While Lego's girl-oriented Friends sets are flying off store shelves, it's been two years since the company began its concerted effort to include more female figures in its traditional building sets. Back in 2013, the company received mass praise for adding a female scientist minifigure to the collection, with sociologists commending the company for portraying women in traditionally male-dominated STEM careers.
Over the next few months, the company will add to its minifig collection with a number of new female characters popping up in some sure-to-be-popular sets. Among them are a firefighter in a toddler-geared Duplo set, a marine biologist in a deep-sea explorer, and a pit crew member in a race car set.
Though male minifigs still outnumber females in all but the Friends sets, parents everywhere are hailing the new pieces for providing young girls with some STEM career inspiration.
Read on to see seven of the new characters sure to promote "girl power" among your little Lego fiends!
The McLaren Mercedes Pit Stop ($38) has a female pit crew member.
Among the three minifigs included in the Lego City Deep Sea Starter Set ($10) is a female scuba diver.
There are four minifigs in the Deep Sea Explorers Collection ($57), including a female marine biologist.
The upcoming Spaceport ($120), which will be released on Aug. 1, includes a female scientist as part of the team.