Subject:
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Re: What makes a cool kid cool? (was: Re: A new area of LEGO.com: the Build section)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.lego.direct
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Date:
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Tue, 8 May 2001 22:54:00 GMT
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Viewed:
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963 times
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In lugnet.lego.direct, Arianne Vena writes:
> The Cool Kids area profiles kids who reflect the LEGO values: creativity,
> inspiration and construction. It is meant as a departure point for our
> audience - a place where they will come and be inspired to be active and
> interested in a wide area of topics - to construct, to play and to create.
Were other, less psychologically loaded alternatives like "Cool Stuff" or
"Cool Clicks" or "Cool Tips" ever considered?
Labeling someone a "Cool Kid" (which you do several times on your pages) is
something you (collective you -- The LEGO Company) should be ashamed of.
Note that you're not saying that visitors to the "Cool Kids" area are cool,
but that the kids you're worshipping there are cool, with phrases like "Look
up previous Cool Kids" and "This month's Cool Kid" and "More cool kids"
implying that there are only a handful of cool kids -- only the ones that
you select.
Don't get me wrong -- I think the general idea behind the area is great! --
and the graphic design is beautiful! -- I just think LEGO picked a cruel
name for it.
> That being said, we take special care NOT to showcase only “overachievers,”
> but instead accessible, normal kids who do particular interesting or
> exciting things.
> [...]
> So Cool Kids isn't just about kids who create with LEGO bricks, although we
> do feature some kids that are whizzes at construction.
In contrast to that, your webpage says:
"LEGO Cool Kids is a monthly feature highlighting dynamic kids
accomplishing extraordinary things. Cool Kids are creative, hardworking
and productive. Most of all they are constructive... in how they spend
their time, what they accomplish and how they shape their world." [1]
I don't know about you, but to me, the phrase "dynamic kids accomplishing
extraordinary things" sounds like classic overachiever worship: put 'em up
on a pedestal and worship 'em in front of the other kids in order to make
the other kids feel envious...and hope they achieve more (or...ahem...buy
more toys).
The difference between labeling creations as "cool" and labeling the
creators as "cool" is subtle but hugely important.
Did LEGO approach this area of the website from a parental values
perspective or from a marketing perspective?
> Cool Kids focuses more on the creators, thus the name.
Did LEGO consult with a child psychologist before naming the "Cool Kids"
section?
Is there a full-time child psychologist on staff there at LEGO Direct?
Don't you think the title "Cool Kids" is a bit condescending? Especially
for the age range LEGO seems to be targeting with this? Kids have enough
growing-up problems to worry about without toy companies creating new ones
for them.
BTW, The Cool Kids is the name of a punk rock and ska band, some of whose
members were previously in a band called Pen15. The Cool Kids have a song
called "Big Booty Hoes Get on the Dance Floor and Bust a Move."
--Todd
[1] http://www.lego.com/coolkids/ - in the "about cool kids" section.
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