Lego products are getting more violent, study argues

Legos are more dangerous.
(Image credit: Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Lego bricks aren't all fun and games, University of Canterbury researchers argued in a study published in Plos One, a peer-reviewed open-access journal. They're increasingly promoting violence in their products, the researchers said.

Nearly 30 percent of Lego sets out in 2014 contained weapons, compared with less than 5 percent in 1978, the first year the manufacturer included them in sets. Themed products for franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars are thought to have contributed to the uptick, as well as competition with other toy makers.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.