The London Fair has begun today and as the event opens, Toy Fair’s Hero Toys, the 25 most exciting and creative toys have been announced by the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA). Finalists this year includes one of the new LEGO® Hidden Side sets. The Haunted Fairground is one of the new sets released earlier this year and features a gloomed version of Newbury’s fairground. It’s also one of the first Hidden Side sets to introduce multiplayer elements. As a fan of the Hidden Side theme, it’s nice to see it well received by the toy industry. The LEGO Group have also teased future innovations being released in 2020. Learn more in the press release below.
2020: THE LEGO GROUP TO BUILD ON 2019 SUCCESS WITH MORE NEW INNOVATIONS
At Toy Fair, The LEGO Group sets out 2020 as a year packed with more new play innovations, building on a successful 2019 for the brand – including LEGO® Hidden Side multi-player win at the London trade show
- Company teases new play innovations on the horizon for 2020, following LEGO Hidden Side multiplayer launch and a successful 2019 for the brand
- The LEGO Group has revealed it sold an average of one product every second during October to December 2019 (UK NPD data, Jan 2020)
- The new-for-2020 LEGO Hidden Side Haunted Fairground also named a Hero Toy at UK Toy Fair 2020
London Toy Fair, 21st January 2020 – The LEGO Group has today confirmed that, following a successful year in 2019, it will be launching a series of new play innovations in 2020 that will continue to evolve the construction toys category – following a successful Christmas for the brand in which it sold an average of one product every second between October to December 2019.*
More details will be revealed over the coming months but the new products will offer builders of all ages even more ways to unleash their creativity whilst keeping the LEGO brick at the heart of them.
Having retained its position as the #1 toy manufacturer in the UK for the fifth year running*, the LEGO Group is following up on that success with new play innovations – some of which are already in market. New for 2020 innovations already confirmed include a multi-player mode for LEGO Hidden Side where children (who dare) can take part in thrilling challenges with players online or in the same room in two game modes, ‘Play as a Hunter’ or ‘Play as a Ghost’. Those who already have the first product range can now upgrade their app and make use of the multi-player function too.
LEGO Hidden Side is an interactive play experience that sees kids use an Augmented Reality app to hunt and catch ghosts in a special LEGO set and, having only launched in October last year, has already become one of the top five new licenses in the market for 2019*. Six new sets were launched this year: Haunted Fairground, Lighthouse of Darkness, El Fuego’s Stunt Plane, Welcome to the Hidden Side, Jack’s Beach Buggy and Newbury Subway.
Other new innovations include collectable cubes added to the LEGO Friends range, that see fans of the theme able to collect personalised cubes of their favourite LEGO Friends characters, and expanded use of the innovative Control+ app for the LEGO Technic sets including the App-Controlled Top Gear Rally Car. New play experiences across the LEGO Group product portfolio in 2020 also include all-new elements in exciting sets for core themes including LEGO Friends and LEGO City and new sets in the brand’s LEGO DUPLO range aimed at younger builders aged 18 months-plus.
Successes for The LEGO Group in 2019 also saw it hold 21 of the Top 100 products in the toy market and it grew its market share of key IP licenses such as Spider-Man, Star Wars and Disney Frozen* – with even more exciting new licenses to come in 2020 including Universal’s Trolls and Minions.
“2019 was a fantastic year for the LEGO Group, in which we launched our biggest ever global brand campaign, successfully brought a new property in to the market in LEGO Hidden Side, and finished the year once more as the #1 toy manufacturer in the UK,” said Marius Lang, Head of Marketing UK and Ireland. “I’m incredibly excited that we will be continuing to build on this momentum in 2020 and the selection of play innovations we have at this year’s Toy Fair is one of the strongest I have seen from us. Whilst I can’t reveal more details right now, I’m very much looking forward to unveiling them over the coming weeks and months!”
At Toy Fair 2020, The LEGO Hidden Side Haunted Fairground has won the 2020 Toy Fair Hero Toy accolade. This haunted fairground sees kids explore, solve mysteries, hunt ghosts and battle boss ghost Tragico the Clown in an exciting digital world. And with a rollercoaster, drop ride and five Minifigures, the scene is set for imaginative role-play fun. The AR play experience is constantly enhanced through new content, characters and special events.
The LEGO Group will also be taking its Rebuild The World campaign in to 2020, with a continued commitment to nurture the creative skills of the next generation and inspire children to unleash their creativity. Launched in September 2019, the company’s biggest ever global brand campaign saw The LEGO Group rebuild iconic landmarks across the UK through the eyes of children and host workshops in the UK, China and USA where they engaged children directly and challenged them to use their creativity to solve real world challenges.
The LEGO Group’s retail offering has also expanded significantly over the last 12 months, with a new look website on LEGO.com, stores opening in locations such as Marseille, Birmingham and a new flagship in Amsterdam, and exciting new exclusive product launches including LEGO Stranger Things: The Upside Down and the LEGO Ideas Treehouse set, featuring the highest number of sustainably-made LEGO elements (to date).
The LEGO Group will be showcasing products at Toy Fair UK from 21st – 23rd January at Kensington Olympia, London (invitation only). Attendees will have the chance to try out the new LEGO Hidden Side multi-player products in the main arena and at The LEGO Stand.
*2019 UK NPD data, as of January 2020
ENDS
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