Misplaced Pages

#934065

108-509: The Lego City theme traces its origins to Lego Town, a theme introduced with the first minifigures in 1978, when a completely new range of buildings and vehicles were introduced for the European markets, although Lego sets with city buildings and vehicles had been commonplace since the late 1960s. Prior to 1978, LEGOLAND-branded sets were focused mainly around buildings and vehicles which were intended to function more as static models. In 1975,

216-547: A metal chain and keychain ring are attached to their heads. Various minifigures were also released as a part of pens in the Lego Writing theme. In some Lego products, figures other than standard minifigures are used. A catalog that shows all these Lego figures is available. Lego also features a variety of similar figures for non- anthropomorphic animals and other creatures like horses , dogs , cows , goats , cats , rats , mice , skunks , koalas , elephants ,

324-549: A Chase McCain minifigure and a constructible Police Helicopter. In 2019, Nickelodeon premiered a new series in June of that year, based on the Lego City theme. The series, titled Lego City Adventures features the newly introduced named characters from the brand as they do their daily jobs in the fictional metropolis. In 2023, Lego released a new series of shorts based off their recent 'No Limits' theming for city, releasing once

432-500: A Lego City themed land was introduced to Legoland Florida , featuring Ford Driving School, Ford Jr. Driving School, Flying School, Boating School and Rescue Academy. In 2012, a Lego City themed land was introduced to Legoland Malaysia Resort . The City area is designed as a miniature town with attractions and rides controlled by children. The area featuring Boating School, Driving School, Junior Driving School, Lego City Airport, Legoland Express, Rescue Academy and The Shipyard. In 2017,

540-500: A Lego City themed land was introduced to Legoland Japan Resort . Lego City is on the park's north side, with fun activities for the children and family to do together, like the Junior Driving School where children learn to drive an electric car and receive a driver's license at the end of the ride. Coast Guard HQ allows the driver to take the wheel in a gentle and relaxing boat ride. Besides showing children how to drive,

648-562: A Lego City themed land was introduced to Legoland New York a land that is made to look like a city and based on the Lego City toy theme. The area featuring Coast Guard Academy, Driving School, Fire Academy and Junior Driving School. Lego City 4D - Officer in Pursuit was released in Legoland California Resort on 12 April 2019 and then rolled out to other Legoland Parks and Legoland Discovery Centres in 2019. It

756-774: 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 . A precursor to

864-548: A drilling/production oil-platform in 20 ft (6.1 m) of water some 18 miles off Vermilion Parish, Louisiana . Kerr-McGee Oil Industries, as operator for partners Phillips Petroleum ( ConocoPhillips ) and Stanolind Oil & Gas ( BP ), completed its historic Ship Shoal Block 32 well in November 1947, months before Superior actually drilled a discovery from their Vermilion platform farther offshore. In any case, that made Kerr-McGee's Gulf of Mexico well, Kermac No. 16,

972-494: 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

1080-429: A later term coined in analogy with the minifigure. This is the reason why the usual figures are "mini". 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

1188-515: A lighting and heating fuel, the demand for petroleum increased greatly, and by the early twentieth century had become the most valuable commodity traded on world markets. Imperial Russia produced 3,500 tons of oil in 1825 and doubled its output by mid-century. After oil drilling began in the region of present-day Azerbaijan in 1846, in Baku , the Russian Empire built two large pipelines:

SECTION 10

#1732790651935

1296-557: A market share. For example: Midstream operations are sometimes classified within the downstream sector, but these operations compose a separate and discrete sector of the petroleum industry. Midstream operations and processes include the following: While some upstream companies carry out certain midstream operations, the midstream sector is dominated by a number of companies that specialize in these services. Midstream companies include: The oil and gas industry spends only 0.4% of its net sales on research & development (R&D) which

1404-406: A mechanical torso, a conjoined leg piece, and a head. This configuration is also used for many Star Wars droids ; 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

1512-609: 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. 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

