Yellow or "fleshy"

[SMC]

^ I don't agree because Lego figures are the same height, weight and so on so a colourless world would seems to fit. Virtruvius should have been yellow simple.

[legoguy1984]

yellow for sure, I see it's uses in a licenced set but would not like to see them use it over all their themes. Second the poll idea.

[Borex]

Flesh. Yellow just doesnt work for me on licensed figs. I understand why the yellow is still around, but personally i wouldnt shed a tear if the yellow is gone.

[rodiziorobs]

Also, to encourage COLORBLINDNESS is NOT the way to go with racial stuff and skin tones. We don't need to whitewash rare (or yellow-wash). We need to see the difference and accept them without applying any prejudice or negativity towards the differences. Colorblindness is an incredibly old fashioned way to attempt to be Politically Correct which in the end just ends up being the opposite. Acknowledging and accepting differences is where it's at, not trying to mesh it all into one super generic mishmash.

I agree with this to an extent, but in TLG's case I think it's pretty forgivable. The way I see it, in the early days they only produced a handful of very basic colors, and yellow was the closest approximation to any skin color. Now, the yellow color is indelibly identified with the LEGO brand itself, but they use skin-toned figs to more closely represent those other (licensed) brands.

[8BrickMario]

Honestly, I love both! I couldn't care less about the fleshies and yellow-skinned figs mixing together, although it is frustrating when it comes to torsos showing skin. And I am amused by the Simpsons being yellow licensed figs and Vitruvius being a fleshy non-licensed (sort of) figure. I also love figures with irregular skin tones (sand green, trans-neon yellow, white, etc.).

The big problem is that ever since Lando introduced a black figure among yellow figs, the image of yellow=white was there, and probably still exists. Since Lando, the yellow skin tone was reminiscent of the Simpsons, where yellow was a stand-in for a white skin tone as well. So I understand the switch to flesh, but it seems like it should have been anticipated to avoid the unfortunate connotations, since now it seems that yellow is not some sort of universal race without distinction. But yellow is iconic for LEGO, so I can't see it going anywhere.

Edited May 28, 2015 by 8BrickMario

[wendyw]

I prefer fleshies, but I'll happily mix both together.

Also, to encourage COLORBLINDNESS is NOT the way to go with racial stuff and skin tones. We don't need to whitewash rare (or yellow-wash). We need to see the difference and accept them without applying any prejudice or negativity towards the differences. Colorblindness is an incredibly old fashioned way to attempt to be Politically Correct which in the end just ends up being the opposite. Acknowledging and accepting differences is where it's at, not trying to mesh it all into one super generic mishmash.

Agreed. On one level I get the whole idea of going for generic non-specific people (and the original smiley heads were definitely that), but the problem is generic tends to translate as average and average in Europe and North America tends to translate as white (and usually male, but that's a whole different issue).

[Horsecreek]

I prefere fleshy minifigs. But I think they need more happy faces. I don't mind building a moc with yellow faces if it fits in the moc.

[Vodnik]

Virtruvius should have been yellow simple.

I don't see a problem with Vitruvius being flash. Just remember what he is supposed to represent: a custom minifig assembled by the kid to tell his story. Most of the other figures were made from his father's City sets (so they were yellow), but this one was probably meant to be a custom figure made from some license minifig parts. The environment in the Lego Movie is supposed to represent typical mixed Lego collections we have.

Edited May 30, 2015 by Vodnik

[SMC]

^ But it would have been nice for a yellow fig to be play by someone non white.

[wesker]

Definitely flesh. Yellow was fine back in the day when minifigures had basic prints and a limited colour pallette, but it doesn't look as good today with the ammount of detail minifigures are getting.

[Zodack]

Flesh on licensed, yellow on other LEGO stuff. Anything that's a LEGO original has to have their minifigs in yellow for me. Maybe it's a head categorizing thing. I look at my Boba Fett or Iron Man fig and think "Oh, this is Boba Fett / Iron Man in LEGO form", but you can look at a LEGO baker (etc) and think "this is a LEGO baker". If that makes sense. It's an association thing for me.

Edited June 21, 2015 by Zodack

[Blakstone]

I am fine with the current split between yellow and flesh. I try to avoid mixing them in a MOC though. I just wished we got more detailed yellows outside of the CMFs.

Judging by Friends, I think LEGO would go all the way with flesh except for the longstanding traction.

[klinton]

It actually really annoyed me that the banana guy in the DC set was 'flesh' coloured.

I don't mind for the heroes and whatnot being 'flesh' toned to reflect thier comic book appearance (where thier colourful costumes would look 'off' on a yellow skintone), but everyday people in Lego should always be yellow. It's insanely odd to me when they're not.

[Ultron]

It actually really annoyed me that the banana guy in the DC set was 'flesh' coloured.

