Activist group finds LEGO Batman 'oppressive,' 'destructive' to kids

by Jason Dobson { Jan 23rd 2009 at 8:30AM }

It's difficult to imagine a property as insidious as Lego Batman. Go ahead, try. Labeling the game a "symbol of commercialized childhood," an activist group calling itself the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has called out TT Games' cubic take on the Dark Knight. Wait, is this a joke? A riddle? A two-faced lie?

The game was included among a handful of other toys as a finalist for the organization's inaugural TOADY (Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children) Award. Other playthings, including Hasbro's poop-happy Baby Alive and a Barbie tarted up as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, are also up for the dubious honor. But how many of these were also included in Happy Meals, one of the chief complaints of the Boston-based group? Only you can put the Caped Crusader over the top by voting for the "winner". Won't someone please think of the children?

Tags: activists, lego, lego-batman, legobatman, travellers-tales, tt-games, wtf

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

shane86 @ Jan 23rd 2009 8:36AM

That escalade is awesome, I'm voting for it

random-yeti @ Jan 23rd 2009 11:02AM

The Escalade is only there because its a 4x4 and the scummy hippies don't like them, if it was a Smart Car it wouldn't, personally IM voting for the smart Cycle because Ive seen it in action, its shocking and lasts 5 mins before it falls apart.

PS
98% of hippies are idiots whose opinions don't matter

quasebrasileiro @ Jan 23rd 2009 1:25PM

My daughter has a SmartCycle and it's taken more beatings than a pinata and has held up great...

Their argument is idiotic, though. I bought it for my daughter so she could get some exercise when it was too cold outside to play. What the hell is wrong with that? You can't ride a trike in 3 feet of snow.

please @ Jan 24th 2009 5:50AM

BATMAN LEGO makes you KILL COPS FOR FUN AND TREASURE. YOU ALL WHO ARE OKAY WITH THIS ARE BEYOND HELP

Mr Khan @ Jan 23rd 2009 8:41AM

Interesting. The Barbie one i can kinda understand, in relation to what i assume this group's goals to be, but the rest of it is more than a bit confusing

dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:53AM

Yeah... I can see a point in the skimpy Barbie and the shitting baby being part of that ballot. The other ones, I'm not so sure about. But I'll smack a kid that says "FUCK THIS IS GREAT I WANT A REAL CADILLAC ESCALADE"

dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:54AM

"in relation to what i assume this group's goals to be"

Ok, maybe the shitting baby doesn't fit the "commercial-free" mantra well... but I do think it's a lame toy.

Carry on.

xGeneral DEATHx @ Jan 23rd 2009 8:45AM

Activism: 2% Decent Principles; 98% People Wanting to Stir up Attention for themselves.

baby sea tuna @ Jan 23rd 2009 8:54AM

B-B-B-B-UT...WON'T ANYONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!?!!?

xGeneral DEATHx @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:01AM

Lawlz...nope.

D_Average @ Jan 23rd 2009 8:46AM

Nice to know I'm not the only one who took major issue with this game.

Puntachu @ Jan 23rd 2009 1:50PM

Whoa... Your avatar really brings back memories...

My Pet Monster FTW!!

DBoyFlex @ Jan 23rd 2009 8:48AM

There is nothing wrong with lego batman. People have an urge to pick on something and video games are always at the fore front of people's minds. Oh well. Good game though. If you liked the other Lego games, check this one out.

Kevin @ Jan 23rd 2009 8:49AM

I don't know about the rest of you, but I used to use my Lego to make stuff from video games.

Also, this: http://batman.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx

Haggard @ Jan 23rd 2009 8:51AM

Admittedly, the game is a fairly giant advertisement for Lego.

But Lego is a well-trusted, established brand which allows kids to be creative and learn constructive skills from a young age.

If playing Lego Batman turns kids into material-driven, selfish pigs; then being in the same room as a smoker is instantly fatal to absolutely everyone.

xGeneral DEATHx @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:03AM

*Cough* *Gasp* *Wheeze*

...

*Dead*

random-yeti @ Jan 23rd 2009 11:15AM

Surely the whole point of Lego Batman is its Lego and Batman, Batman is just a setting/world for a Lego game.