1620-533: A number of Lego video games . Lego Island for example features an Octan gas station and the company sponsors the race track. In The Lego Movie , Octan is the base company of the main antagonist Lord Business (voiced by Will Ferrell ). His company is the producer of almost all of the commodities in his dominion. In a number of Town and City sets it is shown that Octan has a racing team that competes in at least Formula One, GT racing and rallying. A video game developed by TT Fusion called Lego City Undercover

1728-551: A precursor to the minifigure was introduced, in the same scale but without moving parts. These "stiffs" (as they are nicknamed by LEGO enthusiasts) were still unable to ride the vehicles. This was changed with the new minifigures - in 1978 in Europa and 1979 in North America the first vehicles that were minifigure compatible were also released, although some smaller sets still combined the minifigure with model vehicles. In 1980,

1836-518: 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 Wars battle 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

1944-507: 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

2052-517: A success, with over 4 billion produced worldwide as of 2020. 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

2160-420: A typical minifigure is 4 centimetres (1.6 in). 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

2268-452: A variety of dinosaurs , spiders , snakes , smaller fish , sharks , squids , owls , crabs , parrots , alligators , centaurs or the varactyl from Revenge of the Sith . 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

SECTION 20

#1732790651935

2376-461: 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. Oil company The petroleum industry , also known as the oil industry , includes the global processes of exploration , extraction , refining , transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines ), and marketing of petroleum products . The largest volume products of

2484-459: A week starting in August. This series focused on a small friend group of extreme-stunt vloggers pushing their limits in the city. In 2002, a Lego City themed land was introduced to Legoland Deutschland Resort , featuring Airport, Harbour Cruise, Hyundai Legoland Driving School, Hyundai Legoland Junior Driving School, Lego Factory, Legoland Express, Power Builder and Shipyard Playground. In 2011,

2592-521: 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. Most of these early facial additions were still centered around

2700-412: Is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a tough material that makes LEGO figures durable. 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

2808-522: Is a fictional oil company that has appeared in multiple Lego sets since 1992. Prior to this, logos of the real-world oil companies were used. Esso was used up until 1966 , when it was replaced by Shell in all markets except the United States , where Exxon was used instead. The Shell logo continued to be used on promotional sets after that time. In 2014, Lego announced it would not renew its marketing agreement with Shell, under pressure from

2916-407: Is currently located in all Legoland parks and Legoland Discovery Centres and is available at scheduled times alongside other short films, including The Lego Movie: 4D – A New Adventure and Lego Ninjago: Master of the 4th Dimension . In November 2021, Lego City themed land was announced for the upcoming launch of Legoland Shanghai Resort in 2024. In September 2016, The Lego Group reported that

3024-652: Is generally accepted that oil is formed mostly from the carbon rich remains of ancient plankton after exposure to heat and pressure in Earth 's crust over hundreds of millions of years. Over time, the decayed residue was covered by layers of mud and silt, sinking further down into Earth's crust and preserved there between hot and pressured layers, gradually transforming into oil reservoirs . Petroleum in an unrefined state has been utilized by humans for over 5000 years. Oil in general has been used since early human history to keep fires ablaze and in warfare . Its importance to

3132-521: Is in comparison with a range of other industries the lowest share. Governments such as the United States government provide a heavy public subsidy to petroleum companies , with major tax breaks at various stages of oil exploration and extraction, including the costs of oil field leases and drilling equipment. In recent years, enhanced oil recovery techniques – most notably multi-stage drilling and hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") – have moved to

3240-597: Is often employed by means of aerobic degradation. More recently, other bioremediative methods have been explored such as phytoremediation and thermal remediation. The industry is the largest industrial source of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a group of chemicals that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone ( smog ). The combustion of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases and other air pollutants as by-products. Pollutants include nitrogen oxides , sulphur dioxide , volatile organic compounds and heavy metals . Researchers have discovered that

3348-638: Is vital to many industries, and is necessary for the maintenance of industrial civilization in its current configuration, making it a critical concern for many nations. Oil accounts for a large percentage of the world's energy consumption , ranging from a low of 32% for Europe and Asia, to a high of 53% for the Middle East. Other geographic regions' consumption patterns are as follows: South and Central America (44%), Africa (41%), and North America (40%). The world consumes 36 billion barrels (5.8 km ) of oil per year, with developed nations being

