A Lego minifigure, often simply referred to as a Lego figure or a minifig, is a small plasticarticulatedfigurine made of special Lego bricks produced by Danish building toy manufacturer The Lego Group. They were first produced in 1978 and have been a success, with over 4 billion produced worldwide as of 2020.[1][2] Minifigures are usually found within Lego sets, although they are also sold separately as collectables in blind bags (e.g. under the Lego theme of the same name), or can be custom-built in Lego stores and on lego.com. While some are named as specific characters, either licensed from already existing franchises or of Lego's own creation, many are unnamed and are designed simply to fit within a certain theme (such as police officers, astronauts and pirates). They are highly customizable, and parts from different figures can be mixed and matched, resulting in many combinations.
There are also other types of figures from Lego sets, such as animals, Duplo figures or mini-doll figures. The Lego minifigure is, together with the Lego brick, the company's mascot and one of the most popular toys of all time. Minifigures are collected by both children and adults.
Similar figures, often called "Lego compatible minifigures", are also produced by various other companies (often as clones/knock-offs), such as Kre-O (called Kreons), Lepin, Cobi, Block Tech or Mega Bloks.
History
Early Lego minifigures without moving arms and legs
A precursor to the minifigure was released in 1975. These were at the same scale as the current minifigures, but had a different design. They had solid torsos without separate movable arms, solid lower body pieces that were not moveable, and heads without printed features.[3] They had a small variety of headpieces in various colors, including caps, pigtail hair and cowboy hats.
The first modern minifigures were released in 1978, included in Castle, Space, and Town sets.[4] These were designed by Jens Nygaard Knudsen,[5] who had come up with the idea for having the torsos, legs, and arm pieces interchangeable. As these were made into pieces, the company decided to give them a simple facial expression, rendered as two solid black dots for eyes and a smile painted in solid black, and without any gender or racial components, believing that these factors would be "determined by the child's imagination and play".[6] The arms incorporated clips as "hands" which allowed to figures to hold a wide range of different utensils and tools.
In 1989 for the launch of Pirates theme, some minifigures also included hooks for hands, as well as peg legs; this was the first departure from the traditional body parts. Starting with Lego Pirates in 1989 and spreading to Lego Town and Lego Castle in the next few years, minifigures were also produced with different facial expressions such as facial hair, eye patches, feminine makeup, and sunglasses.[4] Most of these early facial additions were still centered around the two eyes and smile, however starting in 1997 with Willa the Witch of the Fright Knights facial expressions became more complex including open mouths and detailed eyes.
Another departure from traditional parts was the use of spring-loaded legs. These legs are joined at the top. These legs were only featured in basketball sets, 2002–2003. Other leg variations include short legs for children or dwarfs, or long legs (used in the Toy Story and Avatar themes).
In 2003, the first minifigures with naturalistic skin tones (as opposed to the yellow used until this point) were released, as part of the Lego Basketball theme; these minifigures were also created in the likeness of living people[4] (additionally this also included Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars theme). In April 2004, the Harry Potter theme began to use natural skin tones, and Lego Star Wars followed in June, and by 2005 the use of natural skin tones was expanded to all licensed products; in which figures were created to represent film actors and other living people. Popular examples between 2005 and 2008 include Star Wars, Marvel, Batman, The Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones minifigures.[4]
By 2006, Lego had reportedly produced 4 billion minifigures.[4] There are at least 3,655 different minifigures produced between 1975 and 2010 and the number of new minifigures per year is increasing rapidly. In 2010 more than 300 new minifigures were introduced.[7] Some minifigures repeatedly appear across multiple Lego sets, while others can be very rare, often vastly increasing their resale value. In 2019, the number of Lego Star Wars minifigures has surpassed 1000, with the Battlefront II protagonist Iden Versio (bearing code sw1000).[8][9][10]
Design and construction
The height of a typical minifigure is 4 centimetres (1.6in). Minifigures generally feature six parts (widely referred to as tools in the toy industry): head, torso, hips, arms, hands, and legs; these six parts allow seven points of articulation: swivel head, swivel arms, swivel wrists, and swivel legs. Minifigures are usually packaged as three separate parts in Lego sets: head, torso and legs. The plastic is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a tough material that makes LEGO figures durable.[11]
The plastic is melted into specially designed molds that produce the different parts of the minifigure. Some of the molds are also accessories such as weapons (swords, guns, lightsabers, etc.) or everyday accessories (cups, food, tools, etc.). Heads and torsos nearly always need further decoration, and sometimes the arms and legs as well. This difficult process is why the figures are more expensive than any other Lego products. After being printed, the head is placed on the torso, the legs attached, and the arms are snapped on. The figures are finally bagged and readied for sale.