I don't mind for the heroes and whatnot being 'flesh' toned to reflect thier comic book appearance (where thier colourful costumes would look 'off' on a yellow skintone), but everyday people in Lego should always be yellow. It's insanely odd to me when they're not.

It would make absolutely no sense to mix the two tones.

[Deathleech]

It would make absolutely no sense to mix the two tones.

Exactly. Most of the super heroes are still human, they just have super powers of some sort. Why would Lego put yellow and flesh colored minifigs in the same set?

[SMC]

You mean like 10687 Spider-Man Hideout, me no likey .

[klinton]

It would make absolutely no sense to mix the two tones.

Really?

Maybe it's just me, but I mix them up all the time. I actually didn't think anything of it until I had this little banana guy who wasn't yellow like all the rest of the normal folks. He annoyed me, so he got a makeover in yellow (the BEST part about Lego: that you can just change something that you don't like!). Hahaha.

I think that was the first time it occured to me that there was any distinction between the yellow and 'flesh' coloured parts, to be honest.

Normal people are all yellow. They just always have been. /shrug.

[8BrickMario]

You mean like 10687 Spider-Man Hideout, me no likey .

They got away with it because the flesh tone is only implied. Since Spidey's wearing his mask it worked, but it's still very odd.

I am okay with mixing them, but not professionally. When I'm setting up a street scene with my modulars, all of the figs are yellow or if not, they're aliens or monsters without a flesh tone.

[Deathleech]

You mean like 10687 Spider-Man Hideout, me no likey .

I think that's only because it's a Juniors set. It has pieces and things that you wouldn't normally see in other sets such as 21361 or 19000. And as BrickMario points out, they only got away with it because Spidey is masked and Green Goblin is not a typical human color. Look at other Super Hero sets:

I actually didn't think anything of it until I had this little banana guy who wasn't yellow like all the rest of the normal folks. He annoyed me, so he got a makeover in yellow (the BEST part about Lego: that you can just change something that you don't like!). Hahaha.

I think that was the first time it occured to me that there was any distinction between the yellow and 'flesh' coloured parts, to be honest.

Normal people are all yellow. They just always have been. /shrug.

Not in most Super Hero sets. Arkham Asylum Breakout and Two-Face Chase have a flesh colored police officer, and the aforementioned Two-Face Chase and Batwing Battle Over Gotham have flesh colored human henchmen. That's just to name a few normal people that are flesh colored in Super Hero sets. Not to mention in most of these sets you also have flesh colored human super heroes, such as Batman, Robin, Superman, and/or Wonder Woman. I don't really see Lego putting yellow minifigures in sets when they are alongside flesh super heroes. It would look odd.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Deathleech

[klinton]

Not in most Super Hero sets. Arkham Asylum Breakout and Two-Face Chase have a flesh colored police officer, and the aforementioned Two-Face Chase and Batwing Battle Over Gotham have flesh colored human henchmen. That's just to name a few normal people that are flesh colored in Super Hero sets. Not to mention in most of these sets you also have flesh colored human super heroes, such as Batman, Robin, Superman, and/or Wonder Woman. I don't really see Lego putting yellow minifigures in sets when they are alongside flesh super heroes. It would look odd.

I stand corrected. I don't really go in for Batman sets, so I don't have most of those.

I think banana guy is the first civilian I've seen in a superhero set. Hahaha.

If people are digging it though, who am I to argue? It's not like I've a shortage of little yellow guys to swap in. :D

[MAB]

This is the licensed section, so my answer here is fleshie.

In town, my answer would be yellow.

In historic, I have more of a problem. Fleshie for licensed historic, yellow for non-licensed.

I don't find it too big a deal these days, as there is a good mix of heads in both yellow and fleshie. And more brown heads are becoming available too. It's the torsos that are difficult. Lego seems to put the slightest bit of yellow or flesh on where it really isn't needed, and that rules out the torso from crossing over to the other side. For example, this guy

would be so much more useful if he was wearing a white shirt under his jacket, with no yellow showing at the neck line.

[Kamil Z]

Yellow!

[Dr Leg O Brick]

Both. I'm happy with the mix they have now, licensed IP - flesh, everything else - Yellow. Besides, as someone who makes their own custom figures, it's great to have an extra skin colour - yellow - for people like Adam Warlock. I must admit that when I make figures from an IP that Lego hasn't acquired, or produced stuff for, I use yellow flesh, so they fit into my classic layouts (city, castle, pirates or space). It's also cheaper and easier than me searching for hours on Bricklink, Firestar, eBay etc for an appropriate head, when I have one already that's yellow.

[Werlu Ulcur]

If i could choose, ALL sets would be flesh-colored. There isn't much a reason to have yellow faces anymore.

[TheLegoJoker]

I prefer the fleshy heads. Way more variety with all the different skin tones. If I find a yellow figure I really like, I tend to replace the head so it'll fit in better with my other minifigures.