text: Buh-bye Barbie. Hello Lego! 
   
   Danish toy manufacturer Lego Group has taken the title of the biggest toymaker in the world in terms of revenue and profit. The popular Lego movie helped propel sales 11% higher in the first six months of the year. 
   
   "We are thrilled by the reception of the Lego Movie products," said Lego Group CFO John Goodwin. Sales across Europe, the Americas and Asia increased by double digits compared to the same period in the previous year. 
   
   The family-owned business surpassed top competitor, Mattel (MAT), which is struggling with slumping global sales and slower demand for Barbie dolls and Fisher-Price toys. 
   
   Lego also trounced Hasbro (HAS) sales -- reporting revenue that was more than 30% higher than the board-game giant. 
   
   The Lego Movie, which was released in February by CNNMoney's parent company, Time Warner (TWX), made $69 million in its opening weekend and has grossed nearly $260 million so far, according to Box Office Mojo. 
   
   Popular Lego sets have been snapped up like hot cakes over the past few months, including a highly-celebrated new set featuring female scientists. The new toy launched in early August and sold out on Lego's website over the course of a weekend. 
   
   Now Lego executives are hoping the business momentum will last into the all-important second half of the year. 
   
   "The majority of Lego sales ... [happen] in a short time-span of a few weeks leading up to the holiday season," said Goodwin. "It remains to be seen how the line will continue to develop behind the highly anticipated launch of the Lego Movie on DVD in the second half of 2014." 
   
   Lego toys have become so popular they've even attracted the attention of big-time criminals. This summer, police departments across the U.S. reported breaking up various Lego theft schemes involving over $300,000 in toys. 
   
   Lego Group, which has roughly 12,000 employees, is still owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family that founded it in 1932. 
   
   Related: LEGO cashes in on sexism critiques 
   
   Watch: Inside the LEGO hysteria ||||| The maximum quantity of an item that can purchased in each transaction is 99. 
   
   To inquire about purchasing more than 99 of one item, please call 800-362-4738. ||||| COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish toy maker Lego says revenue soared 11 percent in the first six months of 2014, mostly because of the success of the "Lego Movie." 
   
   The privately owned company's chief financial officer said Thursday they were thrilled by the success. 
   
   John Goodwin said: "Lego Movie products provided a significant boost to our sales during the first half of 2014." He said that support could continue in the second half of the year, when Lego Movie will be launched on DVD. 
   
   Net profit in the period was up 14 percent compared with the first half of 2013, at 2.7 billion kroner ($480 million), on sales of 11.5 billion kroner. 
   
   Lego, which is not publicly listed, releases only half-year figures. ||||| STOCKHOLM—The Lego brick has toppled the Barbie doll—at least for now—in children's affections. 
   
   Toy maker Lego A/S on Thursday said its revenue in the first six months rose 11% boosted by "The Lego Movie" products, making it the biggest toy company in the world by revenue and profit, ahead of Barbie-maker Mattel Inc. 
   
   The jump...
target: – Barbies and board games will always have a place in the family rec room, but it's Legos that rule the roost. The Danish toymaker now ranks as the largest toymaker in the world in terms of revenue, beating out competitors Hasbro and Mattel for the top spot with an 11% jump in the first half of the year, reports CNNMoney. The net profits for the company—which once said it has sold about 86 bricks for every person on Earth—were also up 14% compared to the same period in 2013, reports the AP. So why the sudden brick-loving boom? Lego honchos say the wildly successful Lego Movie and related merchandising helped: The movie had grossed nearly $470 million by the end of August, reports the Wall Street Journal. And while competing manufacturers are probably hoping to play catch-up in the months leading up to year's end, execs in the family-owned business are confident they can keep, ahem, building on their momentum. "The majority of Lego sales ... [happen] in a short timespan of a few weeks leading up to the holiday season," the company's CFO says per CNNMoney—right before stating a reminder about the "highly anticipated launch" of the Lego Movie DVD in the second half of 2014. A sequel to the movie is set to hit theaters in 2017, notes the Journal. (Check out the world's largest Lego tower ever built.)