According to the NPD Group, toy manufacturer LEGO closed the 2018 financial year with customer growth in the German toy market and presented new products for 2019 at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg. The new products combine physical and digital elements in different ways and are particularly intended to encourage families to play games together.
LEGO expands market share
A highlight is the "LEGO Movie Maker" building set, which was released on the occasion of the forthcoming theatrical release of "The LEGO Movie 2", with which children can use their smartphones to make their own films thanks to the associated app.
With "Control+", LEGO Technic introduces a new, realistic control via app, touchscreen and new electronic components. There are two anniversaries to celebrate in 2019: the LEGO Duplo product line celebrates its 50th anniversary and the LEGO Star Wars product line turns 20 this year.
“We have achieved our goal of acting as a growth driver in the market. We are particularly pleased that we have been able to reach more children and families. Because: According to a recent study, more playing time together leads to happier families.
So we should all prioritize gaming more.”
Frédéric Lehmann, Managing Director of LEGO GmbH
According to the panel data of the NPD Group Germany, LEGO GmbH closed the 2018 financial year with an increase in consumer sales of 4,8 percent in Germany. The market share in Germany rose by 0,4 percentage points to 17,2 percent. The core lines LEGO Technic, LEGO Duplo, LEGO Ninja, LEGO City, LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Friends form the basis of the good result. In addition, LEGO GmbH was able to provide impetus with the strong license themes Harry Potter and Jurassic World.
The classic LEGO brick boxes from the LEGO Classic series continue to develop very positively and thus underline the high priority that building with LEGO bricks has in children's rooms.
LEGO innovations: building fun with a digital impact
LEGO GmbH combines building with LEGO bricks and digital games with its new products. With this combination of real and virtual play worlds, the company meets the play needs of children growing up today.
“As the LEGO Group, we want to support children and families in enjoying all aspects of everyday play. With our products we enable new and at the same time cross-generational fun"
Rebecca Snell, Senior Marketing Director at LEGO GmbH
According to a recent study, children, unlike their parents, do not differentiate between digital and physical games - for them, both merge seamlessly into a flowing gaming experience.
The real world, fantasy and digital game world become one: the LEGO Movie Maker
The LEGO Movie Maker, which is available in stores along with 13 other sets for the cinema film "The LEGO Movie", combines physical and digital play in a contemporary, child-friendly way. Children from the age of eight can use it to design their very own LEGO film as young directors. Thanks to the free "The LEGO Movie 2 Movie Maker App" for smartphones, exciting, funny and action-packed films with sounds and visual effects are created after the film set has been assembled from LEGO bricks beforehand.
New to LEGO Technic: CONTROL +
With LEGO Technic CONTROL +, consisting of new electronic components and the associated free app, children and adults can experience an even more authentic gaming experience. Control + enables realistic control and, for example, the programming of simultaneous movement sequences of the models via touchscreen. The app also provides vehicle data for the model.
LEGO Technic Control + can be tried out for the first time from August 1, 2019 with the replica of the Liebherr R 9800, one of the largest excavators in the world. The LEGO Technic model consists of over 4.000 parts, seven motors and two Smart Hubs and can perform several movements at the same time.
“LEGO Technic Control+ gives us the opportunity to create even more versatile LEGO Technic play experiences around the physical model. We are very pleased to have Liebherr as a partner for one of the first LEGO Technic sets to include this novelty.”
Niels Henrik Horsted, LEGO Technic Marketing Director
The cooperation also seems to be ideal for Liebherr:
“The fact that the LEGO Group is offering our Liebherr R 9800 as a building set confirms our motto 'technology that inspires' on a small scale. The level of detail and functionality that the model shows is fantastic. We are sure that we will not only be able to inspire LEGO fans, but also many fans from our industry.”
Gregory Schuh, Marketing Manager for Liebherr mining hydraulic excavators
50 years of LEGO Duplo Brick and 20 years of LEGO Star Wars
For half a century, toddlers have had their first building experiences with LEGO DUPLO, often together with their parents. And that's a good thing - because: More playing time together can lead to happier families, according to a recent study. The colorful LEGO Duplo bricks are perfect for playing together, as they can be easily grasped by even the smallest of children's hands.
Thanks to this year's LEGO Star Wars anniversary, families can experience cross-generational building and play experiences. Anyone who euphorically assembled the legendary LEGO Star Wars set "Anakin's Podracer" 20 years ago can revive this special feeling this spring with the new edition of the set and experience it together with their own children.
To celebrate the birthday, there are four more legendary LEGO Star Wars anniversary sets - including original minifigures such as Darth Vader or Princess Leia - for even more joint play moments.
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