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76-741: Legoland Deutschland was opened by the LEGO Group on May 17, 2002, in Günzburg, Germany , nine months earlier than planned. During the initial operating year, the park welcomed 1.35 million visitors. In 2005 the four Legoland parks were sold to Merlin Entertainments in a 375 million Euro deal. Although generally credited as the fourth Legoland park to open and the first in Germany, an earlier theme park (now Hansa-Park ) in Sierksdorf used

152-550: A 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) Peppa Pig theme park in the resort simply titled "Peppa Pig Theme Park" for 2022. It will be the first standalone theme park based on the children's property, as well as the first second dry park and the first non-Lego related theme park to open in a Legoland Resort. Peppa Pig Theme Park is separately ticketed from the Legoland Florida park in the resort, but bundled two-day, two-park tickets to visit both parks are available. On August 13, 2021,

228-722: A Legoland theme park on the site of the former Cypress Gardens theme park, which permanently ceased operations in 2009. Six days later, a news conference was held with Florida Governor Charlie Crist and park officials. The story broke a day before the press conference after an email between public officials was obtained by a local newspaper; the sale price was $ 22.3 million. After a relatively short construction period (as compared to parks which were built from scratch), Legoland Florida opened on Saturday, October 15, 2011. The park expanded by adding more lands such as The World of Chima (Jul 2013), Heartlake City (Jun 2015), and Lego Ninjago World (Jan 2017) as well as expanding itself as

304-475: A factory in Switzerland . In 2011, sales for the company grew 11%, rising from US$ 2,847 million in 2010 to US$ 3,495 million in 2011. Profit for the 2011 fiscal year increased from US$ 661 million to US$ 776 million. The increased profit was due to the enormous popularity of the new brand Ninjago , which became the company's biggest product introduction ever. In 2012, it was reported that

380-433: A handwritten letter to Lego from a seven-year-old American girl, Charlotte Benjamin, received widespread attention in the media. In it, the young author complained that there were "more Lego boy people and barely any Lego girls" and observed that "all the girls did was sit at home, go to the beach, and shop, and they had no jobs, but the boys went on adventures, worked, saved people … even swam with sharks". In June 2014, it

456-565: A lower cost than Lego sets. One such competitor is Coko, manufactured by Chinese company Tianjin Coko Toy Co., Ltd. In 2002, Lego Group's Swiss subsidiary Interlego AG sued the company for copyright infringement . A trial court found many Coko bricks to be infringing; Coko was ordered to cease manufacture of the infringing bricks, publish a formal apology in the Beijing Daily , and pay a small fee in damages to Interlego. On appeal,

532-459: A previous delay from April 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . This hotel is themed to pirates. More than fifty rides, shows, and attractions are featured in the park based on those at other Legoland parks. The Jungle Coaster ride from Legoland Windsor was moved to the park and renamed Lego Technic Test Track (now The Great Lego Race). Cypress Gardens' botanical park was preserved as part of

608-511: A resort. On November 21, 2013, LEGOLAND Florida announced they would be adding their first onsite hotel, the LEGOLAND Hotel. It opened to the public on May 15, 2015. A second resort, LEGOLAND Beach Retreat, was announced March 15, 2016 as part of a major expansion effort and it opened on April 7, 2017, approximately 3 ⁄ 4 mile (1.2 km) east of the theme park, on the western shore of Lake Dexter . The most recent development

684-694: A retail park environment. Legoland Japan Resort was opened in 2017 in Nagoya, Japan . Legoland Water Park Gardaland in Castelnuovo del Garda , Italy and Legoland New York in Goshen, New York , the largest of ten Legoland parks as of 2024, was opened in 2021. In June 2019, the Lego Group purchased the remaining shares in Merlin Entertainments which they did not own and privatised

760-508: A week of its online release in August 2014. The BBC's Tom de Castella reported that Kooijman was pleased with the set's final design, despite the addition of face makeup to her original proposal, and that Becky Francis , professor of education and social justice at King's College London , who had been "very, very disappointed" by Lego Friends, is a fan. In June 2021, Lego released a set entitled " Everyone Is Awesome " to celebrate and recognize

