Answers.Body: <p>I thought it might be worth including one of the precursors to the beloved Lego minifigures; Maxifigures (Homemaker Figures). They <em>did</em> have ears:
  <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EgD4d.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EgD4d.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
  <p>If you compare these hair pieces to those of common minifigures, you can see that there is an implied ear in the profile of the side:<br />
  <a href="https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3901" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/PVu72.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a>
  <a href="https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=6093" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/OHFl5.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-06-20T01:26:29.033Z
Answers.Text: And if you look at sets like 268 <https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=268-1> you can see that today's minifigures were also there - but I'll let you look at the photos to see how they were used.
Answers.UserDisplayName: RSchulz
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-06-20T01:30:09.670Z
Answers.Text: @RSchulz Even though I've seen sets like that before, it's still hilarious whenever they come up
Answers.UserDisplayName: Matthew Jensen
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-06-20T01:10:31.267Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-06-20T01:10:31.267Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Matthew Jensen
Answers.Body: <p>I can not give you an answer on behalf of TLG, but I can give you some good reasons as to why Minifigures do not have ears.</p>
  <p>Authenticity: Lego figures have never had ears. In fact, the first figures did not even have faces, or articulating limbs. They were very basic. Here is a photo showing the basic evolution of minifigures over the years. The first 'figures' were introduced in the mid-1900s.
  <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/dUZdN.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/dUZdN.png" alt="Evolution of the Minifigure" /></a></p>
  <p>Functionability: Adding ears to the head mold would greatly complicate things for Lego. Apart from the fact that ears would be likely to be broken off or get damaged, they would affect the compatability of heads.</p>
  <p>All standard mold lego heads can fit just about every mold of hat and hair. However, if TLG started making heads with ears, they would have to redesign every single 'headgear' and 'hair' mold so that they would fit around/over the ears. As a result, for figures where ears are necessary, they are part of the headgear mold, not the head. You can see this in these two examples.
  <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/FLyvb.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/FLyvb.png" alt="Elf hat w/ ears" /></a>
  <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/zjdIz.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/zjdIz.png" alt="Hair w/ ears" /></a></p>
  <p>I hope that answers your son's question, and that you can simplify the reasons for him :)</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-12-29T17:35:32.377Z
Answers.Text: Also, since a number of minifig faces have two expressions, one of the front and one on the back, the ears would be oriented wrong for at least one of the expressions.
Answers.UserDisplayName: nijineko
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-12-29T19:00:06.767Z
Answers.Text: True, I did not even think of that! That would certainly be an interesting spectacle :)
Answers.UserDisplayName: SlicksterTheBrickster
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-07-11T15:01:19.097Z
Answers.Text: @nijineko That's a much later addition, though. It just prevents ears from being added now, but they could have been added earlier (in turn, preventing introduction of dual-faced heads).
Answers.UserDisplayName: Angew is no longer proud of SO
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-12-23T13:55:36.780Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-12-23T13:55:36.780Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2020-06-18T08:28:58.637Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: SlicksterTheBrickster
Answers.Body: <p>While there are no visible ears recently deaf minifigs have been introduced.<br />
  I have <a href="https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=60353-1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Missions Animal rescue 60353</a> which has a Minifigure with a hearing aid. I don't have or know what other sets have deaf Minifigures. Probably this the closest to ears that can be seen.</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3626cpb2696&amp;C=3" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/WuIOU.png" alt="head with hearing aid" /></a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-06-18T17:05:40.353Z
Answers.Text: Official pictures doesn't seem to to show this. Perhaps you could take your own picture and include in your answer to improve the visual aspect of your statement?
Answers.UserDisplayName: Alex
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-06-29T00:20:16.053Z
Answers.Text: Didn't show up well on the camera I have.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Afol13
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-06-29T09:20:29.930Z
Answers.Text: Isn't that just a bluetooth earpiece, rather than a hearing aid? My grandma's hearing aid is located entirely within the earshell, while this appears to wrap around it.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tuzi
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-06T14:55:29.860Z
Answers.Text: @MMM it looks like a slightly old-fashioned style of hearing aid, still in wide use, except that they're normally skin-pink in reality.  The colour here is probably chosen  to make it more obvious. Your grandma's is probably a more expensive type.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Chris H
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-06-18T13:39:36.473Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-06-28T00:01:26.440Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2022-06-28T00:01:26.440Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Afol13
Answers.Body: <p>Just to add to, or elaborate on, the other good answer(s); It may solely come down to the cost of production. I remember reading on several occasions that the molds were very expensive to make. Having a simplified shape make the part a more universal piece, not just for minifigure heads. That being said, I suppose they could have printed them on. But that has it's own potential problems mentioned in the previous comments.     </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-07-11T01:54:42.580Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-07-11T01:54:42.580Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: JohnnyB
Body: <p>My five year old, Oakley, would like to ask</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Why don't LEGO men have ears?</p>
  </blockquote>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-12-23T14:24:07.667Z
Comments.Text: The very old figures,  with much larger heads, did have ears. http://www.lets-brick.com/eng/legomic/old/old_01.htm
Comments.UserDisplayName: Linkan
Tags: <minifigures>
Title: Why don't LEGO Minifigures have ears?
UserDisplayName: Michael Simpson
ThreadText: # Why don't LEGO Minifigures have ears?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2016-12-23)
  
