This NY Times article focused on global business - Lego's new turnout of both philosophy and profits--has some interesting implications for those concerned about the quality of play. Read the excerpt below:
But experts like Dr. Jonathan Sinowitz, a New York psychologist who also runs a psychological services company, Diagnostics, wonders at what price these sales come.“What Lego loses is what makes it so special,” he says. “When you have a less structured, less themed set, kids have the ability to start from scratch. When you have kids playing out Indiana Jones, they’re playing out Hollywood’s imagination, not their own.” Even toy analysts who admire the company and its recent success acknowledge a broad shift. “I would like to see more open-ended play like when we were kids,” says Gerrick Johnson, a toy analyst at BMO Capital Markets in New York. “The vast majority is theme-based, and when you go into Toys “R” Us, you’d really be challenged to find a simple box of bricks.”
When we think about how kids learn through play, we also need to think about what they have to play with. For instance, a toy that makes noise may appear "broken" when batteries run out, while wooden blocks have endless opportunities for children's imagination and need. Legos, too, can be a simple building block, although it looks as though the new pre-packaged sales are forcing change.
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