First US patent release of LEGO figures by Interlego AG
Use
Minifigure heads are cylindrical, and attach to a long, narrow cylinder molded onto the top of the torso, which allows the head to rotate. This feature also allows items to be attached to the figures over the torso, such as air tanks, jet packs, paper or fabriccapes, breastplates or beards. The heads have a stud on top which is the same size as studs on standard Lego bricks which could allow one to be placed on it. The head is the only component of the minifigure which can be used for other applications - blank minifigure heads have often been used in Lego sets to replicate other objects such as lampshades and electrical appliances.
Head accessories vary widely, and include hair, helmets and hats. The legs rotate independently to 90 degrees forward, and nearly 45 degrees backward. Minifigures also connect to standard Lego bricks in both a sitting or standing position. The hands of a minifigure resemble the letter C, which allows them to hold many Lego accessories as well as bricks, tiles, and plates. There are hundreds of a vast variety of accessories, including swords, axes, wands, cups, guns, blasters and lightsabers. Additionally, the tops of the hands are the same size as the studs on most Lego bricks, which allows them to be placed on top of them. These variations allow minifigures to be customized, keeping with the modular design of Lego elements.
Design variations
While nearly all minifigure heads, torsos, arms, hands and legs are the same size and shape, some sets have included figures that deviate from the standard.
Torso
Lego torsos often have black or white squares on the neck joint, this is to help with the automatic printing process when producing minifigures.
Minifigures built from special, uniquely molded pieces were first introduced in "Life on Mars". Martians are composed of five tools: two pairs of double arms, a mechanical torso, a conjoined leg piece, and a head. This configuration is also used for many Star Warsdroids; standard battle droids follow the same pattern, while super battle droids feature a head fixed to a torso, General Grievous has space for four arms, and IG-88 has a head constructed of other Lego pieces. R2-D2 and other astromech droids are constructed from unique parts, with a separate top, body and legs. The robots of Exo-Force, Mars Mission commander aliens and Bionicle miniatures have a design similar to the Star Warsbattle droids, but with separate legs, movable hands, and a head affixed to a small torso. Hagrid, the half-giant character from the Harry Potter series uses a larger minifigure body, with only the head being separable.
Skeletons, use the standard minifigure head, but unique torsos, arms, and legs designed to resemble a skeletal structure; although different, these figure parts are still detachable. Skeleton figures and others alike stir up controversy on whether they should be considered a minifigure or just a "figure", due to the lack of standard minifigure parts. Additionally, some minifigures, mostly pirates, sometimes include peg legs and hook hands.
Legs
Shorter legs, without joints at the hip, are sometimes used to create minifigures which are shorter in stature than standard figures (i.e. children, dwarfs, gnomes, goblins, Ewoks and other small characters like Yoda or The Penguin). Such pieces were first created for Star Wars sets but have since been used elsewhere. In 2018, a medium-sized pair of legs was introduced, sized between the shorter legs and regular legs. These legs had a joint at the hip to allow individual movement of the legs, and were used to represent younger teenagers, introduced for the rebooted Harry Potter theme.
