Lego does a pretty good job of imitating life with its play sets but somethings should probably stay in the real world and away from the toys. Lego apologized this week for issuing a sticker depicting a construction worker shouting “Hay Babe!” at a passerby.
The sticker caused a bit of controversy as people complained that Lego was promoting street harassment.
The company responded to the complaints, initially brought to their attention by blogger Josh Stearns, saying that the company often tries to inject humor into its products. That response didn’t quiet the complaints, however, and Lego decided to issue a formal apology and removed the product.
Andrea Ryder of Lego’s licensing department wrote: “I am truly sorry that you had a negative experience with one of our products […] the product is no longer available and we would not approve such a product again.”
Lego has had some controversial pieces in the past. Earlier this year the company pulled a Star Wars set after people complained that it was racist. And no, the company wasn’t depicting Ewoks in a negative light. Some people thought that the “Jabba’s Palace” set resembled a Mosque and the company decided to stop selling the product .
Do you think the cat-calling sticker was offensive? Did Lego make the right decision by apologizing and removing the product?