiday Special''

''Friends: Holiday Special'' is a 21-minute television special that premiered in YouTube on 6 November 2021.

''Friends: Heartlake Stories''

In 2022, four tv specials for ''Friends: Heartlake Stories'' were released on YouTube, including ''Fitting In'', ''Plight of the Bumblebee'', ''Wet Wallop'' and ''The Final Countdown''. Those shorts made their linear premiere on Disney Channel on August 21, 2022.

Critical reception

The Lego Friends animated series has been praised for its positive role models and messaging, but criticised for its consumerism. Reviewer, Emily Ashby for

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the series a two star rating, commenting that, "The characters are five strong, big-hearted teen girls who are good examples of the value of friendship. Social rivalry and other troubles arise in each story, but the girls overcome them in ways that celebrate cooperation, responsibility, and individuality." The review also opined that, "this somewhat plodding series feels more like an extended commercial than it does a solid contender for kids' attention".

Other media

Books

In June 2012, two books based on the Friends theme were released. ''Lego Friends: Welcome to Heartlake City'' and ''Lego Friends: Perfect Pet Show'' were released on June 18, 2012, by DK. DK also released a Lego Brickmaster book based on the Friends theme on September 17, 2012.

Video games and apps

''Lego Friends'' video game

''Lego Friends'' is a Lego-themed

life simulation Life simulation games form a subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual characters (human or otherwise). Such a game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by

Hellbent Games Hellbent Games Inc. is a Canadian video game developer based in Burnaby, British Columbia. The company was founded by Christopher Mair, a founder of Rockstar Vancouver, on 12 June 2006, in Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in wes ...

and published by

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE; also known as Warner Bros. Games or WB Games) is an American video game publisher based in Burbank, California, and part of the newly-formed Global Streaming and Interactive Entertainment unit of ...

, which is based on the Lego Friends theme. The game was first released for Nintendo 3DS systems on 12 November 2013, and for Nintendo DS systems on 8 April 2014. The game was later released for

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

devices on 31 July 2014.

''Lego Friends Heartlake Rush''

''Lego Friends Heartlake Rush'' is a 3D driving game that was developed by LEGO System A/S and is designed for children aged 4+. Players choose one of the Friends characters and navigate through a series of road obstacles. The game was released on

and

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sy ...

Magazine

In July 2014, the Lego Friends brand launched a monthly children's magazine, published by Immediate Media. Editions of the magazine were regularly published over the course of six and a half years, until it was discontinued with Issue 78. According to the

Audit Bureau of Circulations An Audit Bureau of Circulations is a private organization that provides industry-agreed standards for media brand measurement of print publications and other media outlets in a given country. The International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circula ...

(ABC), the magazine had achieved an average circulation of 22,468 between January and June 2020, which was lower than the Lego City magazine at 33,677 and the

Lego Ninjago Lego Ninjago is a List of Lego themes, Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. Whilst it retains some elemen ...

magazine at 54,423. The magazine had also received some controversy over its content in 2019, when a comic strip was criticised for sexist characterisation. In January 2022, the Lego Friends magazine relaunched in the UK by Signature Publishing.

Theme park attractions

In 2015, a Friends themed land was introduced to Legoland California, named Lego Friends Heartlake City, featuring a splash area, Lego models of the characters, a meet and greet area and a 15-minute live show. In the same year, a themed land was opened at

Legoland Windsor Resort Legoland Windsor Resort (), styled and also known as Legoland Windsor, is a theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego brand. The park opened on 17 March 1996 and is currently operated by Merlin Entertainment ...

, featuring a live show and Heartlake City Express Train. Heartlake City also made its debut at

Legoland Florida Legoland Florida Resort (stylized as LEGOLAND Florida Resort) is a vacation destination in Winter Haven, Florida. The resort features the Legoland Florida theme park itself, the Legoland Water Park, three on-site accommodations and a separatel ...

in May 2015, when a themed area of the park was launched featuring two attractions named Mia's Riding Adventure and Heartlake Mall theater. In November 2021, a Lego Friends themed land was announced for the upcoming launch of Legoland Shanghai Resort in 2024.

Film

On 2 February 2016, Warner Brothers released a Lego Friends film on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

titled ''Lego Friends: Girlz 4 Life''. The 2016 American

Direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

computer-animated film follows the story of popstar, Livi, who comes to Heartlake City. The Friends characters are forced to devise a plan when Livi's manager steals their hit song called Girlz. The Lego Friends line made a prominent appearance in the 2019 film '' The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,'' during scenes set within the SyStar System.

References

External links

Lego Friends
at Lego.com {{Lego Friends Products introduced in 2012 Netflix children's programming Friends Toy controversies