Some minifigures, particularly in Castle and Pirate sets, use large sloped bricks instead of legs, to resemble dresses or skirts. However, these sloped bricks are taller than standard minifigure legs. In 2018, a special skirt piece was released, shorter, more softly curved on the back, and with regular leg pins to connect to the torso, instead of the studs on ordinary bricks.
Skirts have also been produced, either as new molds, or as separate parts made in fabric. The first skirt mold appeared for the Minnie Mouse and Alice minifigures within the Disney Collectible Minifigures theme. Fabric skirts have appeared in Harry Potter and The Simpsons.
Minifigures have also featured unique head sculpts that differ from the traditional cylindrical shape; the first was Jar Jar Binks, included in a Star Wars set in 1999 Since then various other minifigures like Yoda, C-3PO, Harry Potter goblin figures, tuskens, geonosians, Zeb Orrelios, Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Davy Jones and Bossk also use non standard heads. Kit Fisto was the first minifigure to not use an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene head, using rubber instead.[12] Traditional accessories, such as hairpieces, hats and helmets, cannot be placed on these non-standard heads. Some minifigures, such as wookiees, gamorrean guards and ewoks use, instead of a normal head, a special piece, consisting of head and chest, which fits over the body. Pong Krell uses a similar piece consisting of a head, chest and two additional arms. The SpongeBob SquarePants minifigure has a sculpted Lego brick head that fits like a standard head, covering the whole torso similar to the ghost figures, except that these figures use short or standard legs instead of a brick.
Head and neck-wear
An enormous variety of clothing and accessories has been produced for minifigures, including hairstyles, caps, hats, and helmets. In Star Wars sets, troopers have uniquely sculpted helmets, adapting the original character designs to the minifigure format. Some minifigures, like Balin from The Hobbit, have a hair piece that exends as a beard to the chest, Exo-Force minifigures feature anime-style hair, as does the Nightwing minifigure from the BatmanArkham Asylum set. Old Boba Fett and Jango Fett minifigures had helmet pieces which back half stretched down to the minifigures' back in the form of a jet pack.
Classic ghost figures have a full-body cape which attaches to the head of the minifigure, and solid bricks as legs.
Others
The minifigures of The Lord of the Rings character Gollum consists only of three pieces. One piece forms the body, consisting of torso, head and legs, in a crawling position and two arms specially made for this minifigure. Some other minifigures like The Phantom Menace character Sebulba consists entirely of only one piece.
Material
Lego released multiple minifigures made of metal instead of plastic. 10 000 gold-colored chrome minifigures of the Star Wars character C-3PO (4521221) were released in random Lego Star Wars sets in 2007.[12][13] The most extreme design variations were an edition of five minifigures of C-3PO, released in 2008,[14][12][15] and two minifigures of the character Boba Fett, released in 2010,[16] cast in solid 14-karat gold with a figure estimated to cost between $10,000 and $15,000.[16]NASA's Juno spacecraft which entered orbit around the planet Jupiter in 2016 carries three specially commissioned minifigures on board. Cast from space-grade aluminum, the minifigures represent the astronomer Galileo, the Roman deity Jupiter and his wife Juno. This also set the record for the furthest distance travelled by a Lego minifigure.[17][16]
As part of other objects
Various minifigures from multiple themes have been released as keychains. The pieces of these figures are inseparable and a metalchain and keychain ring are attached to their heads. Various minifigures were also released as a part of pens in the Lego Writing theme.
