Note Throughout this reflection, I use the umbrella term 鈥淚ndigenous Peoples鈥� to refer to Native people and communities living in North America. This reflection addresses the erasure of Indigenous individuality and traditions by European toy manufacturers. While this reflection does not refer specifically to one Indigenous group, North America is home to many people with rich and diverse traditions, histories and languages. In the United States, 567 entities are recognized1 while Canada has recognized 634 First Nations governments or bands.2听听
As Black Lives Matter movements re-emerge across the continent there comes a need to address forms of racism deeply ingrained in our cultural psyche. Although the role of children in the construction of political narratives is often overlooked, Eurocentrism has pervaded all levels of our Western society and continues to be conveyed through white, middle-class children鈥檚 toys. Many scholars have assessed the representation of housing and cities per children鈥檚 toys, revealing shifting narratives in the nineteenth and twentieth century.3 Countless studies have addressed how toys shape the minds and psychology of children. The discourse often focuses, through a prism of gender, on how children learn social roles through exposure to repeated stereotypical images.4 The systematic oppression of certain populations disseminated through toys to children, has gone largely unaddressed. Toys often place figures in space and within architectures, rendering them powerful vehicles of architectural colonialism. While these toys are plainly brilliant from design perspective, this essay demonstrates that some toys perpetuate racism through misrepresentation. Particularly, Playmobil庐 and LEGO庐 toys single out Indigenous people and their architecture, portraying it as placeless and rootless. Ultimately this necessitates a more diverse and comprehensive representation of the architectural canon in objects as seemingly innocuous as children鈥檚 toys. 听 Playmobil庐 and LEGO庐 evolved from the 20th century鈥檚 interest in construction toys, providing children with a miniature and colourful replica of society. Playmobil庐 is a German toy brand founded in 1974. Targeting primarily children aged four to twelve, the 鈥淣ative Indians鈥� were among the first toy sets released alongside knights and construction workers. The series culminated in 1995 with the release of set no.9998, a complete 鈥淲estern鈥� Collection. The set critically conveys that Indigenous people do not exist as a self-sufficient set but are designed to be completed by听cowboys and white policemen. Rarely is Playmobil庐 analyzed without comparison to its counterpart LEGO庐. Originating in Denmark, LEGO庐 began with the production of wooden toys in 1932 and transitioned to plastic figurines and building blocks following World War Two, gaining popularity mostly in Europe and North America.听Introduced in the late summer of 1996, LEGO庐鈥檚 鈥淲estern鈥� series proposed twelve comparable sets to the Playmobil庐 鈥淲estern鈥� Collection, which were all discontinued after a re-edition in 2002.
The Playmobil庐 and LEGO庐 sets are practically mirror images of each other. Both sets include a canyon with 鈥淚ndian鈥� mini-figures, a canoe, decorated horses and bow and arrows.听 LEGO庐鈥檚 mountain includes a boulder positioned to roll onto and destroy the site composed of a tipi, fire, and totem pole. The Playmobil庐 set includes a wagon, recalling settler鈥檚 mode of transportation to 鈥渃onquer鈥� the West. Both forts are composed of rearrangeable sections protected by a main gate and watchtowers overlooking a central courtyard and jail cell. Revolvers, rifles, and a gun on limber complete the set, clearly outnumbering the Indigenous both in artillery and manpower. Cavalry, colonels, soldiers, and bandits occupy the space exuding a sense of control. While the Playmobil庐 or LEGO庐 games lack set objective, they allow children to develop an understanding of space and belonging. The architectural elements do not emulate a real destination, but the implications are not trivial. The landmarks and structures opposing the tipi remind the child of the triumph of the white sheriff and cowboy, forging a sense of space in which the 鈥淚ndian鈥� never seems to belong. These toys are more than harmless plastic blocks; they are equipped with the ability to stage complex dynamics of identity, race and belonging. 听
Toys to Narrate and Educate
The current concept of toys as a child鈥檚 plaything emerged in the 19th century, when for the first time, children formed an autonomous category that required its own tools to support its cultural development. There is a strong lineage of construction toys marking the 20th century that architects, such as Bruno Taut or Charles and Ray Eames, have used to express forms and ideas. Such toy sets inherently influence a child鈥檚 social and spatial education. Toys are educational devices, representations of culture and ideology. The Playmobil庐 set glaringly identifies which core ideas of听adult culture are to be passed down to the younger generation. A toy is a carefully curated representation of a real or fantasy world, which serves as a dissemination device for architectural and historical narratives. As Roland Barthes has explained, 鈥渢oys always mean something, and this something is always entirely socialized, constituted by the myths or the techniques of modern adult life.鈥�5 Toys translate imagery into physical objects designed for engagement and knowledge acquisition through the act of play. The sociologist Gilles Broug猫re further explains that for children, play is not limited to acts and objects bound by logic but rather allows the creation of images with a logic of pretending.6 Children are imitators, they will reproduce the scheme given to them.7 Playmobil庐 set no.9998 clearly evidences a connection between the transfer of adult spatial and racial dynamics into a child鈥檚 world. The Playmobil庐 set, akin to LEGO庐鈥檚 equivalents, behaves as a historical and anthropological device within which we can read different architectural narratives.
