LEGO Group Introduces Sunflower Lanyard Features and Expands Inclusion Initiatives

(IN BRIEF) The LEGO Group has launched initiatives to promote inclusion for individuals with hidden disabilities. Partnering with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, LEGO introduced Sunflower lanyard features in new LEGO sets and Minifigure Factories, raising awareness about non-visible disabilities. The company is also offering employees branded lanyards and training to support inclusivity and plans to make all European LEGO stores Sensory Inclusive Certified by March 2025. The initiatives aim to foster understanding, empathy, and accessibility for fans and colleagues worldwide.

(PRESS RELEASE) BILLUND, 4-Dec-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — The LEGO Group has unveiled a series of initiatives to promote awareness and inclusion for individuals with hidden disabilities, marking this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Partnering with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, LEGO aims to bring greater representation to its products, enhance employee support, and make its stores more accessible to all.

Sunflower Lanyard in LEGO Sets

For the first time, LEGO sets will feature characters wearing the globally recognized Sunflower lanyard, a symbol for those with non-visible disabilities.

New sets include:

LEGO DUPLO® First Time at the Airport (10443): Designed for toddlers, this set helps children navigate airports and includes a Sunflower lanyard-wearing child.
LEGO® Friends Heartlake City Airport and Airplane (42656): Features a university student wearing noise-reducing headphones and a Sunflower lanyard.
LEGO® Icons Tudor Corner (10350): Aimed at adults, it introduces a neurodivergent character who uses a Sunflower lanyard.

Fans can also customize minifigures with Sunflower lanyard designs at LEGO’s 55 Minifigure Factories worldwide.

Support for Employees

LEGO is offering employees in Denmark and the UK free LEGO-branded Sunflower lanyards and training to better support team members with non-visible disabilities. This initiative will expand globally, reinforcing LEGO’s commitment to workplace inclusivity.

Sensory-Inclusive LEGO Stores

Building on its earlier collaboration with KultureCity, LEGO announced that all European stores will achieve Sensory Inclusive Certification by March 2025. Certified stores will offer Sensory Bags containing tools such as noise-reducing headphones and strobe-reducing glasses, ensuring a welcoming environment for individuals with sensory needs.

Impact and Perspectives

Paul White, CEO of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, commended LEGO’s efforts: “This partnership will raise global awareness and acceptance, creating a positive impact for individuals with hidden disabilities.”

The initiative has been praised by fans like 14-year-old Jayden Sorhaindo, a Sunflower lanyard user, who remarked, “Seeing LEGO characters with Sunflower lanyards promotes understanding and empathy, making us feel seen and accepted.”

Building a More Inclusive Future

Lauren von Stackelberg, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at LEGO, highlighted the significance of these efforts: “Representation is critical, and our partnership with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower helps us make LEGO play and experiences more accessible while fostering belonging for all.”

The LEGO Group’s latest initiatives reflect its ongoing dedication to inclusivity, empowering fans and employees alike while fostering understanding and empathy through creative play.

Note to Editors

*LEGO House, Home of the Brick in Billund, Denmark, was the first experience centre in the Nordics to receive KultureCity certification and has been participating in the globally-recognised Sunflower lanyard programme since June 2021, as the first Danish attraction.

**LEGO® Play Well Study 2024: commissioned by the LEGO Group, carried out by Edelman DXI between 13.12.23 – 24.01.2024. Total sample size of 61,532 respondents, including 36,000 parents and 25,532 children aged 5-12 years old from 36 markets.

Product information:
LEGO® Icons Tudor Corner

Age: 18+
Price: £199.99 / €229.99 / $229.99
Pieces: 3266
Product No.: 10350
Dimensions:
Available: Available for all from 1st January 2025 at www.LEGO.com/TudorCorner and LEGO Stores, and available for all from 4th January 2025. In addition, between 1st – 7th January 2025, all purchases of the LEGO Icons Tudor Corner set will receive a LEGO Icons Corner Kiosk as a free gift with purchase. LEGO Insiders only, membership required, all stores and online.

LEGO® Friends Heartlake City Airport and Airplane

Age: 8+
Price: €99.99/ £89.99 / $99.99.
Pieces: 958
Product No.: 42656
Dimensions:
Available: 1st of January 2025 on LEGO.com, LEGO stores and retailers around the world.

LEGO DUPLO® First Time at the Airport

Age: 2+
Pieces: 23
Product No.: 10443
Available: 1st of June 2025 on LEGO.com, LEGO stores and retailers around the world.

Minifigure Factory Designs
Two of the minifigure factory designs represent Sunflower lanyards, one with a standard Sunflower ID card and the other with a personalised Sunflower ID card. The third is a jumper print featuring a big Sunflower.

About Hidden Disabilities Sunflower
Since the Sunflower was established in the UK in 2016, it has been adopted globally by organisations to support their colleagues and customers. The Sunflower is recognised across a broad range of sectors – ranging from retail, financial services, transport including over 285 airports and 18 airlines, travel and tourism, education as well as healthcare, emergency service and entertainment. With a strong global presence, the Sunflower is a private multinational company headquartered in the UK that has operations in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Latin America, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Mauritius, the UAE, the UK and the USA.

For further information, please: visit hdsunflower.com

About Kulture City
KultureCity®, established in 2014, is a dynamic non-profit organization at the forefront of the inclusivity movement which continues to make waves in creating a more accessible and accepting world for individuals with sensory needs and non-visible disabilities.

In a short 10 years, a few highlights of KultureCity’s impact includes making over 1,800 venues sensory inclusive certified, handing out almost a million sensory bags to individuals, making over 150 live events sensory inclusive, and saving 48 lives through the KultureCity® First Responder Training. KultureCity’s commitment to inclusivity extends beyond physical spaces. The organization actively collaborates with influential figures, businesses, and communities to promote awareness and understanding of non-visible disabilities.

About the LEGO Group
The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.

The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”.

Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. Its products are now sold in more than 120 countries worldwide.

For more information: www.LEGO.com

Media Contact:

E-mail: media@LEGO.com

SOURCE: LEGO System A/S

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