Lego Announces Simpsons Set, Despite Protests

It's been a while since Fox's long-running animated comedy The Simpsons was considered so "edgy" that it provoked protests, but that's what happened almost immediate after LEGO announced yesterday that 2014 will see the release of the first-ever licensed LEGO set based on the show. "I say no to Simpsons. It is not appropriate at all for LEGO's age group. It's not really appropriate for anyone," wrote one member of the Lego community on a petition to stop the set being made. As sometimes happens with comics, the conflict seems to be that the collectors' market that has made millions for LEGO based on PG-13 movies like Man of Steel and Marvel's The Avengers support material like The Simpsons (typically rated TV-PG or TV-14, although occasionally a TV-MA episode slips through and the early seasons are mostly TV-G), whereas some parents or older fans object to LEGO taking on anything that isn't all-ages friendly. Feature films and video games based on LEGO toys, including licensed properties, are generally kept at a G or PG rating.