鈥淭imeless鈥� and Insignificant
The Western architecture in both toy sets displays modernization and expansion, whereas the Indigenous people are portrayed as fixed in an obscure time period. It is alarming that even in the re-editions, these populations have neither enriched nor evolved and it remains geographically hard to decipher where these people belong. By never proposing the tipi as a structure that can be built, but as a ready-made complete element, the narrative of the insignificance of the building process is reinforced. By buying the complete no.9998 set, the child is urged to spend听a greater amount of time erecting the infrastructures of the colonial oppressor. Interpreting the set鈥檚 staging of the individual parts, the importance is placed on the architectural elements of the white colonizer, emphasizing an architecture of violence and control. Indeed, the fortified structure of 鈥淔ort Glory鈥� underlines that there is a clear spatial boundary between populations. Highly secured entry points thus filter who belongs and who doesn鈥檛. The name of the fort itself implies a conflict and explicitly identifies the winner. Nationalistic symbols such as the flag and uniforms are central to the presentation of the set, while the presence of the tower reinforces surveillance as a tool of control over Indigenous populations. 听
Toys of Genocide. Icons of Colonialism.
There is no doubt that even a child of Indigenous descent would rather be a Playmobil cowboy and re-enact a war where the Indigenous populations are displaced. The colonial canon upholds white supremacy and Indigenous inferiority, feeding into fantasies of a superior race entitled to occupy all spaces. Indigenous scholars have addressed the coloniality and aggression embedded within cowboy and Indian toys. Scholar Michael Yellow Bird writes that 鈥渃owboys and Indians [symbolize] America鈥檚 past and current infatuation with colonization and genocide鈥� which 鈥渃reate a subconscious desire to kill real Indians鈥�.8 Today, white parents remain unconcerned by such imagery and vocabulary. Michael Yellow Bird urges us to view these as toys of genocide, as toys of supremacy and icons of colonialism. Indigenous culture is reduced to a caricature that distorts Indigenous past, present and future experiences. Indigenous populations, presented as unreasonable savages are outnumbered and readily defeated by cowboys who, despite their oppressive weaponry are portrayed as the heroes. 听
Status Quo
While the LEGO庐 set allows pieces to interchange, Playmobil庐鈥檚 narrative is controlled by the manufacturer. This dynamism of LEGO庐鈥檚 pieces does not insist on a single structural hierarchy but leaves that up to the user. In 2002, Tom Morton in Frieze Magazine wrote 鈥淧laymobil isn鈥檛 about鈥� the limitless possibilities of Lego; it鈥檚 about the plastic preservation of the status quo鈥�.9 One will however notice that LEGO庐 proposes a tipi as a mere accessory (Fig. 2), for it can鈥檛 be built by the child. These toys thus uphold systemic racism. The toys legitimize the idea that Indigenous populations can be removed from space. The mass production and popularity of these toys systemically supported the proliferation of this discourse. This narrative has even been exported to other countries due to the success of the toy. Playmobil庐 and LEGO庐鈥檚 built an economic market that contributes to the material and cultural oppression of Indigenous populations through infantilization and misrepresentation. It is fraudulent to insinuate that all Indigenous people live remotely in depictions of deserts, which lack clear geographical references, therefore such toys romanticize a Eurocentric fiction of the past. One could argue that these toys, like Viking sets or Pharaoh and Pyramids, simply represent history, but solely representing Indigenous populations in the historical Western collection toy set frames their presence as a historical anecdote and refuses to acknowledge the multi-dimensional complex history of an entire culture.听The re-edition (Fig. 5) of cowboys and 鈥淚ndians鈥� demonstrates absolutely no attempt to promote culturally accurate models. A systematic racial division and classification of space and architecture鈥攐f form, style, colour, materials鈥攊s still imposed. As if the tools, objects, and architecture were not enough to convey that the Indigenous populations did not belong, stereotyped physical features are accentuated: indeed the 鈥淣ative Indian鈥� figures were the only figures on which LEGO庐 has printed noses.
