w:Lego

{{short description|Plastic construction toy}}

{{About|the construction toy|the company|The Lego Group|the Italian newspaper|Leggo|other uses}}

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{{Use British English|date=October 2018}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}

{{Infobox toy

| name = Lego

| image = LEGO logo.svg

| image_size = 180px

| caption = Logo used since 1998

| type = Construction set

| inventor = Ole Kirk Christiansen

| country = Denmark

| company = The Lego Group

| from = 1949

| to = present

| website = https://www.lego.com/

| materials = Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

}}

Lego ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɛ|ɡ|oʊ|audio=en-us-Lego.oga}}, {{respell|LEG|oh}}; {{IPA|da|ˈle̝ːko|lang}};{{cite book |last1=Brink |first1=Lars |last2=Lund |first2=Jørn |last3=Heger |first3=Steffen |last4=Jørgensen |first4=J. Normann |year=1991 |title=Den Store Danske Udtaleordbog |publisher=Munksgaard |location=Copenhagen |page=845 |isbn=87-16-06649-9}} stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) that accompany an array of gears, figurines called minifigures, and various other parts. Its pieces can be assembled and connected in many ways to construct objects, including vehicles, buildings, and working robots. Assembled Lego models can be taken apart, and their pieces can be reused to create new constructions.{{cite web |title=Lego History-About Us |url=http://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group/the_lego_history |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905173143/http://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group/the_lego_history |archive-date=5 September 2015}}{{cite web |title=How a Lego Works |url=http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/lego.htm&ved=0CDgQFjAJahUKEwiu2PPDsOPHAhXFthoKHf_OBxA&usg=AFQjCNGx38bu4F1dnuEFjSeWcq0LCXXrew |website=How Stuff Works |date=28 June 2006 |access-date=6 September 2015 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110131059/https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/lego.htm |url-status=live}}

The Lego Group began manufacturing the interlocking toy bricks in 1949. Moulding is done in Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, and China. Brick decorations and packaging are done at plants in the former three countries and in the Czech Republic. Annual production of the bricks averages approximately 36 billion, or about 1140 elements per second. One of Europe's biggest companies, Lego is the largest toy manufacturer in the world by sales.{{cite news |title=Lego Builds on Its Position as World's No. 1 Toy Maker |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/lego-builds-on-its-position-as-worlds-no-1-toy-maker-11632843755 |date=28 September 2021 |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}{{cite news |title=Lego: the brick behemoth that wants to be as big as Disney |url=https://www.ft.com/content/4e212970-273d-44b7-a004-10b0dd550d1c |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=Financial Times |quote=Such innovations have propelled the family-owned toymaker to become one of Europe's biggest corporate success stories.. Lego, with essentially just one product in endless iterations, has become by far the biggest toymaker in the world by sales, and on a different level altogether in terms of profits.}} {{As of|2015|July}}, 600 billion Lego parts had been produced.{{cite news |title=The message is the medium |url=https://ipo.blog.gov.uk/2016/12/13/the-message-is-the-medium/ |access-date=20 August 2022 |website=Intellectual Property Office blog. Gov.uk |archive-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820002138/https://ipo.blog.gov.uk/2016/12/13/the-message-is-the-medium/ |url-status=live}}

Lego maintains a large fan community based around building competitions and custom creations, and a range of films, games, and ten Legoland amusement parks have been developed under the brand.

History

{{Main|History of Lego|Timeline of Lego}}

File:Bri-Plax Interlocking Building Cubes - Hilary Fisher Page 1939.jpg, 1939]]

The Lego Group began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891–1958), a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wiencek|1987|p=16}}{{harvnb|Lipkowitz|2012}} In 1934, his company came to be called "Lego", derived from the Danish phrase {{lang|da|leg godt}} {{IPA|da|lɑjˀ ˈkʌt|}},{{Cite web |title=leg — Den Danske Ordbog |url=https://ordnet.dk/ddo/ordbog?query=leg |access-date=20 May 2021 |website=ordnet.dk |archive-date=14 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014174213/https://ordnet.dk/ddo/ordbog?query=leg |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=godt — Den Danske Ordbog |url=https://ordnet.dk/ddo/ordbog?query=godt |access-date=20 May 2021 |website=ordnet.dk |archive-date=18 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118154335/https://ordnet.dk/ddo/ordbog?query=godt |url-status=live}} which means "play well".{{cite web |title=The Lego Group History |url=https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group/the-lego-group-history/ |website=lego.com |access-date=13 May 2020 |archive-date=19 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519092137/https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group/the-lego-group-history/ |url-status=live}} In 1947, Lego expanded to begin producing plastic toys.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wiencek|1987|pp=45–46}} In 1949 the business began producing, among other new products, an early version of the now familiar interlocking bricks, calling them "Automatic Binding Bricks". These bricks were based on the Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks, invented by Hilary Page in 1939 and patented in the United Kingdom in 1940{{cite web |url=http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=GB&NR=529580&KC=&FT=E |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120728104212/http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=GB&NR=529580&KC=&FT=E |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 July 2012 |title=Improvements in toy building blocks, patent GB529580 of 25 November 1940 by Harry Fisher Page of Kiddicraft |publisher=espacenet.com |date=17 July 2010 |access-date=17 July 2010}} before being displayed at the 1947 Earl's Court Toy Fair.Page's twin daughters play with a set of Kiddicraft K 263 Building Blocks {{cite web |title=Twins and Skyscrapers |url=http://brickfetish.com/kiddicraft/twins_1947.html |website=brickfetish.com |accessdate=24 November 2023}} Lego had received a sample of the Kiddicraft bricks from the supplier of an injection-molding machine that it purchased.{{Cite news |last=Glancey |first=Jonathan |date=28 July 2008 |title=Lego: a toy of gentle genius |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jul/28/children.design |access-date=29 June 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}{{cite book |last=Andersen |first=Jens |year=2021 |title=The LEGO Story |publisher=Mariner Books |page=79 |isbn=978-0-06-325802-0 |quote=A Mr. Printz, the managing director of Hoffmann & Co., and the person who sold Ole Kirk the Windsor machine, came to visit Billund. He'd just returned from England, bringing with him a box filled with small, bricklike plastic blocks in various colors, which he'd seen at the British Industries Fair in London. Perhaps, he suggested, LEGO could make something similar once the Windsor molding machine arrived in Denmark and was set up in Billund. Ole Kirk was spellbound by the English bricks, which were hollow and featured studs on the top.}}{{cite book |last=Andersen |first=Jens |year=2021 |title=The LEGO Story |publisher=Mariner Books |page=83 |isbn=978-0-06-325802-0 |quote=The origin of LEGO's very first plastic bricks isn't in dispute. Godtfred explained on several occasions that they were inspired by the English firm Kiddicraft, founded by Hilary Fisher Page in the 1930s.}}{{cite book |last=Andersen |first=Jens |year=2021 |title=The LEGO Story |publisher=Mariner Books |pages=241–242 |isbn=978-0-06-325802-0 |quote=The case was also heard in Hong Kong in 1986, and that was the first time Godtfred told the detailed story of LEGO's development of Hilary F. Page's "Self-Locking Building Bricks" under oath, admitting that they'd copied the English bricks "very carefully," as was noted in the court transcript. It was a difficult moment for Godtfred. While in strictly legal terms he'd never acted illegally in relation to Page and Kiddicraft, he'd nonetheless always felt twinges of guilt.}} The bricks, originally manufactured from cellulose acetate,{{Harvard citation no brackets|Pickering|1999|p=15}} were a development of the traditional stackable wooden blocks of the time.

File:Lego in 1957.jpg

The Lego Group's motto, "only the best is good enough"{{Cite web |title=How we keep your data safe – Customer Service – LEGO.com MY |url=https://www.lego.com/en-my/service/data/ |access-date=25 September 2020 |website=www.lego.com |archive-date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922184209/https://www.lego.com/en-my/service/data/ |url-status=live}} ({{Langx|da|det bedste er ikke for godt}}, literally "the best isn't excessively good") was created in 1936. Christiansen created the motto, still used today, to encourage his employees never to skimp on quality, a value he believed in strongly. By 1951, plastic toys accounted for half of the company's output, even though the Danish trade magazine Legetøjs-Tidende ("Toy Times"), visiting the Lego factory in Billund in the early 1950s, wrote that plastic would never be able to replace traditional wooden toys.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wiencek|1987|pp=46–52}} Although a common sentiment, Lego toys seem to have become a significant exception to the dislike of plastic in children's toys, due in part to the high standards set by Ole Kirk.Lauwaert, M. (2008). "Playing outside the box – on LEGO toys and the changing world of construction play". History & Technology, 24(3), 221–237.

