Cultural Studies of LEGO
This collection examines LEGO from an array of critical and cultural studies approaches, foregrounding the world-renowned brand's ideological power and influence. Given LEGO’s status as the world’s largest toy manufacturer and a transnational multimedia conglomerate, Cultural Studies of Lego: More Than Just Bricks considers LEGO media's cultural messages; creativity with and within LEGO artifacts; and diversity within the franchise, including gender and race representation. The chapters’ in-depth analyses of topics including LEGO films, marketing tactics, play sets, novelizations, and fans offer compelling insights relevant to those interested in the LEGO brand and broader trends in the children’s popular culture market alike.
Rebecca C. Hains is Professor of Media and Communication at Salem State University, USA. The author of Growing Up With Girl Power: Girlhood on Screen and in Everyday Life (2012) and The Princess Problem: Guiding Our Girls Through the Princess-Obsessed Years (2014), her research appears in scholarly anthologies and journals including Feminist Media Studies, Popular Communication, and Girlhood Studies.
Sharon R. Mazzarella is Professor of Communication Studies at James Madison University, USA. She is the author of Girls, Moral Panic and News Media: Troublesome Bodies (2020), and the editor or co-editor of seven academic collections. She also edits “Mediated Youth,” a series of cutting-edge books on cultural studies of youth.
