Who is purple, has a beehive hairdo and is absolutely fabulous?

Thus ran the third editorial in The Indian Express on Friday, commenting on one of the mini-figures in a toy collection. And why?

The iconic colours of the Pride flag are stepping into the Lego realm with its new ‘Everyone is Awesome’ set. The set’s name plays on the catchy Lego Movie song Everything is Awesome, and it embraces the inclusive rainbow imagery of the LGBTQIA+ community.

And that’s the buzz of Toyland and the rainbow community this week.

The 346-piece set features 11 minifigures along with a display backdrop of colorful striped pieces.

 “I wanted to create a model that symbolizes inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love,” set designer Matthew Ashton said in a Lego Group statement on Thursday.

“Everyone is unique, and with a little more love, acceptance and understanding in the world, we can all feel more free to be our true AWESOME selves! This model shows that we care, and that we truly believe ‘Everyone is awesome’!”

The 346-piece model stands 10.24cm tall and has a depth of 12.80cm – a perfect fit for most shelves or window sills. It goes on sale on June 1, to mark the start of Pride Month, and will be available through LEGO.com and LEGO branded stores, with a recommended retail price of 34.99 EUR/USD. (approximately 2,450 Indian rupees before local taxes)

“I am fortunate to be a part of a proud, supportive and passionate community of colleagues and fans. We share love for creativity and self-expression through LEGO bricks and this set is a way to show my gratitude for all the love and inspiration that is constantly shared.”

The editorial in the Indian newspaper points out how important it is for kids to be allowed to express themselves and be who they are. “Who we are and how we want to be seen and loved always goes back to how we were allowed in our childhood to express ourselves and love ourselves as we are.”

It notes how adults always push kids into strictly gendered categories early: girls are supposed to play with dolls, and not boys and so on. “No one’s allowed to cross over from one category to the other, forget about transcending them altogether. And so the child’s developmental journey- which is naturally fluid in tastes- is curtailed,” it states.

Ashton’s statement of acceptance is important for parents to hear. It has nothing to do with whether you can buy your kid an expensive Lego set. It’s about giving our kids the opportunity to express themselves in the choice of their own game, toys, clothes, and forms of self expression.

Everyone is indeed, awesome!

  Lego, LGBT