In this paper, we use a mixed methods approach to compare the multimodal “building blocks” of play provided by the Lego Friends franchise, which is primarily aimed at female audiences, and several other Lego series that are marketed to similar-age male audiences. Using both quantitative and qualitative analyses, we examine if and how certain configurations of play and gendered-discourses may be privileged through what Johnson (2013) calls “preferred constructions… for which the company literally provide[s] instruction manuals and feature[s] in packaging and promotional imagery” (p. 2-3). We also focus on the constellation of digital artifacts (i.e., video games, videos) that give narrative structure to these preferred configurations of play.
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