By 1954, Christiansen's son, Godtfred, had become the junior managing director of the Lego Group. It was his conversation with an overseas buyer that led to the idea of a toy system. Godtfred saw the immense potential in Lego bricks to become a system for creative play, but the bricks still had some problems from a technical standpoint: Their locking ability was still limited, and they were not yet versatile. In 1958, the modern brick design was developed; ABS subsequently replaced cellulose acetate as the manufacturing material five years later.{{Harvard citation no brackets|Wiencek|1987|pp=68–72}}{{cite book |last=Lipkowitz |first=Daniel |date=2009 |title=The LEGO Book - Volume 1 |edition=1st |location=London |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |page=21 |isbn=9781405341691}} A patent application for the modern Lego brick design was filed in Denmark on 28 January 1958 and in various other countries in the subsequent few years.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1707379,00.html |title=Lego Celebrates 50 Years of Building |magazine=TIME |date=28 January 2008 |access-date=28 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131130615/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1707379,00.html |archive-date=31 January 2008}}{{cite web |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2018/01/60-years-of-lego-building-blocks-and-danish-patent-law/ |date=29 January 2018 |first=Jenny |last=Gesley |title=60 Years of Lego Building Blocks and Danish Patent Law |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=28 January 2021 |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128162810/https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2018/01/60-years-of-lego-building-blocks-and-danish-patent-law/ |url-status=live}}

File:Lego Color Bricks.jpg

File:2 duplo lego bricks.jpg

The Lego Group's Duplo product line was introduced in 1969 and is a range of blocks whose lengths measure twice the width, height, and depth of standard Lego blocks and are aimed towards younger children.{{cite web |title=About Duplo |url=http://www.lego.com/en-us/duplo/about/baby-in-bloom |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906083454/http://www.lego.com/en-us/duplo/about/baby-in-bloom |archive-date=6 September 2015}} In 1978, Lego produced the first minifigures, which have since become a staple in most sets.{{cite web |title=The history of the Lego minifigure |url=http://www.toys2remember.com/2010/11/lego-minifigure-history.html |website=Toys to Remember |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906053416/http://www.toys2remember.com/2010/11/lego-minifigure-history.html |archive-date=6 September 2015}}

In 1997, more than five million Lego pieces were swept into the sea when a wave hit a cargo ship off the coast of Cornwall, England. Pieces have washed up over the ensuing decades, attracting attention from news outlets and social media.{{Cite news |last=Haji |first=Zainab |date=2024-08-10 |title='Catch of the week': fisher lands Lego shark lost at sea for 27 years |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/aug/10/catch-of-the-week-fisherman-lands-lego-shark-lost-at-sea-for-27-years |access-date=2024-08-10 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

In May 2011, Space Shuttle Endeavour mission STS-134 brought 13 Lego kits to the International Space Station, where astronauts built models to see how they would react in microgravity, as a part of the Lego Bricks in Space program.{{cite news |url=http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2011/04/space-shuttle-endeavor-launches-tomorrow-with-a-special-payload/ |title=Space Shuttle Endeavour Launches Tomorrow With a Special Payload |last=Banks |first=Dave |date=28 April 2011 |work=Wired News |access-date=2 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726103430/http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2011/04/space-shuttle-endeavor-launches-tomorrow-with-a-special-payload/ |archive-date=26 July 2014}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1750642/space-shuttle-endeavour-the-spare-parts-spaceship |title=Space Shuttle Endeavour: Made Of Spare Parts |last=Eaton |first=Kit |date=29 April 2011 |magazine=Fast Company |access-date=2 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503012602/http://www.fastcompany.com/1750642/space-shuttle-endeavour-the-spare-parts-spaceship |archive-date=3 May 2011}} In May 2013, the largest model ever created, made of over 5 million bricks, was displayed in New York City; a one-to-one scale model of a Star Wars X-wing fighter.{{cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/this-incredible-full-scale-lego-x-wing-is-the-largest-m-509484787 |title=This Incredible Full Scale Lego X-Wing Is the Largest Model in History |date=23 May 2013 |access-date=24 May 2013 |first=Jesus |last=Diaz |website=Gizmodo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603033254/http://gizmodo.com/this-incredible-full-scale-lego-x-wing-is-the-largest-m-509484787 |archive-date=3 June 2013}} Other record breakers include a {{convert|34|m|adj=on||abbr=}} tower{{cite web |title=Delaware Students Complete World's Tallest LEGO Tower |url=https://www.inhabitat.com/delaware-high-school-students-complete-worlds-tallest-lego-tower |website=Inhabitat |access-date=29 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822201613/http://www.inhabitat.com/delaware-high-school-students-complete-worlds-tallest-lego-tower/ |archive-date=22 August 2013 |date=24 August 2013}} and a {{convert|4|km|mi|abbr=on|adj=on}} railway.{{cite web |title=The World's Longest LEGO Railway Stretches Nearly 2.5 Miles Long |url=https://inhabitat.com/the-worlds-longest-lego-railway-is-awarded-the-guinness-world-record/ |website=Inhabitat |access-date=29 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330004934/http://inhabitat.com/the-worlds-longest-lego-railway-is-awarded-the-guinness-world-record/ |archive-date=30 March 2014 |date=19 May 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/biggest/longest_Lego_Railway_Denmark_smash_Guinness_world_record_213394.html |title=Longest Lego Railway |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810213423/http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/biggest/longest_Lego_Railway_Denmark_smash_Guinness_world_record_213394.html |archive-date=10 August 2013 |date=16 July 2013 |access-date=29 March 2014}}

In February 2015, marketing consulting company Brand Finance ranked Lego as the "world's most powerful brand", overtaking Ferrari.{{Citation |last=Dill |first=Kathryn |date=19 February 2015 |title=Lego Tops Global Ranking of the Most Powerful Brands in 2015 |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2015/02/19/lego-tops-global-ranking-of-the-most-powerful-brands-in-2015/ |access-date=20 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220084454/http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2015/02/19/lego-tops-global-ranking-of-the-most-powerful-brands-in-2015/ |archive-date=20 February 2015}}{{Cite web |date=17 February 2015 |title=Lego Overtakes Ferrari as the World's Most Powerful Brand |publisher=Brand Finance |url=http://brandfinance.com/press-releases/lego-overtakes-ferrari-as-the-worlds-most-powerful-brand/ |access-date=20 February 2015 |archive-date=13 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213094125/http://brandfinance.com/press-releases/lego-overtakes-ferrari-as-the-worlds-most-powerful-brand/ |url-status=live}}

While Lego has generally been considered a children's toy, there have also been adult fans of the toys. In 2020, Lego introduced sets aged at 18+, generally some of their more expensive and difficult-to-assemble sets based on real world or fictional objects, such as the Concorde or Rivendell. The timing of these sets favorably aligned with the COVID-19 pandemic, with many adults purchasing these sets to work on during various lockdown periods. Popularity within adults was further pushed by the release of The Lego Movie and the reality series Lego Masters. By 2024, nearly 15% of the sets released in the U.S. were aimed at adult builders.{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/850-millennium-falcons-and-680-titanics-grown-ups-are-now-a-gold-mine-for-lego-73f265cf?mod=hp_lista_pos2 |title=$850 Millennium Falcons and $680 Titanics: Grown-Ups Are Now a Gold Mine for Lego |first=Trevor |last=Moss |date=April 13, 2024 |accessdate=April 13, 2024 |work=Wall Street Journal}}

In May 2025 Lego announced that it was planning to move its London headquarters from Farringdon to 76 South Bank, in 2027.{{Cite web |last=Koopman |first=Saskia |date=2025-05-01 |title=Lego to relocate 1,500 staff to new landmark headquarters |url=https://www.cityam.com/lego-to-relocate-1500-staff-to-new-landmark-headquarters/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=City AM |language=en-GB}}

Design

Lego pieces of all varieties constitute a universal system. Despite variations in the design and the purposes of individual pieces over the years, each remains compatible in some way with existing pieces. Lego bricks from 1958 still interlock with those made presently, and Lego sets for young children are compatible with those made for teenagers. Six bricks of 2 × 4 studs{{cite web |url=http://thebrickblogger.com/2010/11/lego-disctionary-basic-term/ |title=Learn to speak LEGO! – BASIC TERMS |access-date=10 June 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143621/http://thebrickblogger.com/2010/11/lego-disctionary-basic-term/ |url-status=live}}, [http://thebrickblogger.com/ The Brick Blogger]. can be combined in 915,103,765 ways.{{cite web |last=Roshanzamir |first=Ali |url=http://www.science.ku.dk/presse/nyhedsarkiv/2013/leger-med-lego-klodser/ |title=Matematik-professoren leger med lego-klodser |publisher=University of Copenhagen Faculty of Science |date=10 December 2013 |access-date=29 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402194839/http://www.science.ku.dk/presse/nyhedsarkiv/2013/leger-med-lego-klodser/ |archive-date=2 April 2015}}