Lego City - Misplaced Pages Continue

3456-485: The Fabuland collection, produced in the 1980s, consisted of larger anthropomorphized animal 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

3564-477: 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 are Lego figurines that are taller and more muscular then regular minifigures which were introduced in 2008. Though most share

3672-662: 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 (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

3780-490: The Grogu figure uses this body mold. 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. In 2001, Lego further expanded

3888-417: The Star Wars character C-3PO (4521221) were released in random Lego Star Wars sets in 2007. The most extreme design variations were an edition of five minifigures of C-3PO , released in 2008, and two minifigures of the character Boba Fett , released in 2010, cast in solid 14-karat gold with a figure estimated to cost between $ 10,000 and $ 15,000. NASA 's Juno spacecraft which entered orbit around

3996-631: The Toy Retailers Association . In 2010, Airport (set number: 3182) and Cargo Truck (set number: 3221) were awarded "DreamToys" in the Creative Play category by the Toy Retailers Association . In 2011, Harbour (set number: 4645), Police Boat (set number: 7287) and Police Station (set number: 7498) were awarded "DreamToys" in the Construction category by the Toy Retailers Association . In 2012, Mine (set number: 4204)

4104-539: The Toy Retailers Association . In 2018, Arctic Mobile Exploration Base (set number: 60195) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Play, Set & Match category by the Toy Retailers Association . In 2019, Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control (set number: 60228) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Trains, Planes and Automobiles category by the Toy Retailers Association . In 2020, Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control (set number: 60228)

4212-625: The Trains theme was completely revamped to complement the Town sets. By 1983, the remaining vehicle based sets that were not minifigure compatible had been discontinued. All sets were originally released under the "LEGOLAND" label until it was discontinued and replaced with "Lego System" branding in 1991. Eventually, different sub-themes under the "Town" brand were used to tie together related sets, such as police, coast guard, emergency services, airport, road rescue, trains, fire, and harbor. In 1999 Lego Town

4320-582: The petrochemical industry can produce ground-level ozone pollution at higher amounts in winter than in summer. Greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuels drive climate change . In 1959, at a symposium organised by the American Petroleum Institute for the centennial of the American oil industry , the physicist Edward Teller warned of the danger of global climate change . Edward Teller explained that carbon dioxide "in

4428-482: 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. Various minifigures from multiple themes have been released as keychains . The pieces of these figures are inseparable and

Lego City - Misplaced Pages Continue

4536-512: The world economy however, evolved slowly, with whale oil being used for lighting in the 19th century and wood and coal used for heating and cooking well into the 20th century. Even though the Industrial Revolution generated an increasing need for energy, this was initially met mainly by coal, and from other sources including whale oil. However, when it was discovered that kerosene could be extracted from crude oil and used as

4644-590: The 1880s. In the early 1930s the Texas Company developed the first mobile steel barges for drilling in the brackish coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico . In 1937 Pure Oil Company (now part of Chevron Corporation ) and its partner Superior Oil Company (now part of ExxonMobil Corporation ) used a fixed platform to develop a field in 14 feet (4.3 m) of water, one mile (1.6 km) offshore of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana . In early 1947 Superior Oil erected

4752-625: The 833 km long pipeline to transport oil from the Caspian to the Black Sea port of Batum (Baku-Batum pipeline), completed in 1906, and the 162 km long pipeline to carry oil from Chechnya to the Caspian. The first drilled oil wells in Baku were built in 1871–1872 by Ivan Mirzoev , an Armenian businessman who is referred to as one of the 'founding fathers' of Baku's oil industry. At

4860-537: The City alongside Friends , Creator , Classic, Technic , Speed Champions , Monkie Kid , Ninjago , Collectible Minifigures and DOTS themes were continue until at least 2023. From 1991 to 2002, sub-themes included Arctic, Boats, City Center, Classic, Coastguard, Construction, Drivers, Extreme Team, Fire, Flight, Football, Launch Command, Leisure, Maintenance, Medical, Outback, Paradisa, Police, Race, Racing, Res-Q, Shell, Space Port, Telekom, and Vehicles. From 2005 to