Variations
In some Lego products, figures other than standard minifigures are used. A catalog that shows all these Lego figures is available.[18]
The Friends theme, released in 2012, included mini-doll figures, a more doll-like construction with more realistic anatomy, soon introduced into other themes chiefly aimed at girls. Even though the mini-dolls in the Lego Friends theme have more realistic anatomy, the mini-dolls' legs can only move ninety degrees into a sitting position. The mini-dolls' legs are also molded together and can not move separately as the traditional Lego minifigure legs can. The mini-doll in the Lego Friends theme is slightly taller than the traditional minifigure.[19]
Non-disassemblable figures
Lego Duplo includes figures that have less articulation than standard minifigures and cannot be disassembled for safety reasons. Likewise, the Fabuland collection, produced in the 1980s, consisted of larger anthropomorphizedanimal characters, which also could not be easily disassembled. Belville and Scala, Lego products marketed to girls, also include larger scale figures. These figures are similar to Technic figures in articulation, but feature less angular body sculpts. Scala figures more closely resemble dolls, in that clothes are separate from the figures and hair is made of strands rather than molded plastic. The Baby line included figures that could not move at all and had the size a bit bigger than the Duplo figures.
Figures built entirely from standard bricks
Creator sets also often feature animals built entirely of more classic Lego bricks. Some droids from Star Wars, such as droidekas[broken anchor], dwarf- and homing spider droids and pit droids and various animals and other creatures, appearing in themes like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings or Vikings, like dragons, the giant dog Fluffy, or giant spiders like Shelob, Aragog or the mirkwood spiders are entirely brick-built. Some of these figures are still considered "minifigures". At the Legoland parks, the standardized Miniland design has long been used as a template for brick-built figures, and has occasionally appeared in sets.[20]
Nanofigures
Lego Nanofigures are miniature versions of original minifigures, following the same general shape, but without any moving parts, roughly the same height as a regular minifigure's legs. From 2010, they were initially produced in metal colors to represent trophies and statuettes, but from 2011 onwards they got printing to represent characters in sets produced in micro-scale, too small for regular minifigures, or to represent diminutive characters such as Ant-Man. They are also available in smaller scale sets such as 71043 "Hogwarts Castle".
Microfigures
Within the Lego Games theme, the Lego microfigures were released. For that name, they are about half the size of the regular Lego minifigure. The microfigures have a fixed head, small, non-movable legs which somewhat resemble normal minifigure legs, and a hint of shoulders for arms.
Bigfigures
Bigfigures are Lego figurines that are taller and more muscular then regular minifigures which were introduced in 2008. Though most share the same body shape and pose, There have been a few variations, such as Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars, or the wampa and the rancor which are even bigger in size. Most bigfigures don't contain removable heads, though there have been recent exceptions, such as Thanos. A precursor to the bigfigure was released in 1999 under the Rock Raiders theme.
Baby figure
In 2016, a new mold for a minifigure-style human baby was introduced. Although similar to a microfigure in body shape, it has a detachable head and actual molded arms (albeit, non-posable). It has mainly made appearances in LEGO City sets, such as the "Fun at the Park" set. It was also notable for appearing as an accessory for the Babysitter in the 16th series of Lego Minifigures, and LEGO "10255 Assembly Square", which is the 2017 Lego Modular Building. In The Mandalorian sets, the Grogu figure uses this body mold.
Technic
Technic used larger scale action figures between 1986 and 2001. These figures featured more realistic sculpts, although still distinctively angular, and featured more articulation, including bendable elbows and knees. These figures are further distinguished from minifigures in that they cannot be easily disassembled; even the hair pieces are non-removable.
Bionicle and similar
In 2001, Lego further expanded the minifigure system, with the introduction of Bionicle figures. These figures are a part of a fictional story developed by Lego and resemble biomechanical creatures. Initially, these figures were produced without articulation, only able to hold tools and weapons.
Bionicle later got replaced with Hero Factory in 2010. In 2005, Lego released Bionicle playsets, with minifigure variations of characters that had previously been produced in the larger Bionicle scale, notably the Toa and Visorak characters. While these minifigures did not feature movable parts, Lego released Piraka and Inika playsets in 2006, which included minifigures with movable parts.
