The LEGO consumer statement on Bats is now live on http://heroica.lego.com/en-us/BookofLore/monsters.aspx…
quote
"One of the foes the heroes encounter on their adventures are giant Bats. They have been disturbed and transformed by the Golems evil magic into monsters. The heroes must overcome them to get deep enough into the caves and defeat the Golem lord. The heroes are careful not to harm them if at all possible as they make their way through the caverns as their battle is not with them.
Bats are actually normally good creatures and are one of the most amazing animals in the world. They are the only flying mammals, able to navigate the night sky using excellent vision or ultrasonic sound vibrations. Bats help humans by eating pesky insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading tropical seeds which is crucial to protecting the rainforests. You can also find out more information and fun facts at http://batconservation.org/drupal/fun-bat-facts
2012 is also the year of protecting bats About half of all the bat species in the world are either threatened or endangered. This is due primarily to habitat destruction, pollution, and human persecution. find out more at: http://www.yearofthebat.org/about-year-of-the-bat/
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Friday, 23 March 2012 9:32 AM
Dear James,
Thanks for contacting us to share your feedback regarding our HEROICA™ Games.
We listen very carefully to the opinions and input that people share. Please accept my sincerest apologies for any offense taken. We would never want to do anything to upset our valued fans in any way.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write to us about your concern. You are very correct in mentioning the importance of bats and their roles in our environment. We try our best to be environmentally conscience in both our products and our daily work. I can certainly understand your concerns as bats are being plagued by a number of ever changing conditions.
As a company, we've taken the steps to reduce our carbon footprint on our planet. We've taken steps to reduce the size of our product boxes, and we've recently invested $534 million dollars in wind energy. Our intentions are to reach a target of generating enough renewable power to meet all of our energy needs as the wind farm will product more electricity than we will consume up to and including 2020.
James, our intention as a company is to set a good example for the children of the world that we influence with our products. We in no way want to provide a poor image of the wonders of the world we share, including with the characterizations of bats.
LEGO® HEROICA is an adventure story translated into a board game experience. The game includes imaginary animals with iconic attributes that children understand and which speaks to their imagination. No animals are killed in the game. They are simply taken off the board if defeated.
There is a long tradition for using animals as icons when creating stories that trigger the imagination of children. Children are able to distinguish between fantasy and real life, and we believe that playing this board game will not encourage them to harm living animals.
We know how important bats are to our ecosystem and would never encourage our fans to disgrace such a valuable part of our environment. In our ongoing efforts to produce and market products that are valued by children and adults alike, consumer comments, such as yours, are a resource that we welcome and value. We will be passing all comments regarding this subject to the appropriate Marketing Department for their review.
Thank you again for contacting us. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this email or call one of our friendly Customer Care Advisors at 1-800-835-4386 (from within the US or Canada) or 1-860-749-0706 (from outside the US or Canada). We are available Monday through Friday from 8AM - 10PM EST and Saturday through Sunday from 10AM to 6PM EST. Please have your reference number handy if you need to get in touch with us: 030664192A
Jessica
LEGO Direct Consumer Services
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