I wrote thisin 2009 and it was published in an online magazine, Rigor Mortis, which now seems to be altered or defunct, so I am republishing it here. It seems that all of the links to the Lego site no longer exist, so I've put in a couple of Youtube links. It will take some time to find all of the original material. Unfortunately, the Lego site was all in flash video and I didn't have the means to extract them at the time.
Ethical Problems with Human-Centric Narratives in
Lego Mars Mission Play Sets.
Between 2007 and
2008, Lego produced a series of toy building block sets under the theme “Mars
Mission”. Like all contemporary Lego series, the release included different
sizes of sets ranging from 50 pieces up to 1000 pieces. To entice product/series
loyalty and to establish a jumping off point for play, the Lego company created
a website where one can find narratives behind their toys. In the case of “Mars
Mission”, the story is about human explorers who have come to Mars, have
discovered some sort of powerful energy crystals, and have begun to excavate
the surface of the planet to extract these crystals. They do this through the
use of a huge machine that rips open the surface of the planet. Then, according
to the human Lego characters, they become the subjects of unprovoked attacks by
the Martians who are stealing the
crystals (http://marsmission.lego.com/en-us/News/2008-1_Blog5.aspx)
back from the humans. While two small text messages in one Lego character’s
“blog” suggest that the green aliens are actually from somewhere else, this
does not diminish the implication on the product packaging artwork and animated
web videos that these aliens on Mars are Martians. Therefore I argue that there
is insufficient information imparted to the toy user (the kids) to allow them
any interpretation other than that the aliens are Martians, therefore I will maintain that assumption in my
reading of the Lego narratives.
It is not
difficult to re-interpret the Lego web site videos to see that the Martians are
only reacting to an aggressive human (alien) invasion of their world. Case in
point, the video (http://marsmission.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx)
depicting the Lego MT-61 Crystal Reaper shows the humans callously ripping
through the planet surface, attacked by the aliens as a reaction to their
invasion. This “reaper” machine is a giant strip mining tank that would
certainly be questioned as a tool if used on Earth, but in terms of quickly
conquering and colonizing Mars, such ethics and precautions are cast aside.
Furthermore, the design of the MT-61 Crystal Reaper features one of the aliens
connected to the machine for reasons that are never explained. However, the
hose inserted into the chest of the prone alien that leads to the central
reactor of the “reaper” suggests that the alien is the battery/power source for
the machine and that the mining effort is as much to collect aliens as it is to
collect power crystals. This is further supported by the larger Mars MB-01
Eagle Command Base
which features pneumatic tubes for sending prone aliens from station to
station.
 |
| Crystal Reaper on right |
Thus,
my view of the “Mars Mission” Lego is one of invasion, colonization, slavery,
and unethical scientific experimentation. Being “just toys”, there seems to be
little critical discussion of the implications of the visuals and narratives
that are presented alongside of the toys. While I do not advocate for absolute
political correctness in all matters, I do suggest that the marketing departments
recognize that their stories and products have a cultural impact and may be
interpreted, even by children, as having subtext. Deeper meanings behind the
stories affect the way children play with the toys and relate to each other
while playing. I have watched and listened to my son (http://williamloveslego.blogspot.com/)
and his friend play with these Lego sets, creating never ending variations on
the stories that were rooted in the website. When playing with “Mars Mission”,
neither of them ever choose the role of the aliens as their own, nor are they
meant to as implied by the catch phrase “No
matter who the enemy, you can defend the mission” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH_noXoltnM&feature=related The Martian aliens seem to be voiceless, non-communicative aggressors. They
evoke no sympathy or empathy from the kids who see them undoubtedly as being
responsible for their own situation. Worse yet, the green aliens are not
human and in the realm of Lego, there seems to be no worse crime. Without
exception, non-human figures in Lego
Castle, Lego Space
Police, and Lego Power Miners are villains. With such a human-centric pattern
spanning every original fantasy/science fiction set designed by Lego, it is
surprising that they have not attracted more negative critiques so far.