Light up light-sabers
Other variations of the standard minifigure produced for Star Wars sets included the light-up light-saber (L.U.L.S.) minifigures. These figures were released as a part of the more expensive Star Wars Episode III sets in 2005. These figures look like standard minifigures, but to facilitate internal electronics, their parts cannot be removed; the only exception to this is the headgear, the left hand and arm, and each of the legs from the hips. When the head is pressed down, an LED illuminates the light-saber blade. These figures rely on battery power for their special feature. The batteries last three hours and are not intended to be replaced, although replacement is possible.
Many fans, especially children, were amenable to this innovation. Others however, particularly adult collectors, found these figures contentious, considering them to be an unwelcome gimmick. The fact that in two cases unique characters were produced solely as L.U.L. minifigs, with no standard version available to collectors, was also an unpopular decision. Following the initial release of these figures Lego announced no more were to be produced, due to their unpopularity and more expensive production. One set, the "7261 Clone Turbo Tank", which featured an L.U.L. version of Mace Windu, was even reissued with a standard version of the minifig and an extra Clone Trooper figure to make up the cost of the set.
There was also at least one high end City themed set ("Police HQ") that included a police officer with a light up 'torch'. Another L.U.L.S. minfig in police uniform appeared without the 'saber' part of the light saber and a yellow LED in the 'handle' of the light saber, reusing the L.U.L.S. design outside the Star Wars setting as an effective 'torch'. He appeared in a high end City set based on a standard and well selling City "Police HQ" design. A complaint about the set was that the L.U.L.S. minifig was contained in a 'try me' compartment of the box allowing customers (and excited children) to wear down his battery while he was still on the shelf. The set was discontinued after a year with a separate identical design but with 3 extra normal minifgs replacing the L.U.L.S. minfig.
Magnets
Yet another variation on the minifigure is the magnet figure, from such themes as Star Wars, Batman, Indiana Jones, and City. The magnet figures are not included in regular sets but are instead sold in packs of three or more. Some of these include accessories and display base bricks. These figures include magnets in their legs, which allow them to stick to metal surfaces. Magnet figures are nearly indistinguishable from standard figures in appearance. Unlike the LUL figures, only the torso and the hips of magnet minifigures are inseparable.
Others
Certain Lego sets released between 1974 and 1982 included much larger figures; the heads and hair were special pieces and the torso was a modified brick which connected to flexible hinge-like arm tubes and a towball hand brick with a stud. They are known as Homemaker figures (after the theme where they occurred) or maxifigures, a later term coined in analogy with the minifigure. This is the reason why the usual figures are "mini".[21] Objects, like alarm clocks, in the form of minifigures have also been released.
Minifigure customisation, is the practice of modifying Lego minifigures. This can be as simple as mixing and matching parts, or as complex as painting or remolding plastic. Some custom minifigures are made by affixing stickers or decals to the figures. There are also third party businesses which sell custom decals and molded minifigure accessories, many of which are inspired by popular media. While a relatively recent phenomenon, minifigure customisation has rapidly become popular within the wider building community, although some maintain a "purist" approach, using only elements produced by Lego.
The Lego Group executives are using[when?] personalised minifigures in place of business cards, with email addresses and telephone numbers details on the front and back of the torso, and hair and facial features designed to resemble each executive. It is believed that over 100 of these exist.[22]
Collecting
Both children and adult fans of Lego collect Lego Minifigures without collecting the sets. The Lego group produced 2.3 billion Minifigures between 1978 and 1998[23] and many people buy and sell these on eBay and other sites such as BrickLink.[citation needed]
The Lego Group produced various short films, feature films and video games featuring Lego minifigures and bricks. Most of these are based on other already existing franchises like Star Wars or DC Comics. These films are created using primarily computer generated animation, they are styled in such a way as to emulate the look of stop-motion brickfilms, even being influenced by some popular brickfilms. Multiple video games also feature Lego minifigures and bricks.
The minifigures featured in them have additional articulation and mobility, as well as textural modifications to create a realistic effect. Often these media feature a vast population of minifigures living in a vast Lego universe setting and rely heavily on meta humor about this fact.