836-449: A “Find my car” feature, and a day planner that has all of the day's events listed for visitors. Legoland Deutschland also introduced the electronic “express pass” which allows guests to purchase either a Standard, Premium or Gold express pass, allowing guests reserve a spot in the queue line for select attractions. In 2013, the CEO of the park, Aksel Pedersen, announced the largest expansion in

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912-504: Is also where guests can purchase an Express Pass and visit tourist information booths. At the information booths, guests can find out more information about the park. At the reception outside of the park, guests are able to check in the Holiday Village. Miniland contains 1:20 scale recreations of various European cities and landscapes such as Berlin , Frankfurt , Venice , Swabian Village , The Netherlands , Hamburg Harbour ,

988-487: Is in support of innovative play-based learning for neurodivergent children and turn, will award funding to 25 enterprises in support of innovative learning for autistic children and children with ADHD . Legoland Florida Resort Legoland Florida Resort (stylized as LEGOLAND Florida Resort ) is a vacation destination in Winter Haven , Florida . The resort features the Legoland Florida theme park itself,

1064-520: Is the first Legoland in Asia and was quickly followed by another Lego-themed water park in the same area. The first Lego hotel has also opened near the site. People who stay in the hotel will also get tickets to the theme park and water park. The September 2016 they opened Legoland Dubai. In addition, they opened four new Legoland Discovery Centres , which take the Legoland concept and scale it down to suit

1140-550: Is the largest Legoland opened to date at 145 acres, and only one of the Legoland parks opened in the United States. The other Legoland (opened at a later date) water park was opened near the same location on 26 May 2012 after only four months of construction. Merlin Entertainments opened their second new Legoland park in Iskandar Puteri , Malaysia under the name Legoland Malaysia Resort on 22 September 2012. It

1216-664: The Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) at Walt Disney World in Orlando , Florida . Between 1999 and 2005, Lego opened 24 further stores in North America in 23 states. As of 2023, 112 Lego stores are operating in North America in 35 US states and five Canadian provinces. These stores sell various Lego merchandise, including minifigures , Pick-a-Brick, and custom packaged minifigures. The first Lego store in India

1292-806: The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media . On 3 March 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , the LEGO Foundation stated it would donate approximately US$ 16.5   million to organizations including UNICEF , Save the Children , and the Danish Red Cross for emergency relief efforts. In April 2022, The LEGO Foundation announced the launch of the company's $ 20 million play-based learning initiative. The grant programme launched as part of Autism Acceptance Month,

1368-606: The LGBTQ+ community. The set includes over 300 pieces and has 11 monochrome minifigures in the colours of the Rainbow flag . In October 2021, Lego Group launched a campaign named "Ready for Girls" as part of its celebration of the UN's International Day of the Girl . The company also announced its plan to remove gender stereotypes from the toy(s) following a review of a study commissioned by

1444-853: The Majid Al Futtaim Group , which opened 6 stores in 2015 (4 in the United Arab Emirates , and 2 in Kuwait ). In 2023 there is a total of 423 stores operated by franchisees, mostly in Australia, Asia and South America. October 2002 saw a significant change in the Lego Group's direct retail policy with the opening of the first so-called Lego Brand Store in Cologne , Germany. The second, in Milton Keynes , UK, followed quickly – several dozen more opened worldwide over

1520-547: The Neuschwanstein Castle and several tall buildings from around the world including Legoland's own observation tower which is also to scale. All of the recreations were built entirely of 25 million Lego bricks. Many of the people, animals and vehicles can be moved by hitting a button. Miniland also housed several Star Wars models: seven scenes reproduced from the franchise, including large Yoda and Darth Vader models. These Star Wars models were removed after

1596-597: The "Best Family Amusement park". Additionally in 2013, Legoland Deutschland received the Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice 2013 Award. The Lego Group The Lego Group (also known as Lego System A/S or formally Lego A/S ) is a Danish construction toy production company based in Billund , Denmark. It manufactures Lego -branded toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks around

