Lego Says 2015 Was Its ‘Best Year Ever,’ With Huge Sales JumpLego Group reported astounding revenue growth for 2015, up 25% from the prior year as it estimated the company's popular construction sets and toys reached an estimated 100 million children.The strong performance built upon years of success as the Danish-based toy maker has cultivated a very loyal following by selling a mix of traditional Lego sets and licensed properties linked to Star Wars, The Avengers, Batman and other popular franchises. Lego's results also extended a strong sales jump in 2014, when toy sales were up 13% as results were greatly boosted by the company's first major motion picture film, "The Lego Movie.""This has been the best year ever for the Lego Group," Lego Chief Executive Jørgen Vig Knudstorp told analysts during a video presentation. Vig Knudstorp was so enthusiastic about the results that he leaped into the air in front of the press, saying "If I could sing and dance, I should be singing and dancing because it is a fantastic number of results."
Lego's growth has been astonishing. It reported annual sales of about $2.3 billion in 2010 and just five years later, reported revenue of about $5.2 billion (those figures were converted from the Danish krone).What's fueling the growth? Parents are putting greater emphasis on toys that inspire learning, especially under the umbrella of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Lego has also benefited from blockbuster films like the latest Star Wars, as well as a greater push to address the girls' market.But also notably, Lego can't yet claim the title of world's largest toy maker. Barbie and Hot Wheels maker Mattel (mat) is still larger, with $5.7 billion in revenue for 2015. Mattel's sales have faced challenges however, dropping 5% last year. Transformers and My Little Pony owner Hasbro (has) ranks third in the toy aisle, with $4.45 billion in revenue.The toy industry is in a period of strength as it benefits from big sales from two hot Walt Disney (dis) properties: "Frozen," a princess-themed movie that drove demand in 2014 and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which lifted sales late in 2015 and should be a strong tailwind for this year as well.
When Andrew Barnick suggested writing a review of the new spinning toy in the LEGO® NINJAGO range, I wasn't champing at the bit. The Chima Speedorz were interesting enough, although their potential never seemed to translate into MOCs to any great degree. Given Andrew's enthusiasm however, I figured, why not? I'm so glad I did - these look fascinating. The new parts really surprised me and the spinner system seems a big step closer to being a proper part of System. But I'll let Andrew explain! When the LEGO fan community got our first look at this summer’s new LEGO sets at Toy Fair this year, some of the sets that excited me most were the new Ninjago “Airjitzu” spinners. That wasn’t just because I’m a diehard Ninjago fan, but also because I’m a sucker for functions and because as a long term Bionicle fan these flying spinners seemed like an evolution of the classic Bionicle “Rhotuka” spinners from 2005. This past May, I was lucky enough to get a chance to participate on the LEGO Inside Tour.
In addition to getting to meet with designers, engineers, and other high-profile LEGO employees, my brother and I got season passes for LEGOLAND Billund, and the shop there already had many of this summer’s new releases, including the Airjitzu sets. Over the course of the week we bought 70739 Airjitzu Kai Flyer, 70740 Airjitzu Jay Flyer, 70741 Airjitzu Cole Flyer, and 70742 Airjitzu Zane Flyer. On the last day of the tour, Nick Vas, a friend of mine and the designer responsible for the weapons in all six Airjitzu sets, showed up and gave us the last two Airjitzu sets (70743 Airjitzu Morro Flyer and 70744 Airjitzu Wrayth Flyer) as a gift from the LEGO Ninjago team. As a result, I’m happy to be able to review all six of these sets for New Elementary! Following his exhaustive review of new Technic parts in the winter sets earlier this year, Ryan W. (merman) returns today to review an upcoming summer set; At time of writing, prices have not been officially announced. Traditionally, August is an exciting month for Technic fans, since it marks the release of the summer line-up with the big, spectacular sets.
Official pictures usually show in the early months of the new year when the international toy fairs take place. So the times they are a-changing: I recall flipping through paper catalogues when I was a kid and going to the final pages with the Technic section as fast as my eager fingers possibly could. Those were the times without the world wide web. What Billund had in store in the field of Technic was a surprise until the catalogue arrived at the toy store. I remember salivating over the look of set 8880 black Super Car, knowing my parents would never get me one. And to this day I've never built it. Over the next few weeks I'll be publishing articles about new LEGO® parts that have come out this summer - "with a little help from my friends". Yes, these new parts have gone out to a handful of the UK's finest builders to see what they make of them. The first of the three parts under the microscope is the new small inverted arch, offering Bart Simpson a slightly less dangerous skateboarding experience than before, as Simon Pickard shows:
Milan Reindl and Markus Kossmann from the Lego Technic design team have put up a few videos showcasing the newest sets. These designer videos are a great way to see what's new with Technic and help you decide which of the 2015 sets that you want to purchase before you get to the store. Cherry Picker (42031) - $12.99 - 155 pieces Compact Tracked Loader (42032) - $19.99 - 252 pieces Mining Truck (42035) - $29.99 - 362 pieces Street Motorcycle (42036) - £29.99 - 375 pieces - This set is not available in the United States yet but should be hitting shelves very soon. Formula Off-Roader (42037) - $59.99 - 494 pieces Arctic Truck (42038) - $84.99 - 913 pieces 24 Hours Race Car (42039) - £99.99 - 1219 pieces - This set is also not yet available in the United States. I have obviously been lusting after this thing for a while now. Hopefully, it should show up on shelves before summer. Record Breaker (42033) and Quad Bike (42034) - both $19.99 - 125 and 148 pieces - Milan and Markus did not make a designer video for these two sets, but they are currently available.