A Polish priest has launched a campaign against Lego, claiming the building-block toys are agents of Satan and the mini-figures can bring children "to the dark side," The Telegraph reported.
Father Slawomir Kostrzewa has warned parents that the Danish-based toy company's Monster Fighter series and Zombie figures "were about darkness and the world of death." Souls would be lost from contact with the toys, the priest said, according to The Telegraph.
The Monster Fighters collection includes the Lord Vampire figure, with fangs and red eyes, who fights against the mini-figures called Doctor Rodney Rathbone and Major Quinton Steele. Both try to stop Lord Vampire from "cloaking the world in darkness," the newspaper reported.
For the priest, Lego took a turn for the worst when it introduced the monsters.
"Friendly fellows have been replaced by dark monsters," Kostrzewa said, The Telegraph reported. "These toys can have a negative effect on children. They can destroy their souls and lead them to the dark side."
The Telegraph was unable to reach Lego for comment.
Psychologist Monika Filipowska, told the Super Express newspaper that the priest's claims are ridiculous.
"They're just blocks," Filipowska said. "Linking them to Satan is just wrong; and all that will happen is that children will be afraid of them now."
But perhaps the priest's beliefs are not completely unfounded. The University of Canterbury in New Zealand conducted a study on the evolution of facial expressions on Lego figures. The research found that over the years, the faces on Lego figures have grown angrier. As a result, children could get the wrong impression about good and evil, Kostrzewa said.
"Facial expressions may be lead to confusion between good and evil," the priest said according to The Telegraph. "It appears the good suffer in battle and the 'villains' have a face showing satisfaction with their evil deeds."
The priest has spoken against other popular toys in the past, including Hello Kitty and My Little Pony, which he said was a "carrier of death," The Telegraph reported.
