Lego is introducing several characters who wear sunflower lanyards to its brick universe for the first time to raise awareness of a badge worn to indicate someone has a hidden disability such as autism.
The world’s biggest toymaker is keen to make its brick world better reflect reality and in recent years has added characters of different skin tones and cultures, as well as physical and non-visible disabilities. Figures with limb differences, Down’s syndrome, anxiety and vitiligo have also been warmly received by children.
Lego has now partnered with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, which is the company behind the symbol which provides a discreet way of sharing that you have a hidden disability voluntarily and is recognised in more than 90 countries.
The sunflower lanyard wearing characters are aimed at different age groups, starting with Duplo for preschoolers through to a complex modular build – part of its Icons range – costing nearly £200 that is aimed at adults. They go sale next year.
“As one of the most loved toy brands, we know that our choices about which characters we make and what stories we tell about them have a big impact on how kids learn to perceive the world,” said Lauren von Stackelberg, the Lego Group chief diversity and inclusion officer.
“We hope that modelling a world in which all kinds of people are celebrated will help us all embrace diversity, value inclusivity and remove stigma,” she said.
According to consumer research by the company, about eight in 10 parents said modern children cared more about diversity and inclusion than their generation did; while children told researchers they cared about “everyone being treated equally” (88%) and wanted “to play with toys that teach differences” (83%).
The £90 Friends playset, which is aimed at older children, is an airport scene and features Ryan, a university student wearing noise-reducing headphones and a sunflower lanyard. Meanwhile, the Duplo First Time at the Airport set helps “toddlers navigate feelings about airports”, the company said. It includes a child wearing a lanyard, with a suitcase and a teddy.
For “kidults”, the £199.99 Icons Tudor Corner set is a detailed street scene featuring a pub, shop and apartment. The characters include a neurodivergent female whose lanyard is by her front door, ready to put on when she goes out.
Paul White, the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower chief executive, said opting to wear the lanyard was a simple way of sharing that you have a hidden disability and “letting everyone know that you might need extra help, understanding, or just more time”.
Its lanyards are worn by millions of people, including adults, children and sometimes carers, White said. It is a helpful aid because although the symbol for disability is a wheelchair, only 7% of disabled people are wheelchair-users, he explained. The company’s website carries an invisible disabilities index and it says there are more than 900 ranging from autism and ADHD to dementia and Parkinson’s.
“In the UK one in five people have some form of disability and 80% are not visible,” said White. “That’s over 12 million people. Only 17% are born with a disability, the other 83% acquire one at some stage during their lives … so disability affects us all.” A more accepting society would raise the bar and “enable people with disabilities to do everything they should be able to do”, he added.
