Charity ‘saddened’ by the LEGO Group’s Evil Dwarf minifigure

The LEGO Group has faced calls from the Restricted Growth Association to make changes in an effort to fight stereotypes around dwarfism.

Toy News reports that the UK based organisation has picked up on the use of the Evil Dwarf from Collectible Minifigures Series 5 in the Create the World trading card series, leading to the RGA to change the way short people are depicted in the LEGO range.

Chair of RGA UK, Gill Martin, said: “We were saddened to learn about LEGO’s evil dwarf character – now a popular trading card among children – as we think it unintentionally reinforces stereotypes of people with dwarfism as mythical creatures or objects to ridicule or fear.

“We think LEGO is in the perfect position to help introduce children to dwarfism, disability and difference at an early age, and this could help combat stereotypes later on.

“We would love to see positive and realistic figures that show people with dwarfism as everyday people, with regular jobs and families.

“When most people have very few accurate points of reference for people with dwarfism, even fictitious representations can shape people’s attitudes and behaviour towards the people with dwarfism they meet in everyday life.”

As the LEGO Group has continued to enjoy years of success, various campaigns have targeted the company, including for its representation of gender, promotions with the Daily Mail and partnership with Shell.