Other famous depictions
In January 2012, a Lego minifigure carrying a Canadian flag was sent up to the stratosphere[24] and garnered worldwide attention.[25]
The Adult Swim series Robot Chicken, Lego minifigures were used in various Lego skits of the show.
The Collectible Minifigures (later renamed to Lego Minifigures) theme, introduced on 5 March 2010, is a set of individually packaged "blind bag" minifigures. Each series consists of approximately 16 new and exclusive minifigures, with a random assortment of 60 polybags per box. A new series is released every three to four months, with some having a theme (e.g. monsters or masquerade) and others including a wide variety of minifigs. Several blogs publish "feel guides" to help collectors figure out which minifigures are inside the opaque package. The minifigures can be based on fictional archetypes, history, or jobs, sports, life styles and hobbies (i.e. Punk Rocker, Dino Tracker, Caveman). All CMF minifigures come with a Lego "stand". Most CMF come with an (often unique) accessory and many have uniquely printed body parts.
A brickfilm is a film or Internet video made by either shooting stop motion animation using construction set bricks like Lego bricks or using computer-generated imagery or traditional animation to imitate the look. They can sometimes also be live action films featuring plastic construction toys. Since the 2000s The Lego Group has released various films and TV series and brickfilms have also become popular on (social-) media websites. The term “brick film” was coined by Jason Rowoldt, founder of the website brickfilms.com.
Kubrick is a line of collectible block-style figures and associated products created by Japanese toy company MediCom Toy Inc. Kubrick figures are produced in three scales, designated as 100%, 400%, and 1000%. The basic Kubrick figure design has a body that resembles an extremely simplified human form, somewhat similar in appearance to Playmobil or Lego figures. Produced in limited numbers and not re-released, Kubricks are highly sought-after by collectors. Kubricks are predominantly collected by adults; the packaging recommends the figures to collectors 13 years or older.
Lego began in 1934 in the carpentry workshop of Ole Kirk Christianen, a Danish furniture maker. During the Great Depression, he began to make miniature versions of his products, which inspired him to produce toys. In 1934 the company was named "LEGO", a contraction from the Danish phrase "leg Godt", meaning "play well".
Lego Fabuland was a theme and product range of Lego construction toys, aimed at young children. Introduced in 1979, the range aimed to fill the gap between Duplo and the standard Lego product ranges. Aimed at both boys and girls, the range encouraged storytelling, and was the first theme to be extended into books, clothing, and a claymation children's television show, Edward and Friends, that aired in the United Kingdom and Canada during the 1980s.
Lego Pirates was a Lego theme launched in 1989 featuring pirates, soldiers from the Napoleonic Wars, Pacific Islanders, sailing ships, and buried treasure, being influenced by the late Golden Age of Piracy. The theme has been seen in Lego System, Duplo and the 4+ theme.
Lego Space is a science fiction-oriented Lego theme which focuses on astronauts, space colonization, spaceships, and extraterrestrial life. Introduced in 1978, along with Castle and Town, with each of the three themes representing the 'Past' (Castle), 'Present' (Town) and 'Future' (Space). It is one of the oldest and most extensive themes in Lego history, consisting of over 300 individual sets.
Lego Harry Potter is a Lego theme based on the film series of the same name and the eponymous novels by British author J. K. Rowling. It is licensed from Warner Bros. Lego models of important scenes, vehicles and characters were made for the first six films and all of the published books. The first sets appeared in 2001, to coincide with the release of the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Subsequent sets were released alongside the new films, until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The line then went dormant for three years, with sets being released in 2010 and 2011. In 2018, it was announced that more sets based on the Harry Potter franchise would be released, including new sets based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
The Lego Castle theme is a segment of the broader Lego product line that encapsulates a medieval world concept, prominently featuring knights and castles. Launched initially in Europe in 1979 and later introduced to North America in 1981, the theme enjoyed continuous support until 1999. It was one of the original three LEGOLAND themes along with Town and Space, with each of the three themes representing the 'Past' (Castle), 'Present' (Town) and 'Future' (Space).