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1672-664: The 2019 season. In 2008, Legoland opened the first ever Legoland Holiday Village directly across from the Legoland Deutschland theme park. Holiday Village is an 11-hectare village with 72 holiday houses, 4 hotels, 39 camping barrels and a campsite. Legoland Deutschland Resort offers the following accommodations at Legoland Holiday Village: In 2011 and 2012, Legoland Deutschland won the Parkscout Award of "Germany's Most Child-Friendly Theme Park". In 2012/2013, Legoland Deutschland won another Parkscout Award for

1748-527: The Beijing High People's Court upheld the trial court's ruling. In 2003, the Lego Group won a lawsuit in Norway against the marketing group Biltema for its sale of Coko products, because the company used product confusion for marketing purposes. Also in 2003, a large shipment of Lego-like products marketed under the name "Enlighten" was seized by Finnish customs authorities. The packaging of

1824-669: The Blackstone subsidiary Merlin Entertainments . Under the terms of the deal, the Lego Group would take a 30% share in Merlin Entertainments and positions on their board. The sale of the theme parks was part of a wider strategy to restructure the company to focus on the core business of toy products. In 2010, Merlin Entertainments opened the first Legoland water park at the Legoland California site. On 15 October 2011, Merlin Entertainments opened their first new Legoland park, Legoland Florida , in Winter Haven, Florida . It

1900-586: The Christiansen family, was among the first inductees to the U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998. Additionally, it was recognized as “Toy of the Century” by several organizations in 2000. LEGO bricks have been utilized in various creative projects, including large-scale replicas of famous monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and Mount Rushmore, as well as modern art installations. In the 21st century,

1976-544: The Cypress Gardens site, Splash Island was reworked with Lego themes replacing the original Polynesian-themed attractions. The Legoland Water Park also added a sixth attraction, a toddler water play area named Duplo Splash Safari , which featured slides and fountains in a shallow pool. The park reopened under its new name on May 26, 2012. Admission to the Water Park requires purchase of an admission ticket to

2052-478: The Enlighten products was similar to official Lego packaging. Their Chinese manufacturer failed to appear in court, and thus Lego won a default action ordering the destruction of the shipment. Lego Group footed the bill for the disposal of the 54,000 sets, citing a desire to avoid brand confusion and protect consumers from potentially inferior products. In 2004, Best-Lock defeated a patent challenge from Lego in

2128-521: The Kirk Kristiansen family, owners of Lego, operate three private jets that have flown over 1,000 times between 2020 and 2023, often to destinations linked to vacations and events related to the family's hobby of horse riding. As private aviation is emitting considerable amounts of greenhouse gasses , reports raise concerns about the contrast between the family's private activities and Lego's public commitment to sustainability. In January 2014,

2204-549: The LEGO brand expanded into various electronic games, including a series of Minifigure-based action-adventure games inspired by popular cultural franchises such as Star Wars , Batman , Marvel Comics , and the Harry Potter series. The brand also released The LEGO Movie (2014), a computer-animated feature film centered on the adventures of LEGO Minifigures. A spin-off, The LEGO Batman Movie (2017), focused on one of

2280-553: The Lego Group faced a budget deficit of kr.  1.4 billion ( US$ 220 million at then-current exchange rates; equal to € 175 million), causing Poul Plougmann to be replaced by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen as president. In the following year, almost one thousand employees were laid off, due to budget cuts. However, in October 2004, on reporting an even larger deficit, Kristiansen also stepped down as president, while placing kr. 800 million of his private funds into

2356-410: The Lego Group had become the world's most valuable toy company ahead of Mattel with a value of over US$ 14.6 billion. The Lego Group delivered a turnover of kr. 14,142 million in the first half of 2015 with an increase of 18% compared with the same period in 2014 measured in local currency (i.e. excluding the impact of foreign exchange rate changes). Net profit for the first half of 2015

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2432-400: The Lego Group under Lego's majority owner Kirkbi A/S , which allowed Create TV and Film to branch onto other projects. The company later produced Bionicle: Mask of Light , Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui and Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows for Creative Capers Entertainment . In 2005, Kirkbi A/S sold Create TV and Film to its chief executive officer , Vanessa Chapman, and the company

2508-455: The Lego Group. The company was founded as Lego Media in 1996 and headquartered in London, England. In February 1999, Lego Media announced their move into the girls' software industry, starting with Lego Friends . In May 2002, the company announced that begin distributing its titles through Electronic Arts . Eventually, the Lego Group opted out of the video game business and Lego Interactive