BlaqueBeird @ Jan 23rd 2009 2:26PM

I think the point of a Lego Batman is that Batman is awesome, and Lego is awesome, so mixing two awesome things makes it some sort of adjective I can't even imagine.

Awexome!

343 Guilty Fart @ Jan 23rd 2009 2:39PM

But Lego comes from Denmark, a SOCIALIST country! Don't you see, it's a Marxist plot to saturate young minds with thoughts of distributed wealth!

WiredKnight @ Jan 23rd 2009 3:33PM

But how could it not be?

ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Jan 24th 2009 6:20AM

"being in the same room as a smoker is instantly fatal to absolutely everyone."

Haven't you played Left4Dead?

Haggard @ Jan 24th 2009 8:58AM

The L4D smoker has to be the weakest enemy to a good team.

You can disconnect his tongue from the player by
a) shooting him
b) meleeing the victim
c) shooting the victim, which inexplicably does no damage and disconnects him.

Velocifaptor @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:01AM

Why isn't tickle-me elmo on here. I know it's a few years old, but a doll that encourages touching!?!@?

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:11AM

because it doesnt teach materiealism....lol

Kenjis9965 @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:05AM

Being honest, I agree with them about the depreciation of the Lego toys, I remember wheen I was 7 or 8 and building the Lego Technix sets all the time, and the HUGE sets you used to get with thousands of tiny parts..the gears, axles, wheels, those beams with the holes in them....it was fun and taught you about engineering!

Of course I always thought Baby Alive was a stupid sounding toy, and always pondered how much money you'd end up spending on the thing

Their argument on the trike thing, I view it more in the light of "a lot of parents are going to sit their kids in front of the tv anyways, so this is at least SOME exercise" or its for the parents that just happen to feel a bike is dangerous, because little johnny MIGHT get a wittle boo-boo...

random-yeti @ Jan 23rd 2009 11:19AM

Yes but then they could have chosen actual Lego, praise the lord, rather than a game that has nothing to do with physical Lego, praise the lord, blocks ;)

The Dark Wayne @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:05AM

As far as I can tell, encouraging vigilante justice is about the best thing for kids, at least if this is any evidence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy673zWHUOw

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:10AM

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh I fell out my fuckin chair on that shit....

Noshino @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:15AM

oh shi, The Joker stole the Bat Bike!

Trev @ Jan 23rd 2009 10:10AM

They always practice proper bike safety though!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKBn_mm8nzc

xGeneral DEATHx @ Jan 23rd 2009 1:05PM

So THAT'S where my preferred childhood went!

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:07AM

So ummm yea...these fuckers need a life......

My Daughters have the Baby Alive and a Power Wheels Barbie Escalade.....

I dont see nothing wrong with them.....

what they SHOULD have on that list are "Bratz" dolls.....sure we all know barbie is a 60 year old whore......But the Bratz are worse.....how the FUCK you gonna have something titled "Baby Bratz" and then put some eye shadow, lip gloss, heels, and a thong on it......Protest THAT shit why dont they.......

dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:48AM

It could have something to do with Bratz now being discontinued after Mattel won a lawsuit against them.

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Jan 23rd 2009 10:51AM

seriously!??!?

Damn....shows where I have been the past 2 years.....lol

dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Jan 23rd 2009 11:16AM

That only happened last month, so you may still be able to find those delightful toys on shelves for a while... the company responsible for producing them plans to file an appeal, but I have my doubts about it succeeding, personally.

http://consumerist.com/5109029/barbie-vs-bratz-barbie-wins-court-stops-production-of-bratz-merchandise

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Jan 23rd 2009 11:42AM

on one hand I am glad they are gone.....but on the other Mattel basically flexed its muscles and won that case on the strength of them being WHO they are and MCA being a 2nd rate company by comparison......I doubt they will win that appeal too.....whats funny is this all started because MCA sued Mattel First over the "My Scene" Barbie....lol.....they woulda kept they mouths shut they may have lasted a while longer....

Gabriel @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:11AM

I kind of agree with them. This generation is the most manipulated generation ever. Everything out there is manufactured and marketed for them; nothing is creative anymore. They've got movies, tv, video games, the Internet, etc. Rather than building things out of Legos, they're playing as Legos in a video game.

