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SALT LAKE CITY — One of the world's most beloved toys is widely known for bringing happiness to millions. But it would appear many LEGO characters have developed a bit of an attitude problem over the last few decades, according to a recent study.
Researchers at New Zealand's University of Canterbury shared some troubling news last month: There's a lot of grump going on in LEGOland lately.
The team — led by Dr. Christoph Bartneck — put together thousands of images of LEGO figurines manufactured between 1975 and 2010 and then asked 264 adults to determine whether each toy looked happy, angry, disgusted, sad, surprised or fearful.
The results are in, and they're not pretty.
The 80s were a happy time for the citizens of LEGOland. They were all characterized as "smileys," blissfully unaware of the tough times to come. Then the 90s arrived, and that number dropped to 80 percent.
#poll
By 2010, only half the LEGO characters gracing toy-store shelves showed off their pearly whites. Those famous smiles found themselves replaced by frowns, scowls and angry eyebrows, researchers said.
So what does this all mean? And should parents be concerned? Bartneck — a big LEGO fan and former LEGO designer himself — says, maybe.
"We cannot help but wonder how the move from only positive faces to an increasing number of negative faces impacts how children play," he wrote in his findings.
The study authors acknowledge a likely reason for the shift in expressions is the growing popularity of themed LEGO sets like Harry Potter or Star Wars, where there are distinguishable "good" characters and "bad" characters.
The children that grow up with Lego today will remember not only smileys, but also anger and fear in the Minifigures' faces.
–Dr. Christoph Bartneck of the University of Canterbury, study author
The people ruling LEGOland aren't concerned about any negative impact their grumpy characters may have. In fact, a company spokeswoman said the variation in expression is actually encouraging healthy creativity and play.
"Fantasy role play revolves around the natural tension between good and bad, which is a natural part of a child's development," LEGO spokeswoman Amanda Santoro told The Huffington Post. "The range of facial expressions has grown to include a wide range of emotions while maintaining an appropriate balance for any child's creative storytelling needs."
The study didn't actually examine the potential impact the angry LEGOs might have on kids, but Bartneck said it's something that should at least be explored further.
"The children that grow up with Lego today will remember not only smileys, but also anger and fear in the Minifigures' faces," he said.