Each piece must be manufactured to an exacting degree of precision. When two pieces are engaged, they must fit firmly, yet be easily disassembled. The machines that manufacture Lego bricks have tolerances as small as 10 micrometres.{{cite web |url=http://cache.lego.com/upload/contentTemplating/AboutUsFactsAndFiguresContent/otherfiles/download98E142631E71927FDD52304C1C0F1685.pdf |title=Company Profile, page 20 |date=2010 |publisher=The Lego Group |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209100137/http://cache.lego.com/upload/contentTemplating/AboutUsFactsAndFiguresContent/otherfiles/download98E142631E71927FDD52304C1C0F1685.pdf |archive-date=9 December 2012}}

File:Lego dimensions.svg

Primary concept and development work for the toy takes place at the Billund headquarters, where the company employs approximately 120 designers. The company also has smaller design offices in the UK, Spain, Germany, and Japan which are tasked with developing products aimed specifically at their respective national markets. The average development period for a new product is around twelve months, split into three stages. The first is to identify market trends and developments, including contact by the designers directly with the market; some are stationed in toy shops close to holidays, while others interview children. The second stage is the design and development of the product based on the results of the first stage. {{As of|2008|September}} the design teams use 3D modelling software to generate CAD drawings from initial design sketches. The designs are then prototyped using an in-house stereolithography machine. These prototypes are presented to the entire project team for comment and testing by parents and children during the "validation" process. Designs may then be altered in accordance with the results from the focus groups. Virtual models of completed Lego products are built concurrently with the writing of the user instructions. Completed CAD models are also used in the wider organisation for marketing and packaging.{{Cite journal |title=Child's Play |first=Frances |last=Corbet |journal=Develop 3D |publisher=X3DMedia |pages=25–27 |date=September 2008}}

Lego Digital Designer was an official piece of Lego software for Mac OS X and Windows which allowed users to create their own digital Lego designs.{{cite web |url=http://ldd.lego.com/ |title=LEGO Digital Designer |publisher=LEGO |date=n.d. |access-date=29 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403211318/http://ldd.lego.com/ |archive-date=3 April 2013}} The program once allowed customers to order custom designs{{cite web |url=https://www.buildwithchrome.com/ |title=Build with Chrome |date=n.d. |access-date=29 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329025051/https://www.buildwithchrome.com/ |archive-date=29 March 2014}} with a service to ship physical models from Digital Designer to consumers; the service ended in 2012.{{cite web |url=http://ldd.lego.com/da-dk/subpages/designbyme |title=What happened to DESIGN byME? |publisher=LEGO |date=n.d. |access-date=29 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124160022/http://ldd.lego.com/subpages/designbyme/ |archive-date=24 January 2012 |url-status=live}} Lego's website now recommends BrickLink Studio.{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/help/apps_video_games_device_guides/apps_video_games_device_guides/about-lego-digital-designer-kA009000001dcdmCAA |title=About LEGO® Digital Designer |website=Lego |access-date=2025-02-28}}

Manufacturing

File:Kladno CZ LEGO factory from NE 007.jpg, Czech Republic, in 2008]]

File:Arburg Lego.png machines, made by the German company Arburg]]

Since 1963, Lego pieces have been manufactured from ABS plastic. {{As of|2008|September}}, Lego engineers use the NX CAD/CAM/CAE PLM software suite to model the elements. The software allows the parts to be optimised by way of mould flow and stress analysis. Prototype moulds are sometimes built before the design is committed to mass production. The ABS plastic is heated to {{convert|232|C|0|abbr=on}} until it reaches a dough-like consistency. It is then injected into the moulds using forces of between 25 and 150 tonnes and takes approximately 15 seconds to cool. The moulds are permitted a tolerance of up to twenty micrometres to ensure the bricks remain connected. Human inspectors check the output of the moulds to eliminate significant variations in colour or thickness. According to the Lego Group, about eighteen bricks out of every million fail to meet the standard required.{{cite web |url=http://cache.lego.com/upload/contentTemplating/AboutUsFactsAndFiguresContent/otherfiles/download98E142631E71927FDD52304C1C0F1685.pdf |title=Company Profile An Introduction to the LEGO Group 2010 |year=2011 |publisher=The Lego Group |page=8 |access-date=21 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209100137/http://cache.lego.com/upload/contentTemplating/AboutUsFactsAndFiguresContent/otherfiles/download98E142631E71927FDD52304C1C0F1685.pdf |archive-date=9 December 2012}}

Lego factories recycle all but about 1 percent of their plastic waste from the manufacturing process. If the plastic cannot be re-used in Lego bricks, it is processed and sold on to industries that can make use of it.{{cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/5019797/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-lego |title=Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lego |publisher=Gizmodo.com |date=26 June 2008 |access-date=29 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419044733/http://gizmodo.com/5019797/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-lego |archive-date=19 April 2010}}{{cite web |publisher=HowStuffWorks.com |url=http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/lego.htm |title=How Lego Bricks Work |date=28 June 2006 |access-date=13 May 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515075314/http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/lego.htm |archive-date=15 May 2007}} Lego, in 2018, set a self-imposed 2030 deadline to find a more eco-friendly alternative to the ABS plastic.{{cite news |last1=Reed |first1=Stanley |title=Lego Wants to Completely Remake Its Toy Bricks (Without Anyone Noticing) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/31/business/energy-environment/lego-plastic-denmark-environment-toys.html |access-date=31 August 2018 |work=The New York Times |date=31 August 2018 |archive-date=31 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831144524/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/31/business/energy-environment/lego-plastic-denmark-environment-toys.html |url-status=live}}

Manufacturing of Lego bricks occurs at several locations around the world. Moulding is done in Billund, Denmark; Nyíregyháza, Hungary; Monterrey, Mexico; and most recently in Jiaxing, China. Brick decorations and packaging are done at plants in the former three countries and in Kladno in the Czech Republic. The Lego Group estimates that in five decades it has produced 400 billion Lego blocks.{{Cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1707379,00.html |title=Lego Celebrates 50 Years of Building |date=28 January 2008 |access-date=5 March 2022 |magazine=Time |last=Cendrowicz |first=Leo |quote=Since then, the company has made a staggering 400 billion Lego elements, or 62 bricks for every person on the planet. |archive-date=5 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305235356/https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1707379,00.html |url-status=live}} Annual production of the bricks averages approximately 36 billion, or about 1140 elements per second. According to an article in BusinessWeek in 2006, Lego could also be considered the world's number-one tyre manufacturer; the factory produces about 306 million small rubber tyres a year.{{cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/nov2006/db20061127_153826.htm |title=The Making of ... a LEGO |work=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |date=29 November 2006 |access-date=28 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809072756/http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/nov2006/db20061127_153826.htm |archive-date=9 August 2010}} The claim was reiterated in 2012.{{cite web |title=World Record |url=http://aboutus.lego.com/en-gb/news-room/2012/june/guiness-world-record-to-the-lego-group/ |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104224244/http://aboutus.lego.com/en-gb/news-room/2012/june/guiness-world-record-to-the-lego-group |archive-date=4 November 2014}} In April 2023, Lego broke ground on its first manufacturing facility in the United States. The new carbon-neutral factory will be located near Richmond, Virginia. It will amount to over $1 billion in investment once completed in 2025. The 340 acre site will have rooftop and ground solar panels and an on-site 35-40 MW solar plant, generating the equivalent of the energy of powering 10,000 American homes.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-16 |title=Virginia groundbreaking release - About Us |url=https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2023/april/virginia-groundbreaking-release?locale=en-us |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=LEGO.com |language=en-us}} In April 2025, Lego opened its sixth factory worldwide, located in Vietnam, with Lego saying the location is its most environmentally sustainable factory to date.{{Cite web |date=2025-04-10 |title=LEGO Group opens new state-of-the-art factory in Vietnam - About Us |url=https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2025/april/the-lego-group-opens-new-state-of-the-art-factory-in-Vietnam |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=LEGO.com |language=en-us}}

In December 2012, the BBC's More or Less radio program asked the Open University's engineering department to determine "how many Lego bricks, stacked one on top of the other, it would take for the weight to destroy the bottom brick?"{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20578627 |date=3 December 2012 |title=How tall can a Lego tower get? |first=Ruth |last=Alexander |work=BBC News |access-date=4 December 2012 |quote=The average maximum force the bricks can stand is 4,240N. That's equivalent to a mass of 432 kg (950lbs). If you divide that by the mass of a single brick, which is 1.152g, then you get the grand total of bricks a single piece of Lego could support: 375,000. So, 375,000 bricks towering 3.5 kilometers (2.17 miles) high is what it would take to break a Lego brick. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204074934/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20578627 |archive-date=4 December 2012}} Using a hydraulic testing machine, members of the department determined the average maximum force a 2×2 Lego brick can stand is 4,240 newtons. Since an average 2×2 Lego brick has a mass of {{convert|1.152|g}}, according to their calculations it would take a stack of 375,000 bricks to cause the bottom brick to collapse, which represents a stack {{convert|3591|m}} in height.