4968-586: The East Indies oil-supply (especially via submarine campaigns ) considerably weakened Japan in the latter part of the war. After World War II ended in 1945, the countries of the Middle East took the lead in oil production from the United States. Important developments since World War II include deep-water drilling, the introduction of the drillship , and the growth of a global shipping network for petroleum – relying upon oil tankers and pipelines. In 1949

5076-464: The LUL figures, only the torso and the hips of magnet minifigures are inseparable. 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,

5184-610: 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. Lego Duplo includes figures that have less articulation than standard minifigures and cannot be disassembled for safety reasons . Likewise,

5292-509: The Lego City theme. Outside of Lego City's generic city and town life based sets that are released regularly (with Fire and Police being the two most prolific - both of which have been the flagship sets throughout the history of the theme), City has had various subthemes, many of which are recurring. Under the Lego Town theme, the subthemes released during the 1990s and early 2000s also had individualized branding and labeling. In 2003 and 2004,

5400-399: The Lego City, Lego Star Wars , Lego Ninjago and Lego Nexo Knights themes had delivered a turnover of DKK 15,692 million in the first half of 2016, a sales increase of 10 per cent compared with the same period in the previous year. In March 2022, The Lego Group reported that the Lego City, Lego Technic , Lego Creator Expert , Lego Harry Potter and Lego Star Wars themes had earned for

5508-581: The Lego City, Lego Technic, Lego Icons, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Star Wars themes had earned for the full year of 2022. Revenue for the year grew 17 percent to DKK 64.6 billion and consumer sales grew 12 percent in 2022, achieving growth in all major market groups with especially strong performance in the Americas and Western Europe. In August 2023, The Lego Group reported that the Lego Icons, Lego Star Wars, Lego Technic and Lego City themes had earned for

SECTION 50

#1732790651935

5616-779: The Middle East. The expansion of Imperial Japan to the south aimed largely at accessing the oil-fields of the Dutch East Indies. Germany, cut off from sea-borne oil supplies by Allied blockade , failed in Operation Edelweiss to secure the Caucasus oil-fields for the Axis military in 1942, while Romania deprived the Wehrmacht of access to Ploesti oilfields – the largest in Europe – from August 1944. Cutting off

5724-554: The Rescue Academy offers a fun experience where teamwork is needed to put out fires. The resort also has a Lego cinema where everyone is welcome to watch Lego movies. Lego City has various places to visit such as the Studio Store, Heartlake Shop, and City Shop, each shop with a different theme. There are also three places to buy snacks or lunch, Pit Stop Juice ‘n’ Drive, Brick House Burgers and Marina Snack Shack. In 2021,

5832-558: 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. Lego Nanofigures are miniature versions of original minifigures, following

5940-764: The advent of hydraulic fracturing and other horizontal drilling techniques, shale play has seen an enormous uptick in production. Areas of shale such as the Permian Basin and Eagle-Ford have become huge hotbeds of production for the largest oil corporations in the United States. The American Petroleum Institute divides the petroleum industry into five sectors: Oil companies used to be classified by sales as " supermajors " ( BP , Chevron , ExxonMobil , ConocoPhillips , Shell , Eni and TotalEnergies ), "majors", and "independents" or "jobbers". In recent years however, National Oil Companies (NOC, as opposed to IOC, International Oil Companies) have come to control

6048-422: The annual City Advent Calendars would be based on the show specifically, rather than Lego City in general. In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by police, Lego made an announcement that they would temporarily stop marketing police-related Lego City sets. Due to misinformation claiming that they removed these sets from being sold that led to backlash, Lego issued a follow-up statement emphasizing that

6156-527: The area. Canada's first gusher (flowing well) erupted on January 16, 1862, when local oil-man John Shaw struck oil at 158 feet (48 m). For a week the oil gushed unchecked at levels reported as high as 3,000 barrels per day. The first modern oil-drilling in the United States began in West Virginia and Pennsylvania in the 1850s. Edwin Drake 's 1859 well near Titusville, Pennsylvania , typically considered