  My five year old, Oakley, would like to ask
  
  > Why don't LEGO men have ears?
  
  **Tags:** minifigures
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: The very old figures,  with much larger heads, did have ears. http://www.lets-brick.com/eng/legomic/old/old_01.htm  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2016-12-23. Score: 17
  
  I can not give you an answer on behalf of TLG, but I can give you some good reasons as to why Minifigures do not have ears.
  
  Authenticity: Lego figures have never had ears. In fact, the first figures did not even have faces, or articulating limbs. They were very basic. Here is a photo showing the basic evolution of minifigures over the years. The first 'figures' were introduced in the mid-1900s.
  [![Evolution of the Minifigure](https://i.sstatic.net/dUZdN.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/dUZdN.png)
  
  Functionability: Adding ears to the head mold would greatly complicate things for Lego. Apart from the fact that ears would be likely to be broken off or get damaged, they would affect the compatability of heads.
  
  All standard mold lego heads can fit just about every mold of hat and hair. However, if TLG started making heads with ears, they would have to redesign every single 'headgear' and 'hair' mold so that they would fit around/over the ears. As a result, for figures where ears are necessary, they are part of the headgear mold, not the head. You can see this in these two examples.
  [![Elf hat w/ ears](https://i.sstatic.net/FLyvb.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/FLyvb.png)
  [![Hair w/ ears](https://i.sstatic.net/zjdIz.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/zjdIz.png)
  
  I hope that answers your son's question, and that you can simplify the reasons for him :)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_5**: Also, since a number of minifig faces have two expressions, one of the front and one on the back, the ears would be oriented wrong for at least one of the expressions.  
  > **username_4**: True, I did not even think of that! That would certainly be an interesting spectacle :)  
  > **username_6**: @nijineko That's a much later addition, though. It just prevents ears from being added now, but they could have been added earlier (in turn, preventing introduction of dual-faced heads).  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2022-06-20. Score: 7
  
  I thought it might be worth including one of the precursors to the beloved Lego minifigures; Maxifigures (Homemaker Figures). They *did* have ears:
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/EgD4d.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/EgD4d.png)
  
  If you compare these hair pieces to those of common minifigures, you can see that there is an implied ear in the profile of the side:  
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/PVu72.png)](https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3901)
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/OHFl5.png)](https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=6093)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: And if you look at sets like 268 <https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=268-1> you can see that today's minifigures were also there - but I'll let you look at the photos to see how they were used.  
  > **username_2**: @RSchulz Even though I've seen sets like that before, it's still hilarious whenever they come up  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2022-06-18. Score: 5
  
  While there are no visible ears recently deaf minifigs have been introduced.  
  I have [Missions Animal rescue 60353](https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=60353-1) which has a Minifigure with a hearing aid. I don't have or know what other sets have deaf Minifigures. Probably this the closest to ears that can be seen.
  
  [![head with hearing aid](https://i.sstatic.net/WuIOU.png)](https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3626cpb2696&C=3)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_8**: Official pictures doesn't seem to to show this. Perhaps you could take your own picture and include in your answer to improve the visual aspect of your statement?  
  > **username_7**: Didn't show up well on the camera I have.  
  > **username_9**: Isn't that just a bluetooth earpiece, rather than a hearing aid? My grandma's hearing aid is located entirely within the earshell, while this appears to wrap around it.  
  > **username_10**: @MMM it looks like a slightly old-fashioned style of hearing aid, still in wide use, except that they're normally skin-pink in reality.  The colour here is probably chosen  to make it more obvious. Your grandma's is probably a more expensive type.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_11 on 2019-07-11. Score: 1
  
  Just to add to, or elaborate on, the other good answer(s); It may solely come down to the cost of production. I remember reading on several occasions that the molds were very expensive to make. Having a simplified shape make the part a more universal piece, not just for minifigure heads. That being said, I suppose they could have printed them on. But that has it's own potential problems mentioned in the previous comments.
  
  
  ---
  
  