Private tests have shown several thousand assembly-disassembly cycles before the bricks begin to wear out,{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/lego-bricks-still-last-30000-impressions-during-new-and-improved-test/ |title=Lego bricks still last 30,000+ impressions during new and improved test |last1=Mattise |first1=Nathan |date=24 March 2014 |website=Ars Technica |access-date=29 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328220139/http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/lego-bricks-still-last-30000-impressions-during-new-and-improved-test/ |archive-date=28 March 2014}} although Lego tests show fewer cycles.{{cite web |url=http://ing.dk/artikel/robot-test-beviser-det-lego-kan-samles-og-adskilles-over-30000-gange-167360 |title=Robot-test beviser det: Lego kan samles og adskilles over 30.000 gange |last1=Godske |first1=Bjørn |date=29 March 2014 |website=Ingeniøren |access-date=29 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329220934/http://ing.dk/artikel/robot-test-beviser-det-lego-kan-samles-og-adskilles-over-30000-gange-167360 |archive-date=29 March 2014}}

In 2018, Lego announced that it will be using bio-derived polyethylene to make its botanical elements (parts such as leaves, bushes and trees).{{Cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news-room/2018/march/pfp |title=First sustainable Lego bricks will be launched in 2018 |access-date=28 November 2018 |archive-date=28 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128164549/https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news-room/2018/march/pfp |url-status=live}} The New York Times reported the company's footprint that year was "about a million tons of carbon dioxide each year" and that it was investing about 1 billion kroner and hiring 100 people to work on changes. The paper reported that Lego's researchers "have already experimented with around 200 alternatives."Reed, Stanley, "Leg Hunts New Bricks for a Sustainable Future," New York Times, 1 September 2018, B1 In 2020, Lego announced that it would cease packaging its products in single-use plastic bags and would instead be using recyclable paper bags.{{Cite web |last=Nader |first=Brittany |title=What LEGO's Sustainable Packaging Teach Us About Innovation |url=https://www.standuppouches.net/blog/lego-product-packaging-overseas |access-date=16 September 2020 |website=www.standuppouches.net |language=en-us |archive-date=24 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024115522/https://www.standuppouches.net/blog/lego-product-packaging-overseas |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |first=Hanna |last=Ziady |title=LEGO to phase out single-use plastic packaging |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/15/business/lego-plastic-packaging/index.html |access-date=16 September 2020 |website=CNN |date=15 September 2020 |archive-date=16 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916125501/https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/15/business/lego-plastic-packaging/index.html |url-status=live}} In 2021, the company said it would aim to produce its bricks without using crude oil, by using recycled polyethylene terephthalate bottles, but in 2023 it reversed this decision, having found that this did not reduce its carbon dioxide emissions.{{cite web |last1=Noor Nanji |title=Lego axes plan to make bricks from recycled bottles |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66910573 |publisher=BBC |date=25 September 2023}}

Set themes

{{Further|List of Lego themes}}

File:Lego Sets In Store Leicester Square London United Kingdom.jpg

Since the 1950s, the Lego Group has released thousands of sets with a variety of themes, including space, pirates, trains, (European) castle, dinosaurs, undersea exploration, and wild west, as well as wholly original themes like Bionicle and Hero Factory. Some of the classic themes that continue to the present day include Lego City (a line of sets depicting city life introduced in 1973) and Lego Technic (a line aimed at emulating complex machinery, introduced in 1977).{{sfn|Wiencek|1987|p=54}}

Over the years, the company has licensed themes from numerous cartoon and film franchises and some from video games. These include Batman, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, Minecraft and Wicked. Although some of these themes, such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, had highly successful sales, the Lego Group expressed in 2015 a desire to rely more upon their own characters and classic themes and less upon such licensed themes.{{cite web |title=Lego Mindstorms and Harry Potter Will Continue. |url=http://www.lego.com/en-GB/aboutus/news-room/2004/january/mindstorms-and-harry-potter-will-continue |website=Lego |access-date=25 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914134304/http://www.lego.com/en-GB/aboutus/news-room/2004/january/mindstorms-and-harry-potter-will-continue |archive-date=14 September 2015}} Some sets include references to other themes, such as a Bionicle mask in one of the Harry Potter sets.{{Cite web |last=Yates |first=Jack |date=17 April 2021 |title=Five things you may have missed in the new LEGO Harry Potter sets |url=https://www.brickfanatics.com/five-things-you-may-have-missed-in-the-new-lego-harry-potter-sets/ |access-date=14 March 2022 |language=en-GB |archive-date=11 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811001206/https://www.brickfanatics.com/five-things-you-may-have-missed-in-the-new-lego-harry-potter-sets/ |url-status=live}} Discontinued sets may become collectable and command value on the secondary market.{{cite news |title=Lego enthusiast explains why the black market for the toy bricks is so lucrative |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5971290/lego-enthusiast-explains-why-the-black-market-for-the-toy-bricks-is-so-lucrative-1.5974493 |access-date=9 April 2021 |work=CBC Radio |date=5 April 2021 |archive-date=8 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210408155819/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5971290/lego-enthusiast-explains-why-the-black-market-for-the-toy-bricks-is-so-lucrative-1.5974493 |url-status=live}}

For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Lego released a special Team GB Minifigures series exclusively in the United Kingdom to mark the opening of the games. For the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Lego released a kit with the Olympic and Paralympic mascots Vinicius and Tom.{{cite web |url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/news/mascots-tom-and-vinicius-debut-lego-look-for-rio-2016 |title=Mascots Tom and Vinicius debut Lego look for Rio 2016 |website=Rio 2016 |publisher=Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523050056/https://www.rio2016.com/en/news/mascots-tom-and-vinicius-debut-lego-look-for-rio-2016 |archive-date=23 May 2016}}

One of the largest commercially produced Lego sets was a minifigure-scaled edition of the Star Wars Millennium Falcon. Designed by Jens Kronvold Fredericksen, the Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon (set{{nbsp}}10179) was released in 2007 and contained 5,195 pieces. It was later surpassed by a 5,922-piece Taj Mahal (set{{nbsp}}10189). A redesigned Millennium Falcon (set{{nbsp}}75192) retook the top spot in 2017 with 7,541 pieces.{{cite web |url=http://www.brickjournal.com/news/2008/6/7/interview-with-lego-designer |title=Designing General Grievous |date=7 June 2008 |publisher=brickjournal.com |access-date=6 September 2008 |last=Meno |first=George |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828055745/http://www.brickjournal.com/news/2008/6/7/interview-with-lego-designer |archive-date=28 August 2008 |url-status=dead}} Since then, the Millennium Falcon has been superseded by the Lego Art World Map (set{{nbsp}}31203) at 11,695 pieces, the Lego Titanic (set{{nbsp}}10294) at 9,090 pieces, and the Lego Architect Colosseum (set{{nbsp}}10276) at 9,036 pieces.{{cite web |title=The Top 30 Biggest LEGO Sets Ever |url=https://thecollector.io/features/the-30-biggest-lego-sets-ever |website=The Collector |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107225525/https://thecollector.io/features/the-30-biggest-lego-sets-ever |archive-date=7 November 2021}}

In 2022, Lego introduced its Eiffel Tower (set{{nbsp}}10307), which consists of 10,001 parts and reaches a height of {{cvt|149|cm|-1}}, making it the tallest set and tower, but second in number of parts after the World Map.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bosshunting.com.au/entertainment/lego-eiffel-tower/ |title=LEGO Is Now Slinging An Insane 1.5-Metre Tall Eiffel Tower Kit |website=www.bosshunting.com.au |date=21 November 2022 |access-date=22 November 2022 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122081028/https://www.bosshunting.com.au/entertainment/lego-eiffel-tower/ |url-status=live}}

= Robotics themes =

{{Main|Lego Mindstorms|Lego Mindstorms NXT|Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0|Lego Mindstorms EV3}}

The company also initiated a robotics line of toys called Mindstorms in 1999, and continued to expand and update this range until it was eventually discontinued in 2022.{{cite web |url=https://www.brickfanatics.com/lego-discontinuing-mindstorms-end-of-2022/ |title=Lego is discontinuing Mindstorms in 2022 |website=Brick Fanatics |date=26 October 2022 |access-date=26 October 2022}} The roots of the product originated with a programmable brick developed at the MIT Media Lab, and the name was taken from a paper by Seymour Papert, a computer scientist and educator who developed the educational theory of constructionism, and whose research was at times funded by the Lego Group.{{cite web |title=Mindstorms History |url=http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/history |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831053906/http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/history |archive-date=31 August 2015}}