6264-462: 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. 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

6372-628: The atmosphere causes a greenhouse effect " and that burning more fossil fuels could "melt the icecaps and submerge New York". The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , founded by the United Nations in 1988, concludes that human-sourced greenhouse gases are responsible for most of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the twentieth century. As a result of climate change concerns, many people have begun using other methods of energy such as solar and wind. This recent shift has some petroleum enthusiasts skeptical about

6480-753: 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 . Other legs include smoke legs, mermaid tail legs, snake tail legs and octopus legs. Minifigures have also featured unique head sculpts that differ from

6588-506: The environmental group Greenpeace . Octan first appeared in the 1992 sets "6397 Gas N' Wash Express" and "6594 Gas Transit". Since the release of the Octan name, Lego has not signed any further deals with Shell or other gas corporations, as Octan was made the primary vehicle fluid company. Octan (or oktan ) is the Danish word for octane , a component of gasoline . Octan has appeared in

SECTION 60

#1732790651935

6696-524: 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. Creator sets also often feature animals built entirely of more classic Lego bricks. Some droids from Star Wars , such as droidekas , dwarf- and homing spider droids and pit droids and various animals and other creatures, appearing in themes like Harry Potter , The Lord of

6804-677: The figures over the torso, such as air tanks, jet packs, paper or fabric capes , 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

6912-516: 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 personalised minifigures in place of business cards , with email addresses and telephone numbers details on

7020-523: The first ever well drilled with percussion tools to a depth of 21 meters for oil exploration. In 1878 Ludvig Nobel and his Branobel company "revolutionized oil transport" by commissioning the first oil tanker and launching it on the Caspian Sea . Samuel Kier established America's first oil refinery in Pittsburgh on Seventh avenue near Grant Street in 1853. Ignacy Łukasiewicz built one of

7128-555: The first modern oil-refineries near Jasło (then in the Austrian dependent Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria in Central European Galicia ), present-day Poland, in 1854–56. Galician refineries were initially small, as demand for refined fuel was limited. The refined products were used in artificial asphalt, machine oil and lubricants, in addition to Łukasiewicz's kerosene lamp . As kerosene lamps gained popularity,

7236-617: The first offshore oil-drilling at Oil Rocks (Neft Dashlari) in the Caspian Sea off Azerbaijan eventually resulted in a city built on pylons. In the 1960s and 1970s, multi-governmental organizations of oil–producing nations – OPEC and OAPEC – played a major role in setting petroleum prices and policy. Oil spills and their cleanup have become an issue of increasing political, environmental, and economic importance. New fields of hydrocarbon production developed in places such as Siberia, Sakhalin , Venezuela and North and West Africa. With

7344-578: The first oil discovery drilled out of sight of land. Forty-four Gulf of Mexico exploratory wells discovered 11 oil and natural gas fields by the end of 1949. During World War II (1939–1945) control of oil supply from Romania, Baku, the Middle East and the Dutch East Indies played a huge role in the events of the war and the ultimate victory of the Allies . The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran (1941) secured Allied control of oil-production in

7452-526: The first six months of 2023. Revenue was DKK 27.4 billion, a growth of 1% compared with H1 2022. Consumer sales grew 3% outperforming a declining toy market and contributing to strong market share growth. In 2008, Lego City was awarded "Toy of the Year" and also "Activity Toy of the Year" by the Toy Association . In 2009, Garage (set number: 7642) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Construction category by

7560-631: The first true modern oil well , touched off a major boom. In the first quarter of the 20th century, the United States overtook Russia as the world's largest oil producer. By the 1920s, oil fields had been established in many countries including Canada, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, the United States, Peru and Venezuela. The first successful oil tanker , the Zoroaster , was built in 1878 in Sweden, designed by Ludvig Nobel . It operated from Baku to Astrakhan . A number of new tanker designs developed in

