Inside thestar.com
The Super Express tabloid quoted the Rev. Slawomir Kostrzewa urging parents to dump the LEGO series and those of several other firms.
Jeff Chiu
/ AP FILE PHOTO
A Roman Catholic priest has touched off a controversy in Poland
after news media quoted him describing toys like LEGO’s Monster Fighters
as tools of Satan that lead children to the ``dark side.’’
WARSAW, POLAND—A Roman Catholic priest has touched off a controversy in Poland after news media quoted him describing toys like LEGO's Monster Fighters as tools of Satan that lead children to the “dark side.”
The Super Express
tabloid quoted the Rev. Slawomir Kostrzewa urging parents to dump the
LEGO series as well as Mattel's Monster High. The remarks at a Sunday
service in the town of Wolsztyn touched off discussion in predominantly
Catholic Poland, which holds priests in high esteem.
Mainstream newspapers seized on the report, as did state radio. Parents took to Twitter to mock Kostrzewa.
At issue are the
interlocking block toy's fantasy figures, such as a vampire baring his
teeth. The range includes characters like The Swamp Creature and The
Werewolf.
In remarks Friday to
The Associated Press, Kostrzewa says the faces of the monsters and
zombies are scary and undermine a child's right to live in harmony and
security. Though he denied that he connected the matter to Satan, he
underscored that corporations bent on profit do not have the best
interests of children in mind.
“Toys are increasingly
ugly and aggressive in form,” he said. “Many of them promote negative
emotions and the esthetics of death. In my opinion they have a negative
influence on a child's development.”
He said some parents need guidance on the effect that toys have on their children.
LEGO spokesman Roar Trangbaek insisted the toys were fun and inspiring, while conflict games have been played for generations.
“You can play out
various scenarios and various emotions with the different facial
expressions the mini figures have: happy, angry, sad,” Trangbaek told
the AP. “The beauty of our product is that you can play out whatever you
like.”
It is not Kostrzewa's
first crusade. He has in the past campaigned against Sanrio's Hello
Kitty, arguing that it promoted the pornography industry and the
sexualizing of young girls.
No comments:
Post a Comment