The programmable Lego brick which was at the heart of these robotics sets underwent several updates and redesigns, with the last being called the 'EV3' brick, being sold under the name of Lego Mindstorms EV3. The set included various sensors such as touch, light, sound and ultrasonic waves, with several others being sold separately, including an RFID reader.{{cite web |title=About EV3 |url=http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/about-ev3 |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905160032/http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/about-ev3 |archive-date=5 September 2015}}

The programmable brick could be programmed using official software available for Windows and Mac computers. In the earliest iteration of the product, the program would be uploaded to the programmable brick via an infrared transmitter, while in later versions this was achieved via Bluetooth or a USB cable. Unofficial programming languages that can be used with Lego Mindstorms programmable bricks have also been developed.{{cite web |title=Not Quite C |url=https://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/nqc/ |website=Sourceforge |access-date=29 August 2024 |ref=Not Quite C}}{{cite web |title=Not eXactly C |url=https://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/nbc/ |website=Sourceforge |access-date=29 August 2024 |ref=Not eXactly C}}

There have been several robotics competitions which used the Lego robotics sets. The earliest was Botball, a national U.S. middle- and high-school competition stemming from the MIT 6.270 Lego robotics tournament. Other Lego robotics competitions include FIRST LEGO League Discover for children ages 4–6, FIRST LEGO League Explore for students ages 6–9 and FIRST Lego League Challenge for students ages 9–16 (age 9–14 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico). These programs have offered real-world engineering challenges to participants using LEGO-based robots to complete tasks. In its 2019–2020 season, there were 38,609 FIRST LEGO League Challenge teams and 21,703 FIRST LEGO League Explore teams around the world. The international RoboCup Junior football competition involved extensive use of Lego Mindstorms equipment which was often pushed to its extreme limits.{{cite web |url=http://www.usfirst.org |title=USFIRST.org |publisher=USFIRST.org |access-date=3 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003051426/http://www.usfirst.org/ |archive-date=3 October 2011}}

The capabilities of the Mindstorms range have also been harnessed for use in the Iko Creative Prosthetic System, a prosthetic limbs system designed for children. Designs for these Lego prosthetics allow everything from mechanical diggers to laser-firing spaceships to be screwed on to the end of a child's limb. Iko was the work of the Chicago-based Colombian designer Carlos Arturo Torres, and is a modular system that allows children to customise their own prosthetics with the ease of clicking together plastic bricks. Designed with Lego's Future Lab, the Danish toy company's experimental research department, and Cirec, a Colombian foundation for physical rehabilitation, the modular prosthetic incorporated myoelectric sensors that register the activity of the muscle in the stump and send a signal to control movement in the attachment. A processing unit in the body of the prosthetic contained an engine compatible with Lego Mindstorms, which allowed the wearer to build an extensive range of customised, programmable limbs.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2015/jul/22/lego-prosthetic-arm-that-kids-can-hack-themselves |title=The Lego prosthetic arm that children can create and hack themselves |first=Oliver |last=Wainwright |work=The Guardian |date=22 July 2015 |access-date=23 July 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723183344/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2015/jul/22/lego-prosthetic-arm-that-kids-can-hack-themselves |archive-date=23 July 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://designawards.core77.com/Open-Design/29865/IKO-Creative-Prosthetic-System |title=IKO Creative Prosthetic System |work=Core77 |access-date=23 July 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723184938/http://designawards.core77.com/Open-Design/29865/IKO-Creative-Prosthetic-System |archive-date=23 July 2015}}

Clones

{{Main|Lego clone}}

The last significant patent for Lego bricks expired in 1978.{{cite news |last1=Austen |first1=Ian |title=Building a Legal Case, Block by Block |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/business/worldbusiness/02lego.html |access-date=9 March 2015 |work=The New York Times |date=28 January 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402122304/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/business/worldbusiness/02lego.html |archive-date=2 April 2015}} Since then, competitors have produced blocks of similar dimensions and design that can be connected with Lego bricks. In 2002, Lego sued the CoCo Toy Company in Beijing for copyright infringement over its "Coko bricks" product. CoCo was ordered to cease manufacture of the products, publish a formal apology and pay damages.{{cite web |url=http://www.ccpit-patent.com.cn/News/2003041001.htm |title=News |publisher=Ccpit-patent.com.cn |access-date=20 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707025218/http://www.ccpit-patent.com.cn/News/2003041001.htm |archive-date=7 July 2012}} Lego sued the English company Best-Lock Construction Toys in German courts in 2004{{cite web |title=Best Lock Petitions US Patent Office |url=http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2012/01/best-lock_petitions_us_patent_office_to.html |website=Mass Live |date=30 January 2012 |access-date=7 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919071708/http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2012/01/best-lock_petitions_us_patent_office_to.html |archive-date=19 September 2015}} and 2009;{{cite web |title=Lego Deleted as a Trademark |url=http://www.markenmagazin.de/pressemitteilung-des-bgh-nr-1582009-legostein-als-marke-geloescht/ |website=Marken Magazine |date=21 July 2009 |access-date=25 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001111810/http://www.markenmagazin.de/pressemitteilung-des-bgh-nr-1582009-legostein-als-marke-geloescht/ |archive-date=1 October 2015}} the Federal Patent Court of Germany denied Lego trademark protection for the shape of its bricks for the latter case.{{cite web |title=Court Ruling |url=http://juris.bundesgerichtshof.de/cgi-bin/rechtsprechung/document.py?Gericht=bgh&Art=en&Datum=Aktuell&nr=32168&linked=pm |website=Bundesgerichtshof |access-date=6 September 2015 |archive-date=28 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028011220/http://juris.bundesgerichtshof.de/cgi-bin/rechtsprechung/document.py?Gericht=bgh&Art=en&Datum=Aktuell&nr=32168&linked=pm |url-status=live}} In 2005, the Lego Company sued Canadian company Ritvik Holdings Inc., which makes Mega Bloks, for trademark violation. However, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld Ritvik Holdings Inc.'s rights to sell its product.{{cite web |title=Lego v. Mega Bloks |url=http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2005/2005scc65/2005scc65.html |website=Canlii |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201144544/http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2005/2005scc65/2005scc65.html |archive-date=1 February 2016}} In 2010, the European Court of Justice ruled that the eight-peg design of the original Lego brick "merely performs a technical function [and] cannot be registered as a trademark."{{cite news |title=Montreal's Mega Brands face off in court with Lego |website=The Globe and Mail |date=15 January 2012 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/lego-mega-brands-face-off-in-court/article1358492/ |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123094334/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/lego-mega-brands-face-off-in-court/article1358492/ |archive-date=23 January 2016}}

In 2020 and 2021, Lego sent cease and desist letters to small toy retailers and popular YouTubers in Germany. In 2021, a shipment of bricks delivered by clone producer Qman was blocked from passing through German customs due to concerns over the potential infringement of Lego's intellectual property. The recipient toy retailer initiated an appeal for donations to import containers of Lego clones from China to Germany and donate them to children's homes, which received more than {{currency|350,000|eur}} within a couple of weeks.[https://www.tagesspiegel.de/themen/reportage/pr-desaster-fuer-weltkonzern-lego-bringt-die-treuesten-fans-gegen-sich-auf/26934832.html Lego bringt die treuesten Fans gegen sich auf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305205955/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/themen/reportage/pr-desaster-fuer-weltkonzern-lego-bringt-die-treuesten-fans-gegen-sich-auf/26934832.html |date=5 March 2021 }} {{Lang|de|Der Tagesspiegel}}, 21 February 2020[https://orf.at/stories/3202503/ Rumoren in der Lego-Welt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307040837/https://orf.at/stories/3202503/ |date=7 March 2021 }}, orf.at, 6 March 2021.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SROfLs6FPw EXTRABLATT!! LEGO hat mächtig Angst und schlägt wild um sich! Qman soll vernichtet werden] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306195457/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SROfLs6FPw |date=6 March 2021 }}, Thomas Panke, 5 March 2021.