2584-650: The Lego system. He also built an airport in Billund to facilitate the sale of Lego toys around the world. In North America, Samsonite managed the Lego brand from 1961 until 1972 (United States) and 1986 (Canada). The name Lego is a contraction of the Danish words: "Leg godt" (English: "Play well"). However, the name also means in Latin either "I collect", "I compose", "I choose", or "I read". These additional meanings,

2660-595: The Legoland Water Park, three on-site accommodations and a separately-ticketed on-site park based on the British children's animated series Peppa Pig that opened on February 24, 2022. Built on the site of the former Cypress Gardens theme park, Legoland preserved the botanical gardens and re-themed the water park and select attractions and venues to reflect various Lego brands. On January 15, 2010, Merlin Entertainments declared its intention to build

2736-452: The Legoland branding under licence from the Lego Group from 1973 to 1976. All of the lighting for the park was done by Gallegos Lighting Design which had done the lighting for Legoland California Resort and the sound and video production for the park was done by Edward Technologies Inc. The park features Lego explore centers, roller coasters, water attractions and shows. When it opened in 2002, it contained 40 attractions, 7 themed lands and

2812-632: The Oberlandesgericht, Hamburg. The Lego Group has attempted to trademark the "Lego Indicia", the studded appearance of the Lego brick, hoping to stop production of Mega Brands . On 24 May 2002, the Federal Court of Canada dismissed the case, asserting the design was functional and therefore ineligible for trademark protection. The Lego Group's appeal was dismissed by the Federal Court of Appeal on 14 July 2003. In October 2005,

2888-473: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that "Trademark law should not be used to perpetuate monopoly rights enjoyed under now-expired patents" and held that Mega Bloks can continue to manufacture their bricks. Because of fierce competition from copycat products, the company has always responded by being proactive in its patenting and has over 600 United States–granted design patents to its name. In 2003,

2964-497: The U.S. National Register of Historic Places in April 2014. The following are individual attractions that have closed formerly operated throughout the park's history: As of 2018 only one section of the park has closed while another has been rethemed: The World of Chima was a section based on Lego's Legends of Chima sets and was sponsored by Cartoon Network throughout the area's lifespan. The area opened on July 3, 2013, and

3040-524: The UK. Designed for families with children ages 2 to 12, the park has more than fifty rides, shows, attractions, restaurants, and shops, plus the original Cypress Gardens that pays homage to the park's former usage. Unlike other select Legoland attractions, children are not required for entry . On February 25, 2021, as part of the company's exclusive multi-territory licensing agreement with Hasbro and Entertainment One , Merlin Entertainments announced to build

3116-472: The animated television series Peppa Pig called Peppa Pig Park Günzburg . It will be located next to the Legoland Deutschland theme park and is the second Legoland resort to receive a non-Lego attraction and Peppa Pig theme park after Florida . The park opened on May 19, 2024. The Great Lego Race The entrance area is where the guests first enter the park through one of twenty entrance gates. There are three shops and one food outlet in this area, and it

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3192-409: The characters introduced in the original film. Since the expiry of the last standing Lego patent in 1989, several companies have produced interlocking bricks that are similar to Lego bricks. The toy company Tyco Toys produced such bricks for a time; other competitors include Mega Bloks and Best-Lock . These competitor products are typically "compatible" with Lego bricks, and are often marketed at

3268-740: The city's Paradise Center . In 1992, when the Mall of America opened in Bloomington, Minnesota , one of its premier attractions was the Lego Imagination Center (LIC). An imagination centre is a large Lego store with displays of Lego sculptures and a play area with bins of bricks to build with. The store inventory includes a large selection of Lego sets for sale, including sets which are advertised in Lego catalogues as "Not Available in Any Store". A second imagination centre opened at

3344-481: The company made it to Forbes Top 100 World's Most Valuable Brands 2018, being 97th on the list. The Lego Group has built eleven amusement parks around the world, each known as Legoland . Each park features large-scale Lego models of famous landmarks and miniature Lego models of famous cities, along with Lego-themed rides. The first Legoland park was built in Lego's home town of Billund in Denmark in 1968. This

