Time magazine's latest animated cover is an absolute joy

Time is known for its striking magazine covers (remember that one with Kamala Harris and Joe Biden?), and its latest, a collaboration with Lego, is no exception.

For the first time ever, the Girls of the Year list recognising 10 young leaders who are inspiring communities around the world. This has been made possible by the Lego Group and its She Built That campaign, which encourages girls to see themselves as builders.

There's also a limited-edition animated magazine cover available (see above), which imagines the girls as Lego minifigures. The characters reflect the achievements of the young girls and the animation has a soundtrack of She Built That, which a press release describes as "the empowering new Lego anthem". A take on Run-DMC's It's Like That, it is pretty catchy, to be fair.

The 10 girls are: Rutendo Shadaya, 17, an advocate for young authors in New Zealand; Coco Yoshizawa, 15, an Olympic gold-medalist in Japan; Valerie Chiu, 15, a global science educator in China; Zoé Clauzure, 15, an anti-bullying crusader in France; Clara Proksch, 12, a scientist prioritising child safety in Germany; Ivanna Richards, 17, a racing driver shattering stereotypes in Mexico; Kornelia Wieczorek, 17, a biotech innovator in Poland; Defne Özcan, 17, a trailblazing pilot in Turkey; Rebecca Young, 12, an engineer tackling homelessness in the United Kingdom; and Naomi S. DeBerry, 12, an organ donation advocate and children’s book author in the United States.

“At Time, we’ve long believed that leadership has no age requirement. This belief is reflected in the inspiring young women named to our first-ever Time Girls of the Year list, who are shaping their communities with courage and purpose,” says Time CEO Jessica Sibley. “Thanks to our partnership with the Lego Group, we are proud to spotlight those who are turning imagination into real-world impact.”

Research shows that this type of initiative is needed. Seventy percent of young women around the world struggle to see themselves as good at building things and a similar amount of parents feel girls lack female role models who build the world.

Kids are also twice as likely to credit major inventions to men – with most believing that Wi-Fi, fridges and even the moon landing software were invented by men, when all were pioneered by women.

"When girls don’t see it, they don’t believe it – the world risks missing out on the next big breakthrough," says Julia Goldin, Lego Group chief product and marketing officer. There’s no stopping what girls can build.

"Time’s Girls of the Year is a step in giving the next generation the role models they deserve, recognising young women globally who are not just imagining a better world but actively creating it. Together with Time we hope these stories will inspire a future generation of unstoppable female builders to dream big and continue making their mark on the world."

The animated nature of the magazine makes it appeal to a range of audiences and the fun soundtrack makes the message stick in your mind. The characters have all been thoughtfully designed, too.

For more on great magazines, see our piece on how to make a zine and the best magazine covers of all time. Plus, we go behind the scenes on three New York Time Magazine covers.