The Lego Group 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. On 11 August 2017, Lego announced that Niels B. Christiansen would become the new CEO, effective 1 October of the same year. The history of Lego spans nearly 100 years, beginning with the creation of small wooden playthings during the early 20th century. Manufacturing of plastic Lego bricks began in Denmark in 1947, but since has grown to include factories throughout the world. In 1961, Lego was managed by Samsonite until 1972 in the United States and 1986 in Canada.
Belville (Lego) Belville (Lego) Belville was a product range of the Lego construction toy designed to appeal primarily to girls. First introduced in 1994, the theme included multi-jointed doll-like characters, much larger in scale than the traditional Lego minifig. The sets include larger pieces, often in a pink and purple colour scheme, and depict scenes from fairy tales and fantasy as well as everyday life. Its direct successor is LEGO Friends introduced in 2012, and its direct target is kids (mainly girls). Other Lego product ranges designed for girls have included Homemaker (1971-1982), Paradisa (1991–1997), Scala (1997–2001) and Friends (2012–present). Belville bricks