LEGO's "Women of NASA" set became the best-selling toy on Amazon in just 24 hours after its release. And while the company takes pride in creating gender-neutral action figures, brand relations director Michael McNally says he was happy to release this a-typical collection. The LEGO set was created by Maia Weinstock, a deputy news editor at MIT and a self-proclaimed supporter of women, something she proved with this project. “Women of NASA” celebrates women who have played critical roles in STEM educations and in the history of the United States’ space program. But this is not the only successful playset crowdsourced by LEGO. Another fan idea and best-seller includes a “Big Bang Theory” living room set. Enthusiasts can submit an idea to the LEGO Ideas website and gather support. Submissions will be reviewed by LEGO, and can ultimately result in a new product. “What’s awesome...is that we get ideas that probably we didn’t have on our own,” McNally told Cheddar in an interview. “Then we can access the support, because if they get 10,000 votes from the fan community then we review them as a possible LEGO set.” The holidays are approaching and McNally says Lego hopes to restock shelves with the now sold-out “Women of Nasa” playset. This is also the company’s best season he said. The toy industry as a whole has been growing steadily in the past three years, with sales rising 16 percent from 2013 to 2016, according to market research firm NPD Group. The company said sales hit $20.4 billion last year.