Geometry and Generalizations
The idea that such simplifications in the architecture and portrayal of standard elements were made to be better understood by children must be refuted. Indeed, countless western housing typologies, both ancient and modern, exhibit deeply nuanced and comprehensive architectures. For example, the Medieval Blacksmith (set. 6329) released in 2014, boasts minute architectural details and the house must be completely assembled for the enjoyment of the child. The White characters are presented in countless spaces and configurations further asserting that variety is possible.
We should also refute the idea that Indigenous architectural typologies are simplified because of the inherent cone-like and circular forms. Both LEGO庐 and Playmobil庐鈥檚 catalogues showcase countless projects that disprove this supposed constraint. The Coliseum, for example, is built for assembly despite the circular architecture. While it could be argued that the toys represent the textile surfaces, there is precedent for fabric objects being offered as buildable elements, as with the 2020 Pirate sails (no. 31109). Furthermore, these toys convey numerous architectural inaccuracies and gross generalizations regarding the Indigenous cultures. Tipis and totem poles cultural forms from different native groups. The tipi was used by Plains groups of the Plateau region10 while totem poles were cultural traditions of the groups of a narrow strip on the Pacific Northwest coast.11 Mixing and homogenizing the diverse native heritages is another example of racist misinformation in media and popular images, further rendering invisible the existence of permanent villages, pit houses and wood frame structures.12 These toys influence racial and spatial thinking. While attempting to represent different architectural languages, they reinforce a dominant architectural language rooted in the coloniality of power. Colonization is founded on the forced erasures of tradition and culture.听These toy sets, through mass production and dissemination, are tools employed to听erase authentic Indigenous culture, prioritizing White architecture and existence.听These toys evidence the systematic representation of Indigenous populations as physical obstacles to American progress. The cover of the Playmobil set places the Indigenous populations at the side, a mere obstacle in the path of thriving white men. Their displacement is implied as a necessary step in the heroic white Anglo-Americans听conquest over savage, subhuman populations for the 鈥済reater good鈥� of听Americans.
Toys to Topple down and Figurines to move Forward
Unless we challenge the false histories conveyed through harmful representations of population hierarchies and dynamics through a concerted, collective endeavour, these toys will continue to legitimize the narrative of European colonialism, stereotyping Indigenous populations through the reduction of tipis, headdresses and tom-toms as toys. Companies like Playmobil庐 must immediately cease employing racist terms to refer to Indigenous People such as 鈥淚ndians鈥�, 鈥淎merican Indians鈥� or 鈥淣ative Americans鈥�. While 鈥淔ort Glory鈥� is no longer for sale, it has been replaced with 鈥淔ort Brave鈥� still conveying cowboy heroism.
