For Lego, the year kicked off with the iconic Straw Hat from Eiichiro Oda’s beloved manga, One Piece. In January, the global toy leader unveiled this simple headgear worn by the series’ hero, Luffy, marking its new licensed partnership. “This is our first foray into the world of manga,” celebrated Camille Thorneycroft, Marketing Manager for France and Spain at Lego. The brand-new range, which includes the pirate ship Vogue Merry (1,376 pieces) and the floating restaurant Baratie (3,402 pieces), is set to launch on August 1st, a few months before the second season of One Piece airs on Netflix.
After focusing heavily in recent years on appealing to “kidults,” adult toy enthusiasts who account for 30% of its sales, the Danish group is now targeting teenagers by focusing on their favorite hobbies, specifically video games and mangas. “We are tailoring our offerings to the interests of our players to become a part of their everyday lives,” explains Sylvain Munnier, the company’s director for France and Spain.
From Video Games to Toys
Lego can’t afford to let its guard down after a record-breaking year in 2024, with revenues up 13% nearly reaching 10 billion euros. “These excellent results will allow us to continue to reach more children with new play experiences,” boasts CEO Niels Christiansen.
To achieve this, the group is betting on innovation, boasting “our largest product portfolio to date.” This includes 840 references, 40% of which are new. Notably, 10% of the items in this catalog are related to video games and mangas, serving as a strategic growth lever for the Danish company.
In the toy market, according to industry analyst Circana, licensed video game toys have seen a growth of 2.6%. “These two worlds coexist perfectly,” analyzes Olivier Mauco, president of the European Video Game Observatory. Investing in video games allows Lego to grow its community by targeting teenagers. »
Super Mario, Animal Crossing, Fortnite…
Operating in 120 countries, the group continues to expand its range dedicated to this market segment. It thus adapts to the evolution of society, where screens are omnipresent: 84% of children report playing video games for an average of forty-eight minutes per day, according to a study by M6 Publicité and Gulli.
A key detail, however: “We do not position ourselves in opposition to video games,” elaborates Camille Thorneycroft. “We offer an additional experience to fans.” Thus, comfortably nestled in its catalog since 2012, the license of the iconic Minecraft is “growing at double digits each year,” according to the company. Its 25 building boxes currently form the largest range from the manufacturer in the gaming universe. Recently, their sales were further boosted with the April release of the American film Minecraft, an adaptation of the Swedish game.
To meet the elusive expectations of teenagers, the group does not hesitate to adopt their codes. Thus, when Lego signed a collaboration in 2020 with Nintendo and its Super Mario, it equipped its offering with interactive figures that come alive with different facial expressions or emit well-known sounds from the famous plumber. “We have integrated the interactive mode of the game into the building process,” the company celebrates. Naturally, this costs more than a classic box.
In May, this universe was enriched with several collectible Karts, echoing the early June release of the Switch 2 console. Lego has also enriched its portfolio with the license of Sonic, which arrived in 2023. And it has capitalized on the phenomenal success of the video game Animal Crossing and its quaint village, integrating it into its catalog last year. Not to mention Fortnite, resulting from its partnership with Epic Games, where the Battle Bus and Peeled Banana have been leading the manufacturer’s sales since the beginning of the year. However, there’s no victory to declare yet, as this sector currently accounts for only 10% of its sales, while the global video game market reached 162 billion euros, according to consultancy firm Newzoo.
Mattel on the Attack
But that’s without counting on its recent masterstroke. Indeed, Lego has just snatched the Pokémon game license from Mattel. A range dedicated to the legendary Pikachu, Eevee, and Bulbasaur will see the light of day in 2026.
In response to this offensive, its historic rival counters. In September, it will launch a line Mattel Brick Shop, with buildable cars derived from its Hot Wheels vehicles. “ We offer products that meet the expectations of building fans with innovative designs, authentic details, and accessible prices,” emphasizes Roberto Stanichi, its Executive Vice President.
It’s especially an opportunity for Mattel to grab its share of the global construction toy market, estimated in 2024 by Grand View Research at 14 billion euros. “Everyone envies the incredible success of Lego,” whispers an industry insider. It’s tough for the American to fold the match against the Danish leader, which continues to expand its community of fans. Even if it still has one detail to sort out: its dependency on plastic.