3420-437: The company. In 2005, the Lego Group reported a 2004 net loss of kr. 1,931 million on a total turnover, including Legoland amusement parks , of kr. 7,934 million. For 2005, the company returned a profit of kr. 702 million, having increased its revenue by 12% to kr. 7,050 million in 2005 against kr. 315 million in 2004. It also cut expenditures and disposed of amusement parks and

3496-1189: The company. This returned the operation of the Legoland parks to the control of the Lego Group. The Lego Group operates 171 retail stores in North America and Europe (99 in the United States, 19 in the United Kingdom, 18 in Germany , 13 in Canada , 9 in France , 6 in Poland , 3 in Denmark, 4 in the Netherlands , 2 in Austria , 2 in Belgium , 2 in Sweden , 1 in Spain , 1 in Israel , 2 in Ireland . and some in Italy ). The Lego Group also franchised its store brand to

3572-436: The difficulties in achieving the necessary durability and production efficiency. Despite previous commitments to reduce plastic waste, the company's recent efforts to create bricks from recycled plastic bottles did not result in the anticipated sustainable alternatives, as the production process resulted in a higher carbon footprint than anticipated. In 2024, investigative journalism by Danish news broadcaster DR revealed that

3648-440: The first half of the year, the first reported decrease in 13 years. The revenue losses are due to a more competitive environment, where the company has to compete not only against its traditional competitors Hasbro and Mattel , but also against technology companies such as Sony or Microsoft as more children use mobile devices for entertainment. The job cuts account for 8 per cent of the company's total workforce. In May 2018,

3724-451: The first three of which are very relevant, only made sense when the company started making plastic blocks with knobs (Lego blocks) so that they could be put together. The basic LEGO brick has remained unchanged since its patent, and this enduring design has been associated with the toy’s widespread popularity. These bricks have become a recognizable part of childhood in many parts of the world. The LEGO Group, which has remained family-owned by

3800-670: The five years ending on 31 December 2013. It is seeking alternatives to crude oil as the raw material for its bricks. In June 2015, this resulted in the establishment of the Lego Sustainable Materials Centre, which is expected to recruit more than 100 employees, as a significant step towards the 2030 ambition of finding and implementing sustainable alternatives to current materials. In 2023, online magazine Wired reported that Lego has faced challenges in transitioning from traditional acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene plastic to more sustainable materials due to

3876-477: The former F&B director, took over the position as general manager from Martin Kring. In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic , the park opened late on May 30 with only half of the normal capacity. On August 11, 2022, two roller coasters at the theme park collided with one another, causing more than thirty injuries. On June 30, 2023, it was announced that a second park would open in the resort in 2024, based on

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3952-607: The former Cypress Gardens park in March 2014. The gardens were the initial attraction at the site, which first opened in 1936. After the theme park reopened as Legoland Florida, the Oriental Gardens and Florida Pool within Cypress Gardens remained closed while repairs and landscaping were performed. The Florida Pool, named for its shape, was originally built for the 1953 film Easy to Love , starring Esther Williams . The gardens are owned by Polk County and were listed on

4028-650: The history of Legoland Deutschland and consisted of 86,000 Lego bricks. The park expanded by building the “Kingdom of the Pharaohs” themed land within Adventure Land which added the ride "Temple X-pedition" . Additionally in 2013, the park expanded the Star Wars Miniland Model Display when they added a Yoda Lego model display. In 2014, Legoland Deutschland introduced the 5 million Lego block X-Wing Model Display which used to be in

4104-560: The impact of its operations on the environment, in particular in areas such as climate change, resource and energy use and waste. All manufacturing sites are certified according to the environmental standard ISO 14001. The first Borkum Riffgrund 1 wind turbines off the coast of Germany began producing electricity in February 2015, which would help the Lego Group reach its goal of being based 100% on renewable energy by 2020. The company claims to recycle 90% of its waste and that it has made its operations nearly one-third more energy efficient over