To counteract the paucity of non-white听architectures deemed valuable,听we must develop architectural pedagogies imbued with and inspired by decolonization. The听popular corporate-driven narrative of Indigenous populations must shift to reflect the reality of their culture. Indigenous architecture and sacred cultural elements are not simply toys for white children. Neither LEGO庐 nor Playmobil庐 offers toys with slave boats or concentration camps, reflecting the widespread condemnation of such barbarous historical events. The glamorization of colonialism and the genocide of the Indigenous people in America apparently still leaves parents unoffended, and this must be addressed. Human history is arguably a long series of violent events. Perpetuating the erasure of oppressed cultures is certainly not the solution. Instead of reducing听Indigenous architecture to a single tipi, these toy sets should include a diversity of representations. These toy manufacturers must expand their current canon of what they advertise as architecture. Today there is a tendency to create toys replicas of a specific building, architect or city. This is highlighted in LEGO庐 Architecture鈥檚 new series that reproduces architectural icons such as Frank Lloyd Wright鈥檚 鈥淔alling Water鈥� or Mies Van der Rohe鈥檚 Farnsworth House and landmark cities, often emblems of Capitalism or icons of an antique empire. It is time to expand the educational applications of toys with diverse, rich and comprehensive knowledge.
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Hermine Dema毛l wrote this essay for ARCH 355 in Winter 2021 while an undergraduate student at听the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture at 成人VR视频.
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1听 International Work for Indigenous Affairs, 鈥淚ndigenous People in the United States鈥�, accessed March 27, 2021, .
2 Bob Joseph, 鈥�21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act,鈥� Indigenous Corportate Training Inc., accessed March 27, 2021,听-act-art.
3听 鈥淭oy Town,鈥� CCA, accessed March 23, 2021, .
4 Danielle Barbosa Lins de Almeida, 鈥淥n Diversity, Representation and Inclusion: New Perspectives on the Discourse of Toy Campaigns,鈥澨�Ling. (dis)curso,听Tubar茫o 听17,听no. 2听 (May听 2017): 257-270, .
5 Roland Barthes, Mythologies, trans. Jonathan Cape (New York: The Noonday Press, 听Farrar, Straus & Girou, 1972), 53.
6 Martin Fournier, 鈥淎 quoi sert le jeu听? Entretien avec Gilles Broug猫re,"听Sciences Humaines, no. 257 (March 2014): 8.
7 Wang Zhidan, Williamson Rebecca A., Meltzoff Andrew N., 鈥淚mitation as a mechanism in cognitive development: a cross-cultural investigation of 4-year-old children鈥檚 rule learning,鈥� Frontiers in Psychology,听volume 6 (2015): 256, .
8 Michael Yellow Bird, 鈥淐owboys and Indians. Toys of Genocide, Icons of American Colonialism,鈥� Wicazo SA Review, no. 19 (Fall 2004): 33-48.
9听Tom Morton, 鈥溙齈lastic People,鈥澨�Frieze, June 6, 2002, .
10 Pauls, E. Prine. "Plateau Indian," Encyclopedia Britannica, November 11, 2020, .
11 Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia, "Totem pole."听Encyclopedia Britannica, March 18, 2021, .
12 Heather Ramsay, 鈥淭otem Poles: Myth and Fact,鈥�听The Tyee, March 31, 2011, . 听
Additional References:
Aisha Gani, 鈥淧laymobil accused of 鈥榩erpetuating ugly stereotypes鈥� by UK parent,鈥� The Guardian, October 9, 2015, .
Arlene Hirschfelder, Paulette F. Molin, 鈥淚 is for Ignoble: Stereotyping Native Americans,鈥� Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, Ferris State University, February 22, 2018, .
Corey Snelgrove, Rita Kaur Dhamoon, Jeff Corntassell, 鈥淯nsettling settler colonialism: The discourse and politics of settlers, and solidarity with Indigenous nations鈥�, Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, vol. 3, no. 2 (2014): 1-32, .
Jason Wilson, 鈥淭he Playmobil Conundrum,鈥� The New Yorker, October 9, 2015, .
Kevin Gover, 鈥淔ive Myths about American Indians,鈥� The Washington Post, November 22, 2017, .