There's nothing wrong with these things, but we should show kids that there's more out there than what's manufactured for them. It's wrong for these people to villainize these games. That's how you lose people's interest. Instead, they should launch a campaign telling kids that games like Lego Batman are OK, but they should balance their time playing with games with other activities.

Noshino @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:37AM

huh?

"Everything out there is manufactured and marketed for them; nothing is creative anymore"

See, to begin with, what has changed about Lego's? They still the same, I mean, I remember getting my first set about 18 years ago, and they are still the same as today...

It seems that you are complaining about the fact that they are released with certain themes (Indiana Jones, Star Wars, etc), but the thing is, that has ALWAYS been that way, I remember my first set was one of some astronauts...

"Instead, they should launch a campaign telling kids that games like Lego Batman are OK, but they should balance their time playing with games with other activities."

That is a really dumb idea, the company is all about those little construction bricks, they are not about physical activities, they are more focused on mental activities, that's the point of the Lego's.

Oh, and seriously, since you don't seem to know much about them, you should visit their website, I was shown a long time ago, and I was damn impressed. There is a hell lot of content there, not only that, many of it is really creative, such as Pick a Brick, Design Studio, etc...

Oh, and before I forget, http://www.lego.com/education/#

Read it, you would be surprised as to how much more educational this company is compared to many other ones out there

Gabriel @ Jan 23rd 2009 9:48AM

Dude, I was referring to the people in the article. I said that these people shouldn't try to vilify these games, but should show people balance. Read more closely next time.

Also, just because YOU played with Legos 18 years ago doesn't mean that kids still play with them. I work with kids, and most of the kids I work with would rather play Gears than play with Legos.

aj @ Jan 23rd 2009 10:07AM

Try to find a big box of Legos these days. You can't. They're all model kits with huge pre-made pieces. There is nothing creative about Lego anymore. Nothing.

Snowblind @ Jan 23rd 2009 10:10AM

I'm voting down everyone who put an s on the end of Lego. It's just Lego, damn it!

Noshino @ Jan 23rd 2009 10:22AM

"Dude, I was referring to the people in the article. I said that these people shouldn't try to vilify these games, but should show people balance. Read more closely next time."

uh, I know, you first started by agreeing with them

"I kind of agree with them"

and then went on to say that this is a commercial era, and that they should instead put their focus on educating kids about balance.

But, first of all, the group itself is called "Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood", they are not after games/toys messing up kids minds...

take a look at their mission statement:

"CCFC’s mission is to reclaim childhood from corporate marketers. A marketing-driven media culture sells children on behaviors and values driven by the need to promote profit rather than the public good"

They pretty much don't want Lego to use Batman or any other "mature" character, but...that is what is attracting the kids in the first place!

They REALLY think that kids nowadays would play Lego's just because of the construction aspect of it?

I know, that's where we both agree, but if so, I don't understand why you mentioned this:

"Instead, they should launch a campaign telling kids that games like Lego Batman are OK, but they should balance their time playing with games with other activities."

It is true, but neither this group nor the Lego Company have anything to do with that. Not only that, but dude, there are more than enough pro physical exercise groups, what about for mental stimulation?

"Also, just because YOU played with Legos 18 years ago doesn't mean that kids still play with them. I work with kids, and most of the kids I work with would rather play Gears than play with Legos."

Sad to hear that, around 7 years ago while I was in high school, we tried to push this program to use Lego's for introduction to robotics. It run for the last 2 years I was there, don't know if it still going since I moved out of Peru by that time.

Like I mentioned above, the US government is too focused on physical health that for the last 6 years that I have been here, I have yet to see a mental stimulation program that has been pushed nearly as pushed as VERB has.

Groups like these shouldn't be attacking Lego's, they are one of the few toy companies with a huge mainstream appeal that have been pushing education a lot.

Vcize @ Jan 23rd 2009 10:47AM

Damnit now I want to play Gears, but I'm stuck at work.

Thanks a lot Gabriel.

Gabriel @ Jan 23rd 2009 11:15AM

I see your point Noshino.

Courtney @ Jan 23rd 2009 12:51PM

This all boils down to parenting though. Kids will be creative and active if their parents encourage it, and especially so if their parents are also creative, active people. It's not that hard to combat the effects of advertising and materialism, it just takes being a proactive parent who wants to raise a kid well.