Lego Overtakes Barbie To Become World's Best Selling Toy

Lego Overtakes Barbie To Become World's Best Selling Toy
Cute kids playing in the room
Getty
Cute kids playing in the room

Lego has overtaken Barbie to become the world's best-selling toy.

The Danish company saw a huge boost in sales following the success of the Lego Movie, which was released in February.

The Lego Movie toy range features 16 new figurines of the main characters from the film, including William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln and Panda guy.

Lego said revenues had soared by 11 per cent in the first six months of 2014 to £1.22 billion.

This beat rivals Barbie manufacturers Mattel, plus Fisher-Price and Matchbox.

Chief financial officer John Goodwin said: "Lego Movie products provided a significant boost to our sales during the first half of 2014."

He said the company was hopeful that the lift to sales from the Warner Brothers' film will continue following its release on DVD.

Lego is also enjoying success in new markets, with China sales up by more than 50 per cent in the half-year period.

The company said 'classic' product lines such as Lego City and Lego Star Wars continued to deliver strong growth around the world.

The Lego business was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen.

The company passed from father to son and is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, a grandchild of the founder.

The name is an abbreviation of the two Danish words 'leg godt', meaning 'play well'. The brick in its present form was launched in 1958.

Net profit in the half-year period was up 14 per cent compared with the first half of 2013, at £287 million.

This week we reported how Barbie and Lego had fought off competition from more modern toys to be named the toy brands most loved by children around the world.

Lego is celebrating it's 65th birthday, while Barbie has also reached the grand old age of 55, proving that oldies really are goodies.

Playmobil, Mickey Mouse and My Little Pony also proved to be ever popular in a recent online poll of more than 30,000 children aged under 15.

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