Lego Sports was a Lego theme that was launched in 2000 and discontinued in 2007. The theme focused on a variety of sports-themed toy sets, including football, basketball and hockey.
Lego Spider-Man is a product range of the Lego construction toy, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. When the theme first launched in 2002, it was inspired by the Spider-Man film released the same year and was part of the Lego Studios line. Additional sets were released two years later, based on the film's sequel, Spider-Man 2. The theme was discontinued before the release of Spider-Man 3, and the rights were sold to rival Mega Brands, who entered a multi-year licensing deal with Marvel Enterprises, giving them the rights to produce playsets, vehicles, and other building-themed products based upon various Marvel characters for their Mega Bloks toys.
Lego Studios was a popular brand of Lego toys released in 2000 and mainly focused on movie-making and the steps thereof. Lego Studios was first distributed in November 2000, and was later discontinued in 2003. The last series in the franchise was the Lego Spider-Man set.
Lego Star Wars is a Lego theme based on the Star Wars media franchise created by George Lucas. It includes over 928 Lego building toy sets, 1389 Lego minifigures, an eponymous video game series containing six games, and multiple animated short films and television series.
Lego Indiana Jones is a Lego theme based on the Indiana Jones film franchise created by George Lucas, licensed from Lucasfilm. The exclusive franchise was first announced in June 2007, and followed the successful Lego Star Wars franchise, also with Lucasfilm. The first set of products were launched in 2008, based upon two of the three earlier films. Sets featuring scenes from the fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, were released alongside the film, later in 2008. The Temple of Doom film was not featured until 2009, in a large set which re-created the mine-cart chase using new narrow-gauge Lego train track.
Lego Belville was a Lego theme designed to appeal primarily to girls. First introduced in 1994, the theme included multi-jointed doll-like characters that were larger in scale than the traditional Lego minifigure. The toy sets were produced from standard Lego bricks and larger pieces, often in a pink and purple colour scheme, and depicted scenes from fairy tales and fantasy as well as everyday life. The product line was discontinued in 2009. Belville's direct successor is Lego Friends, which was introduced in 2012. Other Lego product ranges that have been designed for girls include Homemaker (1971–1982), Paradisa (1991–1997) and Scala (1997–2001).
BrickArms is a limited liability company specializing in minifigure accessories, specifically weaponry. It is unaffiliated with LEGO, instead privately owned and operated by designer Will Chapman from his home in Redmond, Washington. The company was briefly the subject of controversy when one of its products was accused of being based on a member of al-Qaeda.
Lego Minecraft is a Lego theme based on the sandbox video game Minecraft. The theme was first introduced in 2012.
Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed is a Lego-themed turn-based strategy game developed and published by Gameloft. It was released on Apple's App Store and Google Play as a free downloadable game. The game centres on a fictional location named Piptown, which serves as the central game hub for accessing the challenges, campaigns, events, shop, guilds, and arena.
Lego The Angry Birds Movie was a Lego theme based on Rovio Entertainment's video game series of the same name and the same of the film. It was licensed from Columbia Pictures and Rovio Animation. The theme was first introduced in April 2016. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2017.
Lego Vidiyo was a Lego theme that allows children to create their own music videos and dance clips using a range of Lego toy sets and an associated app. It is licensed from Universal Music Group. The theme was first introduced in March 2021, before being discontinued by the end of January 2022 after being deemed a commercial disaster.
Lego Avatar is a Lego theme based on the film series of the same name created by James Cameron. It is licensed from 20th Century Studios, The Walt Disney Company and Lightstorm Entertainment. The theme was first introduced on 1 October 2022. Subsequent sets were released in 2023, alongside the next film, Avatar: The Way of Water.
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