One guy has received a lot of attention this week; he’s a young man, with a big smile, sporting a beanie and uses a wheelchair. “What’s so special about that?” - you may well ask. The answer is that he also happens to be about an inch tall and entirely made of plastic.

This is the newest figurine by toy manufacturing giant Lego. Previously not renowned for their representation of diversity in society, they’ve just taken one big leap forward in this area.

Spurred on by the #toylikeme campaign run by parents whose children have disabilities, Lego has improved the diversity of its toy range to the deafening applause of the supporters of the crowd-funded online campaign.

Co-founder of the #ToyLikeMe campaign Rebecca Atkinson issued a statement on behalf of the group in which she said;

"We are beyond happy right now […] Lego have just rocked our brick-built world and made 150 million disabled kids, their mums, dads, pet dogs and hamsters very very happy […] we're all conga-ing up and down the street chucking coloured bricks like confetti […] But on a serious note, this move by Lego is massive in terms of ending cultural marginalisation, it will speak volumes to children, disabled or otherwise, the world over."

We are of course delighted to see this fantastic move towards giving a more realistic and balanced representation of society to children. Congratulations to #toylikeme for their dedication and hard work and to Lego on a very positive step in the development of its toys.

The reaction has been pretty unanimous across social media with everyone and their friends echoing words of high praise for the toy manufacturer and asking the question – what next? Not every disability is wheelchair based. Will we soon see Lego with cochlear implants or other varied disabilities? Let’s hope.

Use the comments section to let us know what you think.

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