7668-812: The forefront of the industry as this new technology plays a crucial and controversial role in new methods of oil extraction. Some petroleum industry operations have been responsible for water pollution through by-products of refining and oil spills . Though hydraulic fracturing has significantly increased natural gas extraction, there is some belief and evidence to support that consumable water has seen increased in methane contamination due to this gas extraction. Leaks from underground tanks and abandoned refineries may also contaminate groundwater in surrounding areas. Hydrocarbons that comprise refined petroleum are resistant to biodegradation and have been found to remain present in contaminated soils for years. To hasten this process, bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants

7776-599: 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. 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. Lego released multiple minifigures made of metal instead of plastic. 10 000 gold-colored chrome minifigures of

7884-799: 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. 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 and many people buy and sell these on eBay and other sites such as BrickLink . Various stop motion animated films and television series are made using Lego minifigures. 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

7992-506: The full year of 2021. Revenue for the year grew 27 percent versus 2020 to DKK 55.3 billion and consumer sales grew 22 percent over the same period, outpacing the toy industry and driving market share growth globally and in largest markets. On 28 September 2022, The Lego Group reported that the Lego Star Wars , Lego Technic , Lego Icons (formerly Creator Expert), Lego City, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Friends themes had earned for

8100-418: 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

8208-446: 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". The arms incorporated clips as "hands" which allowed to figures to hold

8316-539: The industry are fuel oil and gasoline (petrol). Petroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products , including pharmaceuticals , solvents , fertilizers , pesticides , synthetic fragrances , and plastics . The industry is usually divided into three major components: upstream , midstream , and downstream . Upstream regards exploration and extraction of crude oil , midstream encompasses transportation and storage of crude, and downstream concerns refining crude oil into various end products . Petroleum

8424-621: 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. 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;

8532-417: The largest consumers. The United States consumed 18% of the oil produced in 2015. The production, distribution, refining, and retailing of petroleum taken as a whole represents the world's largest industry in terms of dollar value. Petroleum is a naturally occurring liquid found in rock formations. It consists of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, plus other organic compounds. It

8640-454: 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

8748-591: 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. 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. These were designed by Jens Nygaard Knudsen, who had come up with

8856-507: The modular design of Lego elements. 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. 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,

8964-486: The number of new minifigures per year is increasing rapidly. In 2010 more than 300 new minifigures were introduced. 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). The height of

9072-671: 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,

9180-531: The only town-based sets were released under the "World City" label. Since the launch of City in 2005, they are just labeled as City sets but often have multiple sets based around a single concept released at the same time during Lego's release schedule. Many of these subthemes would diverge notably from the urban city life depicted in general sets, including such themes as leisure resorts, rural farming and space port rocket launching. In September 2021, Matthew Ashton, The Lego Group's Vice President of Design announced

9288-538: 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 Batman Arkham Asylum set. Old Boba Fett and Jango Fett minifigures had helmet pieces which back half stretched down to the minifigures' back in

9396-517: The present, sub-themes have included Airport, Arctic, Cargo, Coast Guard, Construction, Deep Sea Explorers, Farm, Fire, General, Harbour, Jungle, Medical, Mining, Police, Seasonal, Space, Town, Trains, Traffic, Volcano Explorers, and Wildlife Rescue. Stuntz is a sub-theme and was launched on 1 October 2021. Total of 10 sets being released and featured fly-wheel powered bike functionality. Also included launch ramps, flywheel stunt bikes, obstacles, building Lego flames and dare-devil type challenges. Octan

9504-590: The refining industry grew in the area. The first commercial oil-well in Canada became operational in 1858 at Oil Springs, Ontario (then Canada West ). Businessman James Miller Williams dug several wells between 1855 and 1858 before discovering a rich reserve of oil four metres below ground. Williams extracted 1.5 million litres of crude oil by 1860, refining much of it into kerosene-lamp oil. Some historians challenge Canada's claim to North America's first oil field , arguing that Pennsylvania 's famous Drake Well

9612-558: The rights over the largest oil reserves; by this measure the top ten companies all are NOC. The following table shows the ten largest national oil companies ranked by reserves and by production in 2012. Most upstream work in the oil field or on an oil well is contracted out to drilling contractors and oil field service companies. Aside from the NOCs which dominate the Upstream sector, there are many international companies that have

