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.  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." John Goodwin said: "Lego Movie products provided a significant boost to our sales during the first half of 2014." "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."
– 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.)