Lego produces first minifigure with a wheelchair

There are superhero Lego figures, Lego sportspeople, even Lego leprechauns. But it's taken almost 84 years for Lego to produce a disabled minifigure.

Pictures of the plastic figure of a young man using a wheelchair and apparently accompanied by an assistance dog were spotted at the Nuremberg toy fair in Germany and shared on websites devoted to the world’s largest toy firm’s products.

Lego confirmed that the wheelchair would form part of a set – including an ice-cream vendor, cyclist and picnickers in a park – will go on sale in June.

The Danish firm had been criticised by previously for “pandering to disability stereotypes” because its only previous wheelchair-using character was an elderly man. That figure was promoted in July as part of their Community People’s set.

The new minifigure is to the delight of #ToyLikeMe campaigners. The global campaign was sparked by Rebecca Atkinson, a parent upset that millions of children were not represented in some of the world's most popular toys.

The journalist from London, a mother of two who is partially deaf and has tunnel vision due to genetic condition retinitis pigmentosa, established the movement to secure better representation of the 770,000 disabled children in the UK and 150 million across the globe. She posted pictures of toys she had adapted with different disabilities on the internet.

It quickly gained tens of thousands of supporters on social media and resulted in her working as a creative disability consultant with Playmobil to work on adding characters to its range – with more than 20,000 people signing a petition urging Lego to follow suit.

An online campaign via a Lego website for the creation of a Lego wheelchair skatepark was rejected on the basis that submissions with a “political agenda” would not be accepted.

“Lego have just rocked our brick-built world and made 150 million disabled kids, their mums, dads, pet dogs and hamsters very very happy. We’re all conga-ing up and down the street chucking coloured bricks like confetti,” says Atkinson.

“But on a serious note, this move by Lego is massive in terms of ending cultural marginalisation, it will speak volumes to children, disabled or otherwise, the world over.”

She is now seeking investment via a crowdfunding website to grow the organisation and create an online hub to help parents find products which represent disability.

PA