Related services

= Official website =

First launched in 1996, the Lego website has developed over the years, and provides many extra services beyond an online store and a product catalogue. There are also moderated message boards that were founded in 2001.{{cite web |title=Lego Website |url=http://www.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905114711/http://www.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx |archive-date=5 September 2015}} The site also includes instruction booklets for all Lego sets dating back to 2002.{{cite web |title=Lego instruction manuals |url=http://service.lego.com/en-us/buildinginstructions?ignorereferer=true |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914144459/http://service.lego.com/en-us/buildinginstructions?ignorereferer=true |archive-date=14 September 2015}}

The Lego website features a social media app named Lego Life,{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2019/october/lego-life |title=LEGO Group Launches LEGO Life, a Safe Social Network for Children Under 13 |author=Lego Group |date=31 January 2017 |website=Lego.com |publisher=Lego |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110131046/https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2019/october/lego-life |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2019/october/safer-internet-day |title=LEGO Life launches quiz challenges to promote online safety for children |author=Lego Group |date=7 February 2017 |website=Lego.com |publisher=Lego |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110131108/https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2019/october/safer-internet-day |url-status=live}} which is designed for children under 13 years of age. The app is available as a free download and only features Lego-related content. It was designed to be a social network for children to be inspired, create and share their Lego builds, photos and videos with a like-minded community, whilst also providing Lego content in the form of product advertising, images, videos, campaigns and competitions. The app incorporates a variety of child safety features to provide a safe digital environment for children, including the protection of personal information and the heavy moderation of all uploaded user-generated content and communication.{{Cite web |last=Larson |first=Selena |date=31 January 2017 |title=Lego's new social network wants to keep bullies out |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/01/31/technology/lego-life-social-network/index.html |access-date=17 November 2020 |website=CNN Business |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111224700/https://money.cnn.com/2017/01/31/technology/lego-life-social-network/index.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2020/november/build-talk-cyberbullying |title=The LEGO Group launches new range of activities to help the whole family feel empowered to act against cyberbullying |author=Lego Group |date=16 November 2020 |website=Lego.com |publisher=Lego |access-date=2 December 2020 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110131117/https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2020/november/build-talk-cyberbullying |url-status=live}}

My Lego Network was a social networking site that involved items, blueprints, ranks, badges which were earned for completing certain tasks, trading and trophies called masterpieces which allowed users to progress to go to the next rank. The website had a built-in inbox which allowed users to send pre-written messages to one another. The Lego Network included automated non-player characters within called "Networkers", who were able to do things which normal users could not do, sending custom messages, and selling masterpieces and blueprints. The site also had modules which were set up on the user's page that gave the user items, or that displayed picture compositions. My Lego network closed in 2015.

Before My Lego Network, there were Lego Club Pages, which essentially held the same purpose, although the design lacked complex interaction.{{cite web |title=My Lego Network |url=http://mln.lego.com/en-us/network/status.aspx |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914134748/http://mln.lego.com/en-us/network/status.aspx |archive-date=14 September 2015}}

= Theme parks =

{{Main|Legoland}}

File:Trafalgar Legoland 2003.jpg, London in Legoland Windsor]]

Merlin Entertainments operates ten Legoland amusement parks, the original in Billund, Denmark, the second in Windsor, England, the third in Günzburg, Germany, the fourth in Carlsbad, California, the fifth in Winter Haven, Florida, the sixth in Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia,{{cite web |title=Legoland |url=http://www.legoland.com |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905052311/http://www.legoland.com/ |archive-date=5 September 2015}} the seventh in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,{{cite web |title=Now open: Legoland Dubai |url=http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/leisure/now-open-legoland-dubai-1.1921442 |website=Gulfnews |date=31 October 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102113939/http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/leisure/now-open-legoland-dubai-1.1921442 |archive-date=2 November 2016}} the eighth in Nagoya, Japan,{{cite web |url=http://www.legoland.com |title=Legoland |access-date=23 September 2019 |archive-date=5 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905052311/http://www.legoland.com/ |url-status=live}} the ninth in Goshen, New York, and a tenth in 2022 in Shanghai, China.{{Cite web |url=https://gbtimes.com/second-legoland-theme-park-to-be-built-in-china |title=Second Legoland theme park to be built in China |website=gbtimes.com |access-date=23 September 2019 |archive-date=23 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923130716/https://gbtimes.com/second-legoland-theme-park-to-be-built-in-china |url-status=live}} On 13 July 2005, the control of 70% of the Legoland parks was sold for $460 million to the Blackstone Group of New York while the remaining 30% is still held by Lego Group.{{cite news |title=Legoland sale to Merlin Entertainment |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4678213.stm |website=BBC |date=13 July 2005 |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524175214/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4678213.stm |archive-date=24 May 2006}} There are also eight Legoland Discovery Centres, two in Germany, four in the United States, one in Japan and one in the United Kingdom. Two Legoland Discovery Centres opened in 2013: one at the Westchester Ridge Hill shopping complex in Yonkers, New York, and one at the Vaughan Mills in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. Another opened at American Dream Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 2021.{{cite web |title=2 American Dream attractions delay opening date |url=https://www.nj.com/news/2021/04/2-american-dream-attractions-delay-opening-date.html |website=nj.com |date=21 April 2021 |access-date=1 July 2022 |archive-date=1 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701194951/https://www.nj.com/news/2021/04/2-american-dream-attractions-delay-opening-date.html |url-status=live}}

= Retail stores =

File:LEGOStoreFairviewMall10.JPG

File:Lego Store, Leicester Square - geograph.org.uk - 5224356.jpg, London]]

The first Lego store to open anywhere in the world was in Sydney, Australia, in 1984. Located in the Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre it was not only the first dedicated Lego retail outlet, but it also had displays including many iconic Australian items such as the Holden FJ, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Sydney Opera House as well as buildings from Amsterdam, dinosaurs and an English Village. Known as The LEGO Centre, Birkenhead Point, the store closed in the early 1990s.{{cite web |url=https://www.toltoys.com/2011/05/the-first-lego-store-birkenhead-point-sydney-lego-centre/ |title=The First LEGO Store: Birkenhead Point Sydney LEGO Centre |website=Toltoys Kid |location=Australia |date=30 May 2011 |access-date=16 October 2021 |archive-date=17 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917042056/https://www.toltoys.com/2011/05/the-first-lego-store-birkenhead-point-sydney-lego-centre/ |url-status=live}}

{{As of|March 2024}}, Lego operates 1031 retail shops, called Lego Stores, globally.{{cite web |last1=Bricksprice |date=14 March 2024 |title=LEGO's Thriving Growth in 2023 |url=https://bricksprice.com/legos-thriving-growth-in-2023-surpassing-market-challenges-and-embracing-a-sustainable-future/ |access-date=14 March 2024 |website=BricksPrice |publisher=bricksprice.com}} The world's largest Lego store is located in Leicester Square, London.{{cite news |title=Flagship Store London Leicester Square |url=https://www.lego.com/en-gb/service/help/lego_stores/lego_stores/flagship-store-london-leicester-square-kA009000001dcDjCAI?locale=en-gb&consent-modal=show&age-gate=grown_up |access-date=16 October 2023 |publisher=Lego.com}} The U.S. stores include the Downtown Disney shopping complexes at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts as well as in Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The opening of each new store is celebrated with a weekend-long event in which a Master Model Builder creates, with the help of volunteers—a larger-than-life Lego statue, which is then displayed at the new store for several weeks.{{cite web |title=Lego Store Grand Openings |url=http://accesswinnipeg.com/2015/07/lego-store-grand-opening-celebration-help-build-an-8-foot-tall-yoda-model-on-july-24/ |website=Access Winnipeg |date=21 July 2015 |access-date=25 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724091408/http://accesswinnipeg.com/2015/07/lego-store-grand-opening-celebration-help-build-an-8-foot-tall-yoda-model-on-july-24/ |archive-date=24 July 2015}}

= Business consultancy =

{{Main|Lego Serious Play}}

Since around 2000, the Lego Group has been promoting "Lego Serious Play", a form of business consultancy fostering creative thinking, in which team members build metaphors of their organizational identities and experiences using Lego bricks. Participants work through imaginary scenarios using visual three-dimensional Lego constructions, imaginatively exploring possibilities in a serious form of play.{{cite web |title=Serious Play |url=http://www.lego.com/en-us/seriousplay |website=Lego |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912081309/http://www.lego.com/en-us/seriousplay |archive-date=12 September 2015}}

Related products

= Video games =

{{Main|List of Lego video games}}

Lego branched out into the video game market in 1997 by founding Lego Media International Limited, and Lego Island was released that year by Mindscape. After this Lego released titles such as Lego Creator and Lego Racers.