4180-627: The largest Lego flower bed (2007), largest amount of energy generated through cycling underwater (2010), highest Lego tower (2010), largest Lego mosaic (2011), longest Lego millipede (2002), and the largest Lego brick (2005). The park celebrated its ten-year anniversary in 2012: in that occasion, the attraction Flying Ninjago debuted, and six scenes in Miniland based on the Lego Ninjago toy series were added. On April 22, 2013, Merlin Entertainments Group introduced an app entitled “LEGOLAND Deutschland” available for Android and Apple devices. The app features an interactive park map, ticket purchasing,

4256-518: The new Drachenburg at Holiday Village were opened. In 2017 Ninjago World was opened based on the Lego Ninjago theme. The area includes LEGO Ninjago: The Ride and Lloyd’s Spinjitzu Spinner (opened in 2020). The new area ist the biggest investment since the opening in 2002. The following year, Legoland opened its next hotel. The Pirateninsel Hotel (Pirate Island Hotel) is based on a pirate theme and costed 26,6 million Euros. The building offers place for up to 594 guests. On May 10, 2019, Manuela Stone,

4332-418: The next few years, and most of the existing stores have been remodelled on the new Brand Store template. One of the distinctive features of these new stores is the inclusion of a "Pick-A-Brick" system that allows customers to buy individual bricks in bulk quantities. The opening of most of these stores, including the 2003 opening of one in the Birmingham Bull Ring shopping centre in England, has been marked by

4408-424: The park's main gift shops, restaurants, and administrative facilities. The Legoland Hotel is located just outside the park's entrance. November 19, 2014 (I-Drive 360 Complex) May 4, 2018 ( The Force Awakens model) The area occupied by The Lego Movie World was previously themed as The World of Chima. March 23, 2018 (as The Great Lego Race) Legoland Florida fully reopened the original botanical gardens from

4484-402: The park. Also surviving is a vast Banyan tree that was planted as a seedling in a five-gallon bucket in 1939. In addition, four attractions originally from Cypress Gardens were renovated and renamed: the Triple Hurricane wooden rollercoaster was renamed to Coastersaurus , the Okeechobee Rampage family coaster was renamed to The Dragon , and Swamp Thing , a Vekoma family inverted coaster,

4560-464: The production of a new, special, limited edition, commemorative Lego Duplo piece. Lego opened the first brand store in its home country Denmark in Copenhagen on 13 December 2010. In 2016, three stores opened in Italy: one in Milan , one in the shopping centre near the Milan Bergamo Airport in Bergamo , and another in Verona . On 18 August 2022, Ireland's first Lego store was opened in Dublin on Grafton Street . On 2 December 2022, an official store

4636-423: The six main attractions for the park were announced. On October 13, 2021, it was confirmed that the park would open on February 24, 2022, a year after its initial announcement. The Legoland Water Park was initially constructed as "Splash Island", which debuted in 2005 with five rides within Cypress Gardens. Splash Island was the only water park in Polk County when it opened. After Merlin Entertainments purchased

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4712-411: The theme park in the Hero Factory attraction hall for a limited time. Also Legoland introduced the new Königsburg hotel with 68 rooms. On March 28, 2015, Martin Kring, the then new general manager of Legoland, introduced the LEGO City Polizeistation, a walkthrough maze with special effects. The attraction was built into an existing building in the Imagination themed area. In 2016 High Five in Miniland and

4788-399: The theme park. The initial extra cost for admission to the water park was $ 12 for ages 4 and up, aimed at visitors spending a second day at Legoland. The 152-room Legoland Hotel opened May 15, 2015. The Legoland Beach Retreat opened on April 7, 2017, which has 166 rooms in 83 freestanding bungalows designed to resemble giant Lego sets. Pirate Island Hotel opened on June 25, 2020, after

4864-531: The world's production of Lego was produced at the Swiss facility in Baar . The Baar facility eventually closed in 2004. In 2014, Lego announced that it would not renew its promotional contract with Shell following a Greenpeace campaign protesting Shell’s plans to drill in the Arctic . Lego CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp expressed frustration at the company being used to target Shell, while Greenpeace insisted that firms like Lego should also consider their business partners' environmental impact. Lego acknowledges

4940-460: The world, each known as Legoland , and operates numerous retail stores. The company was founded on 10 August 1932, by Ole Kirk Christiansen . The name Lego is derived from the Danish phrase leg godt , meaning "play well". In the first half of 2015, The Lego Group became the world's largest toy company by revenue , with sales amounting to US$ 2.1 billion, surpassing Mattel , which had US$ 1.9 billion in sales. The Lego company

