GoldieBlox vs. the Beastie Boys

Sounds like some sort of strange sci-fi fairy tale, doesn't it?

No, sadly, it's just a legal battle pitting two otherwise admirable organizations in an unfortunate public squabble.

Laughing and Playing is a new blog, but since it's about all things kid's toys, we can't miss out on this high profile bit of toy-related news.

Follow the story here, but long story short, GoldieBlox has been getting a lot of great free press lately for their line of toys for girls. Honestly, the company's line isn't very big and the sets they're selling at the moment don't seem that impressive beyond the novelty of selling building sets for girls, but nonetheless they've been getting mentions on national TV and online coverage all over the place.

All seemed rosy except for this misstep: GoldieBlox made a promotional sort of jingle sort of song based on the Beastie Boys tune "Girls." The lyrics and the video are clever and catchy with a girl-positive message that only the curmudgeonly of curmudgeons could take issue with. Problem is, they didn't pay for the rights to use the song. When the Beastie Boys asked what was going on, GoldieBlox made a preemptive legal strike and sued the Beastie Boys claiming the right to use the tune as "fair use."

Wow! Is it just me or should GoldieBlox have quickly backed down, apologized profusely, offer to make a donation to any charity of the Beastie Boy's choice, and then sat back and hoped for the best? Now they're in a drawn out, potentially high profile legal fight. They're probably not going to look good in the eyes of the public because, well, they're wrong, so.... what do they think they're doing here? For their sake they better find a solution to this problem that's "just right" - and soon!