Is society becoming more and more violent? If we are to believe the evolution of Lego, yes

By: Elora Bain

Do you know which company produces the most tires in the world? If you answered Michelin or Continental, failed: with 700 million tires accompanying its kits, it’s Lego which takes pole position. Leader in the global toy market, the Danish brand sells 75 billion bricks each year across 140 countries. Which also arguably makes it the largest real estate empire in history.

Since its creation in 1932, the Lego group has generated positive connotations, recalling that its products stimulate interaction, creativity, autonomy and imagination. The Danish founder of the company, Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891-1958), very early on instilled a pacifist ethic, the fruit of his commitment during the Second World War. Let us recall that Denmark declared itself neutral at the start of the conflict, by signing a non-aggression pact with Hitler’s Germany which was, unfortunately, not respected.

If the Scandinavian company has always distanced itself from the GI Joe figurines and other imperialist bodybuilder toys that flooded stores during the Cold War, it produced in 1945 a replica of a wooden automatic pistol that children snapped up. The prototype is marketed under the name Peace Pistolor “peace gun”. Paradox? You be the judge. Moreover, the Danish firm is not the only one to do this: the Second World War was a laboratory of ideas for numerous manufacturers, small and large, which massively produced airplane models, mesh kits and even small soldiers.

Pacifism has largely had its day

However, during the three decades following its founding, the Lego group strictly applied the policy of its founder, who died in 1958: not a single kit would contain a weapon. “There is, in this nervous world, a toy that does not pull, does not go boom, bang or tat-tat-tat. It’s called Lego. It allows you to create things”insists an advertisement for the brand in 1965. This indestructible value is also a criterion of differentiation which allows Lego to ensure the loyalty of “morally responsible” parents in an international context marked by the first protests against the Vietnam War.

“The main goal is to avoid depicting realistic weapons and military equipment that children might recognize as coming from conflict zones around the world.”

The Lego group, in 2010

This sacrosanct rule was flouted for the first time in 1978. Lego then unveiled its kit n°375, a yellow brick castle revisiting the medieval universe. For the sake of historical fidelity, the box includes swords, halberds and lances, as well as fourteen knights divided into two camps (one to besiege, the other to hold the siege). This is the first departure from the pacifism advocated since the post-war period… and the company will not have to regret this deviation, since this kit will remain a best-seller for six consecutive years.

In the last two decades of the 20th centurye century, Lego does it again, arming its pirates with cannons (1989) and its cowboys with rifles (1996). And business is not doing any worse. So much so that today, weapons are omnipresent in the Lego universe, from katanas to pistols to lightsabers. “The main goal is to avoid depicting realistic weapons and military equipment that children might recognize as coming from conflict zones around the world”assured the Lego group in a press release in 2010.

“Children don’t play like they used to,” neither do adults.

In 2016, a team of researchers from the University of Canterbury, located in Christchurch, New Zealand, decided to analyze all the kits produced by Lego between 1978 and 2014 in order to extract a trend. Their conclusion, published in the journal PLOS One, is clear: “There has been a significant increase in the proportion of kits including weapons and the proportion of bricks representing weapons over time.” New Zealand researchers also noted that violence depicted in Lego catalogs increased on average by 19% per year.

So, has the Danish company become radicalized? No: it only follows a fundamental trend characterized by an increase in violence in products intended for children, whether films, video games or toys. “The fascination with war and brawl has never been more visible or more pervasive in Lego toyssays Danish journalist and biographer Jens Andersen in the book The Lego saga – The little brick that conquered the worldpublished in October 2023. (…) It is also a reflection of the reality of the toy market at the start of the new millennium: children no longer play like they used to. Unless you want to become a niche retro product, you have to admit that the landscape of childhood has become a strangely adult place.”

Another parameter must be taken into consideration: the average age of the Lego consumer has increased significantly since the 1950s, with ranges now reserved for adults.

Of course, this does not mean that society as a whole has become more violent. The number of intentional homicides, for example, has fallen across Europe since the post-war period. On the other hand, the cultural landscape displays increasingly violent imaginaries, mirrors of a tormented era. And the trend is not limited to Scandinavian bricks. By examining catalogs of American toys distributed in 2014, another American study found that around 30% of them were violent (95% of which were intended for a male audience). Even if psychologists and sociologists believe that the fact of “playing war” has no direct correlation with a criminal affinity in adulthood, this trivialized violence is surprising.

Another parameter must be taken into consideration: the average age of the Lego consumer has increased significantly since the 1950s, with ranges now reserved for adults. In this context, it seems difficult to reconcile the demands of a mature audience with the original philosophy of Ole Kirk Christiansen. However, the trivialization of weapons in Lego still meets resistance from activists. In 2020, the Danish company raised some eyebrows by unveiling its kit n°42113, a replica of a military plane produced by Boeing. Indeed, the same year, Boeing ranked as the second largest arms manufacturer in the world, with a turnover exceeding $58 billion… Faced with protests, Lego ended up canceling the release of the controversial toy.

Elora Bain

Elora Bain

I'm the editor-in-chief here at News Maven, and a proud Charlotte native with a deep love for local stories that carry national weight. I believe great journalism starts with listening — to people, to communities, to nuance. Whether I’m editing a political deep dive or writing about food culture in the South, I’m always chasing clarity, not clicks.