5016-488: Was announced that Lego would be launching a new "Research Institute" collection featuring female scientists including a female chemist, palaeontologist, and astronomer. The science-themed project was selected as the latest Lego Ideas winner and was submitted by Ellen Kooijman, a geochemist in Stockholm. Lego denied claims that the set was introduced to placate criticism of the company by activists, pointing to its Lego Ideas origins. The Research Institute range sold out within

5092-411: Was followed by Legoland Windsor Resort in Windsor, England, Legoland California in Carlsbad , United States and Legoland Deutschland Resort in Günzburg, Germany . In addition, Legoland Sierksdorf was opened in 1973 but soon closed in 1976. In July 2005, the Lego Group announced that it had reached a deal with private investment company Blackstone Inc. to sell all four parks for € 375 million to

5168-464: Was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen , a carpenter whose primary business of producing household goods had suffered due to the Great Depression . Initially producing wooden toys, the company later developed a system of interlocking bricks. Manufacturing of plastic Lego bricks began in Denmark in 1947. After a fire in the woodworking department, Ole's son, Godtfred, decided to stop the production of wooden toys and solely focus on plastic products and

5244-409: Was kr. 3,553 million compared with kr. 2,715 million for the first half of 2014. First half-year sales were driven by double-digit growth across all geographical regions and strong product innovation on themes such as Lego Ninjago , Lego Elves and Lego Creator . The Lego Group announced on 4 September 2017 its intention to cut 1,400 jobs following reduced revenue and profit in

5320-407: Was made out of 50 million Lego bricks. 10 years later, the park expanded to eight “adventure worlds” with 50 attractions and 55 million Lego bricks. Legoland Deutschland is home to the world's largest Lego building, representing Munich 's Allianz Arena and weighing 1.5 tons with dimensions of 5 meters in width and 1 meter in height. Legoland Deutschland also contains many other world records such as

5396-403: Was opened in Brescia , bringing the total number of Lego stores in Italy to 29. In 2023 there were a total of 66 stores in Europe, which are operated by Lego itself. In London at Leicester Square , there is the former largest Lego store in the world, with an area of 805 m . The first Lego store is expected to open doors in Sofia , Bulgaria on 19 December 2023 in the largest shopping centre in

5472-726: Was opened in Chennai , Tamil Nadu in March 2014 by Funskool , under licence from the Lego Group. But India's only operating Lego store in 2023 opened in Mumbai International Airport duty-free in 2021. The first Lego store in Israel was opened on the third floor of the Dizengoff Center in July 2022. Lego Interactive (formerly Lego Media and later Lego Software) was the video game publishing division of

5548-619: Was renamed Flying School . The Starliner coaster, formerly built for the Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City in 1963 before being moved to Cypress Gardens in 2004, was dismantled for sale. The Island in the Sky observation tower was also retained and operated from 2011 until it was closed in 2017. The Legoland Florida theme park has fourteen sections: The Beginning features no attractions, but it has

5624-542: Was renamed Create Media Ventures Limited. The sale included Little Robots but excluded the Bionicle movies, which were retained by the Lego Group. Create was later dissolved in August 2016. Lego products are mass-produced , packaged and shipped on a large scale. Lego Produktion AG was a major production facility for Lego. It was founded in Switzerland in 1974. At the time of its announced closing in 2001, 30% of

5700-456: Was shut down in 2004. Former Lego Interactive staff opened Giant Interactive Entertainment to publish future Lego titles, which later became part of TT Games . Lego Media also operated a motion picture division, which produced the BBC children's series Little Robots for Cosgrove Hall Films . In 2003, this division was rebranded to Create TV and Film Limited and became independent from

5776-419: Was the announcement of the world's first theme park area themed with The Lego Movie , which opened on March 27, 2019. From mid-March to May 2020, as with all Legoland parks, the park was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The Legoland Florida theme park opened on October 15, 2011, The park encompasses 145 acres (0.59 km ), making it the second-largest Legoland park after Legoland Windsor in

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