After Lego closed down their publishing subsidiary, they moved on to a partnership with Traveller's Tales, and went on to make games like Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Batman, and many more including the very well-received Lego Marvel Super Heroes game, featuring New York City as the overworld and including Marvel characters from the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and more.{{cite web |title=Lego Marvel Superheroes Video Game |url=http://marvel.com/news/video_games/19916/lego_marvel_super_heroes_game_on_the_way |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917094755/http://marvel.com/news/video_games/19916/lego_marvel_super_heroes_game_on_the_way |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 September 2014 |website=Marvel |access-date=6 September 2015}}{{cite web |title=History of Lego Video Games |url=http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/07/21/the-history-of-the-lego-video-games-3399369 |website=Movie Pilot |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826012035/http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/07/21/the-history-of-the-lego-video-games-3399369 |archive-date=26 August 2015}} In 2014, Lego created a game based on The Lego Movie, due to its popularity.{{cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/01/build-your-destiny-with-the-lego-movie-videogame-o.html |title=Build Your Destiny with The Lego Movie Videogame on iOS |last=Minton |first=Turner |date=23 January 2015 |website=pastemagazine.com |publisher=Paste Media Group |access-date=1 November 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710184405/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/01/build-your-destiny-with-the-lego-movie-videogame-o.html |archive-date=10 July 2017}}

= Board games =

{{Main|Lego board games}}

Lego Games launched in 2009, was a series of Lego-themed board games designed by Cephas Howard and Reiner Knizia{{cite web |url=http://www.brettspiel.co.uk/2009/07/lego-board-games-interview-with-cephas.html |title=LEGO Board Games: Interview with Cephas Howard |last=Gilbert |first=Brett J. |date=12 July 2009 |publisher=BrettSpiel |access-date=24 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818081257/http://www.brettspiel.co.uk/2009/07/lego-board-games-interview-with-cephas.html |archive-date=18 August 2009}}{{cite web |url=http://games.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx?domainredir=www.games.lego.com |title=LEGO Games |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817010254/http://games.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx?domainredir=www.games.lego.com |archive-date=17 August 2010}} in which the players usually build the playing board out of Lego bricks and then play with Lego-style players. Examples of the games include "Minotaurus", in which players roll dice to move characters within a brick-build labyrinth, "Creationary", in which players must build something which appears on a card, or "Ramses Pyramid", in which players collect gems and climb up a customizable pyramid. Like many board games, the games use dice. In Lego Games, the dice are Lego, with Lego squares with symbols on Lego studs on the dice, surrounded by rubber. The games vary from simple to complex; some are similar to "traditional" board games, while others are completely different.{{cite web |title=Lego Games |url=http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/2909/lego-games |website=Board Game Geek |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915013923/http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/2909/lego-games |archive-date=15 September 2015}}

= Films and television =

{{Main|List of Lego films and TV series|The Lego Movie|The Lego Batman Movie|The Lego Ninjago Movie|The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part|Piece by Piece (2024 film)}}

The first official Lego film was the straight-to-DVD release of Bionicle: Mask of Light in 2003 developed by Creative Capers Entertainment and distributed by Miramax Home Entertainment. Several other straight-to-DVD computer-animated Bionicle sequels and Hero Factory movies were produced in the following years. Lego: The Adventures of Clutch Powers was released on DVD in February 2010, a computer-animated film made by Tinseltown Toons.{{cite web |url=http://club.lego.com/en-us/news/ExtraDetails.aspx?id=150337 |title=LEGO.com LEGO Club : News & Extras |publisher=Club.lego.com |date=23 February 2010 |access-date=29 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604215413/http://club.lego.com/en-us/news/ExtraDetails.aspx?id=150337 |archive-date=4 June 2010}} A computer-generated animated series titled Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu began in January 2011 for the Lego Ninjago brand.{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Prerna |date=26 January 2021 |title=Ninjago Season 14: Everything We Know |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/ninjago-season-14-everything-we-know/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=The Cinemaholic |language=en-US |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006145237/https://thecinemaholic.com/ninjago-season-14-everything-we-know/ |url-status=live}} Another television series titled Legends of Chima began in 2013 for the Legends of Chima brand.{{Cite web |last1=Lowry |first1=Brian |date=9 July 2013 |title=Beware the Batman, Legends of Chima |url=https://variety.com/2013/tv/reviews/beware-the-batman-legends-of-chima-reviews-1200504635/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006145235/https://variety.com/2013/tv/reviews/beware-the-batman-legends-of-chima-reviews-1200504635/ |url-status=live}} In December 2015, a television series titled Nexo Knights made its debut for the Lego Nexo Knights brand.{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Matt |date=8 October 2015 |title=LEGO Announces Nexo Knights Including New Building Sets, TV Show, and Mobile Game |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/10/08/lego-announces-nexo-knights-including-new-building-sets-tv-show-and-mobile-game |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006151334/https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/10/08/lego-announces-nexo-knights-including-new-building-sets-tv-show-and-mobile-game |url-status=live}} An animated series titled Lego Elves was released in 2015 and another titled Lego Elves: Secrets of Elvendale was released in 2017 for the Lego Elves brand.{{Cite web |date=24 August 2017 |title=Lego's New Netflix Series Isn't Very Lego, And That's A Good Thing |url=https://kotaku.com/legos-new-netflix-series-isnt-very-lego-and-thats-a-go-1798386259 |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=Kotaku |language=en |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006172001/https://kotaku.com/legos-new-netflix-series-isnt-very-lego-and-thats-a-go-1798386259 |url-status=live}} In 2016, Lego Bionicle: The Journey To One was released for the Bionicle franchise and Lego Friends: The Power of Friendship for the Lego Friends brand.{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=1 October 2015 |title=Netflix Orders 7 Original Kids' Series, Including Lego's 'Bionicle' and DreamWorks' 'Croods' |url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-orders-7-original-kids-series-including-legos-bionicle-and-dreamworks-croods-1201607216/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=28 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151228140103/http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-orders-7-original-kids-series-including-legos-bionicle-and-dreamworks-croods-1201607216/ |url-status=live}} In June 2019, an animated series titled Lego City Adventures was released for the Lego City brand.{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Shamus |date=14 May 2019 |title=LEGO City Adventures Trailer and Release Date Revealed |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/lego-city-adventures-trailer-release-date-news/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=Den of Geek |language=en-US |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006153801/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/lego-city-adventures-trailer-release-date-news/ |url-status=live}} In 2021, an animated series titled Lego Monkie Kid was released to support the Lego brand of the same name.{{Cite web |last=Morgan |first=Stephanie |title=Lego Monkie Kid TV Review {{!}} Common Sense Media |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/lego-monkie-kid |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=www.commonsensemedia.org |language=en |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006192437/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/lego-monkie-kid |url-status=live }}

The Lego Movie, a feature film based on Lego toys, was released by Warner Bros. in February 2014.{{cite web |title=Warner Bros. Sets dates for the Lego Movie |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=23 April 2012 |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/lego-movie-jackie-robinson-warner-bros-315119 |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924191651/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lego-movie-jackie-robinson-warner-bros-315119 |archive-date=24 September 2015}} It featured Chris Pratt in the lead role, with substantial supporting characters voiced by Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Alison Brie, Will Ferrell and Nick Offerman.{{cite web |title=Will Ferrell and Liam Neeson join Lego animated film |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/lego-will-ferrell-liam-neeson-388097 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=9 November 2012 |last=Kit |first=Borys |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513141850/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/lego-will-ferrell-liam-neeson-388097 |archive-date=13 May 2013}} A contest was held for contestants to submit designs for vehicles to be used in the film.{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/lego-movie-competition/207141/ |title=Lego:The Piece of Resistance Offers Up Two Design Competitions for Fans {{pipe}} Collider {{pipe}} Page 207141|website=Collider|access-date=20 August 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227203559/http://collider.com/lego-movie-competition/207141/|archive-date=27 December 2013}} After the release of The Lego Movie, independent Canadian toy retailers reported issues with shortages of Lego products and cited cancellations of Lego pre-orders without warning{{Cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/lego-shortage-leaves-independent-stores-with-empty-shelves-1.2871938 |title=Lego shortage leaves independent stores with empty shelves |date=15 December 2014 |website=cbc.ca |publisher=CBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231065907/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/lego-shortage-leaves-independent-stores-with-empty-shelves-1.2871938 |archive-date=31 December 2014}} as a motive to stock compatible, rival products.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/canadian-company-brictek-thrives-amid-lego-shortage-1.2874636 |title=Canadian company Brictek thrives amid Lego shortage |date=16 December 2014 |website=cbc.ca |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231065858/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/canadian-company-brictek-thrives-amid-lego-shortage-1.2874636 |archive-date=31 December 2014}}

A spin-off of The Lego Movie, entitled The Lego Batman Movie, directed by Chris McKay was released in the US in February 2017.{{Cite web |last=Levine |first=Nick |date=9 February 2017 |title=Lego Batman Movie installs giant batarang on London's South Bank |url=https://www.nme.com/news/lego-batman-movie-aims-giant-batarang-at-londons-south-bank-1971321 |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=NME |language=en-GB |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006162400/https://www.nme.com/news/lego-batman-movie-aims-giant-batarang-at-londons-south-bank-1971321 |url-status=live}} A sequel to The Lego Batman Movie was planned and later cancelled.{{Cite web |last=Seddon |first=Gem |date=15 June 2021 |title=Lego Batman 2 no longer happening as director reveals the sequel's scrapped story |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/lego-batman-2-no-longer-happening-as-director-reveals-the-sequels-scrapped-story/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=gamesradar |language=en |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006170232/https://www.gamesradar.com/lego-batman-2-no-longer-happening-as-director-reveals-the-sequels-scrapped-story/ |url-status=live}}

