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LEGO stops marketing police-themed toys 'in light of recent events'
Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

LEGO stops marketing police-themed toys 'in light of recent events'

The toy company also halted its promotion of 'The White House' set

Toy company Lego requested Tuesday that marketing affiliates immediately cease advertising several of its law enforcement-related products and to even pull them from websites "in light of recent events," as protests rage nationwide over the death of George Floyd.

What are the details?

In an email obtained by The Toybook trade magazine sent on behalf of the Danish company, affiliated partners were notified that "In light of recent events, LEGO has requested the below products to be removed from sites and any marketing ASAP."

To be clear, the items are still available for purchase. It was only promotions for such products that were stopped.

More than 30 products were on the list, with a large majority containing the word "Police" in the name, including the Police Station, Police Patrol Car, Police Helicopter Transport, and even the Donut Shop Opening — which, according to The Toybook, "includes Police Officer 'Duke DeTain' and 'Crook' minifigures."

Lego responded to The Toybook's request for comment on the email, saying in a statement: "We requested that our affiliate partners refrain from posting promotional LEGO content as part of our decision to respect #BlackOutTuesday and pause posting content on our social media channels in response to the tragic events in the US. We regret any misunderstanding and will ensure that we are clearer about our intentions in the future."

But all of the products Lego stopped marketing were either associated with law enforcement or firefighting, with the exception of one: "The White House" set was also pulled.

Gaming critic Alex Donaldson noted on Twitter, "Wow, Lego has now gone a step further and is pulling down all the marketing for any sets they have that are based around the Police theme or include Police characters. That's a decades-long staple being stepped off."

He added, "This includes the Lego Architecture White House set, which pretty much spells out where they stand politically."

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