9720-526: 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. In 2016, a new mold for a minifigure-style human baby

9828-484: 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". Within

9936-797: 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. 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

10044-641: The sets were still for sale and that digital advertising for the sets would just be temporarily halted. In January 2021, Lego released a new plate-based road system for the City theme that differed from its predecessor, which used baseplates whose height equaled one-half of plate. However, this system was criticized by some members of the Lego community due to its alleged incompatibility with the former baseplates, which had been gradually reduced in usage and limited to sets such as Lego Modular Buildings , and are less cost-effective. According to BrickLink , The Lego Group has released 1476 playsets and promotional packs of

10152-451: The six months ending 30 June 2022. Revenue for the period grew 17 percent to DKK 27.0 billion compared with the same period in 2021, driven by strong demand. Consumer sales grew 13 percent, significantly ahead of the toy industry, contributing to global market share growth. In January 2023, Farmers Market (set number: 60345) was listed as one of "The Best Lego Sets for Kids in 2023" by  IGN . In March 2023, The Lego Group reported that

10260-466: 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 . Shorter legs, without joints at

10368-621: 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. 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

10476-602: The turn of the 20th century, Imperial Russia's output of oil, almost entirely from the Apsheron Peninsula , accounted for half of the world's production and dominated international markets. Nearly 200 small refineries operated in the suburbs of Baku by 1884. As a side effect of these early developments, the Apsheron Peninsula emerged as the world's "oldest legacy of oil pollution and environmental negligence". In 1846 Baku (Bibi-Heybat settlement) featured

10584-546: 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

10692-442: 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. By 2006, Lego had reportedly produced 4 billion minifigures. There are at least 3,655 different minifigures produced between 1975 and 2010 and

10800-400: 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

10908-470: 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

11016-634: Was awarded "DreamToys" in the Build It And They Will Thrive category by the Toy Retailers Association . In 2016, Volcano Exploration Base (set number: 60124) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Action Station category by the Toy Retailers Association . In 2017, Coast Guard 4x4 Response Unit (set number: 60165) and Jungle Exploration Site (set number: 60161) were awarded "DreamToys" in the Build It, Make It, Do It category by

11124-559: Was awarded "DreamToys" in the Construction category by the Toy Retailers Association . In 2013, Coast Guard (set number: 60014) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Granny Knows Best category by the Toy Retailers Association . In 2014, Mobile Police Unit (set number: 60044) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Build The World category by the Toy Retailers Association . In 2015, Deep Sea Exploration Vessel (set number: 60095)

11232-595: Was awarded "Toy of the Year" and also "Construction Toy of the Year" by the Toy Association . In 2021, Stunt Show Truck (set number: 60294) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Everybody's Building category by the Toy Retailers Association . Lego minifigure A Lego minifigure , often simply referred to as a Lego figure or a minifig , is a small plastic articulated figurine made of special Lego bricks produced by Danish building toy manufacturer The Lego Group . They were first produced in 1978 and have been

11340-609: 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,

11448-514: Was released for the Wii U on March 18, 2013; a port of the game was released April 4, 2017, on Microsoft Windows , Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , and Xbox One . A prequel to the game was also released for the Nintendo 3DS on April 21, 2013. Lego City content, based on Lego City Undercover , was added to the toys-to-life video game Lego Dimensions on May 9, 2017, via a "fun pack" containing

11556-555: Was replaced by City which was known as Lego City Center in The United States . The theme was discontinued in 2002, and replaced by Lego World City in 2003. During the Christmas season, a City-themed advent calendar set is sold through the online Lego Shop and at retailers. On June 22, 2019, Lego City Adventures aired on Nickelodeon during a Saturday morning lineup along with SpongeBob SquarePants . From 2020 on,

11664-411: Was the continent's first. But there is evidence to support Williams, not least of which is that the Drake well did not come into production until August 28, 1859. The controversial point might be that Williams found oil above bedrock while Edwin Drake 's well located oil within a bedrock reservoir . The discovery at Oil Springs touched off an oil boom which brought hundreds of speculators and workers to

#934065