In June 2013, it was reported that Warner Bros. was developing a feature film adaptation of Lego Ninjago. Brothers Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman were attached to write the adaptation, while Dan Lin and Roy Lee, along with Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were announced as producers.{{cite news |last=Siegel |first=Tatiana |title=Warner Bros. to Bring Lego's 'Ninjago' to Big Screen (Exclusive) |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-bros-bring-legos-ninjago-575738 |access-date=10 July 2013 |newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter |date=27 June 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704101934/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-bros-bring-legos-ninjago-575738 |archive-date=4 July 2013}} The film, The Lego Ninjago Movie, was released in September 2017.{{Cite web |date=7 February 2017 |title=Here's your first look at The LEGO Ninjago Movie starring Jackie Chan |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/lego-ninjago-movie-teaser-trailer-lego-movie-spinoff-a7567606.html |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006162750/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/lego-ninjago-movie-teaser-trailer-lego-movie-spinoff-a7567606.html |url-status=live}}

In February 2019, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part was released, which was a direct sequel to the original film and starred Chris Pratt in the lead role.{{Cite web |last=Whitten |first=Sarah |title=The box office needs 'The Lego Movie 2' to reignite ticket sales after a dismal January |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/06/the-box-office-needs-the-lego-movie-2-to-reignite-ticket-sales.html |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=CNBC |date=6 February 2019 |language=en |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006161648/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/06/the-box-office-needs-the-lego-movie-2-to-reignite-ticket-sales.html |url-status=live}}

On 27 January, 2024, it was announced that a new film, titled Piece by Piece, would be released on 11 October, 2024. It is a biographical film focusing on the life of singer Pharrell Williams.{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Kyann-Sian |date=2024-06-06 |title=Pharrell Williams tells us about his biopic in LEGO, 'Piece By Piece': "This is an amazing experience of history for me" |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/pharrell-williams-morgan-neville-interview-trailer-lego-piece-by-piece-3762433 |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}

= Books and magazines =

Lego has an ongoing deal with British multinational publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK), who have produced a series of illustrated hardback books looking at different aspects of the construction toy. The first was The Ultimate Lego Book, published in 1999. In 2009, the same publisher produced The LEGO Book, which was sold within a slipcase along with Standing Small: A celebration of 30 years of the LEGO minifigure, a smaller book focused on the minifigure. In 2012, a revised edition was published. Also in 2009, DK also published books on Lego Star Wars and a range of Lego-based sticker books.{{cite web |title=DK Lego Books |url=http://www.dk.com/us/lego/ |website=DK |access-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823045322/http://www.dk.com/us/lego/ |archive-date=23 August 2015}}

Although no longer being published in the United States by Scholastic, books covering events in the Bionicle storyline are written by Greg Farshtey. They are still being published in Europe by AMEET. Bionicle comics, also written by Farshtey, are compiled into graphic novels and were released by Papercutz. This series ended in 2009, after nine years.{{cite web |title=Bionicle Graphic Novels |url=http://papercutz.com/comics/bionicle |website=Papercutz |access-date=26 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905053411/http://papercutz.com/comics/bionicle |archive-date=5 September 2015}}

There is also the Lego Club and Brickmaster magazine, the latter discontinued in 2011.{{cite web |title=Brickmaster is Ending |url=http://brickset.com/article/877 |website=Brickset |date=9 September 2010 |access-date=8 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822144350/http://brickset.com/article/877 |archive-date=22 August 2015}} The Lego Life Magazine was released in 2017 and serves as a replacement for the Lego Club Magazine.{{cite news |title=LEGO Life Magazine Now Available For Digital Download |url=https://www.brickfinder.net/2017/04/19/lego-life-magazine-digital-download/ |access-date=14 February 2024 |website=Brickfinder.net}}

= Clothing =

Kabooki, a Danish company founded in 1993, produces children's clothes branded as "Lego Wear" under licence from the Lego Group.{{cite web |title=Kabooki |url=https://www.legowear.com/kabooki-uk.aspx |website=Lego Wear |access-date=25 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823155309/http://m.legowear.com/kabooki-uk.aspx |archive-date=23 August 2015}} In 2020, Lego announced collaborations with Adidas and Levi's.{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/en-us/levis |title=LEGO Group x Levi's Collection |publisher=Lego.com |access-date=20 September 2020 |archive-date=29 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029063015/https://www.lego.com/en-us/levis |url-status=live}} In 2021, Lego announced collaborations with Justhype and Adidas to produce apparel inspired by the Lego Ninjago theme.{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2021/january/hype-launches-iconic-and-colourful-streetwear-collection-inspired-by-lego-ninjago- |title=Hype. Launches iconic and colourful streetwear collection incpired by Lego Ninjago |date=10 January 2021 |website=Lego.com |publisher=Lego |access-date=10 February 2021 |archive-date=12 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212235508/https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2021/january/hype-launches-iconic-and-colourful-streetwear-collection-inspired-by-lego-ninjago- |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2021/february/lego-adidas-new-drop |title=New drop fromM Adidas and the Lego Group celebrates playful vibes from Lego dots and Ninjago |date=24 February 2021 |website=Lego.com |publisher=Lego |access-date=10 March 2021 |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420144857/https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2021/february/lego-adidas-new-drop/ |url-status=live}} In May 2021, Lego announced collaborations with Adidas to produce products inspired by the Lego Vidiyo theme.{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2021/may/adidas-lego-vidiyo |title=Make the world your stage with new adidas and LEGO VIDIYO apparel |author=Lego Group |date=27 May 2021 |website=Lego.com |publisher=Lego |access-date=10 June 2021 |archive-date=11 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611141026/https://www.lego.com/en-my/aboutus/news/2021/may/adidas-lego-vidiyo |url-status=live}}

References

{{Reflist}}

= Bibliography =

  • {{cite book |last=Bagnall |first=Brian |title=Core LEGO Mindstorms |publisher=Prentice-Hall PTR |year=2002 |isbn=0-13-009364-5}}
  • {{cite book |last=Bagnall |first=Brian |title=Maximum LEGO NXT: Building Robots with Java Brains |publisher=Variant Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-9738649-1-5}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Bedford |first1=Allan |title=The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide |location=San Francisco |publisher=No Starch Press |year=2005 |isbn=1-59327-054-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/unofficiallegobu0000bedf}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Clague |first1=Kevin |first2=Miguel |last2=Agullo |first3=Lars C. |last3=Hassing |title=LEGO Software Power Tools, With LDraw, MLCad, and LPub |year=2003 |publisher=Syngress |isbn=1-931836-76-0}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Courtney |first1=Tim |first2=Ahui |last2=Herrera |first3=Steve |last3=Bliss |title=Virtual LEGO: The Official LDraw.org Guide to LDraw Tools for Windows |location=San Francisco |publisher=No Starch Press |year=2003 |isbn=1-886411-94-8}}
  • {{cite book |last1=McKee |first1=Jacob H |title=Getting Started with LEGO Trains |location=San Francisco |publisher=No Starch Press |year=2003 |isbn=1-59327-006-2}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Ferrari |first1=Mario |first2=Giulio |last2=Ferrari |first3=Ralph |last3=Hempel |title=Building Robots With LEGO Mindstorms: The Ultimate Tool for Mindstorms Maniacs |year=2001 |publisher=Syngress Media |isbn=1-928994-67-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/buildingrobotswi00mari}}
  • {{cite book |last=Pickering |first=David |title=The Ultimate LEGO Book |location=New York |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=1999 |isbn=0-7894-4691-X}}
  • {{cite book |last=Lipkowitz |first=Daniel |title=The LEGO Book |location=London |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4093-7660-6}}
  • {{cite book |last=Wiencek |first=Henry |title=The World of LEGO Toys |location=New York |publisher=Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers |year=1987 |isbn=0-8109-2362-9}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Pilegaard |first1=Ulrik |last2=Dooley |first2=Mike |title=Forbidden LEGO |location=San Francisco |publisher=No Starch Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-59327-137-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/forbiddenlegobui0000pile}}
  • {{cite book |last1=May |first1=James |author-link1=James May |title=James May's Toy Stories |year=2009 |publisher=Conway |location=London |isbn=978-1-84486-107-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/jamesmaystoystor0000mayj}}