Lego Friends facts for kids
 |
|
| Subject | Five best friends |
|---|---|
| Licensed from | The Lego Group |
| Availability | 2012–present |
| Total sets | 406 |
| Characters | Andrea, Olivia, Stephanie, Mia, and Emma |
| Official website: https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/friends | |
Lego Friends is a popular series of Lego building toys made mostly for girls. It started in 2012 and brought in new "mini-doll" figures. These mini-dolls are similar in size to regular Lego minifigures but look more detailed and realistic. The five main characters in the series are Andrea, Olivia, Stephanie, Mia, and Emma.
Lego Friends sets show scenes from everyday life in the make-believe town of Heartlake City. The names of the main characters are often part of the set titles. An animated TV show, which started in 2014, also goes along with the toy line. Lego Friends took the place of Lego's older series for girls, Belville, which had been around since 1994. Belville dolls were much bigger than both mini-dolls and minifigures.
When Lego Friends launched in 2012, it was a huge success for Lego. It sold more than twice what was expected and brought many more girls into the world of Lego. Even though some people initially thought it could show girls' interests in more ways, the Lego Friends line has always been very popular. It is often listed as one of The Lego Group's best-selling themes.
Contents
About Lego Friends
Lego Friends is all about five friends: Andrea, Olivia, Stephanie, Mia, and Emma, who live in Heartlake City. Each friend has special interests, like loving animals, doing beauty, or being a pop star. The toy sets show their homes, hobbies, cars, and favorite places to hang out.
This series introduced the mini-doll figure to Lego building sets. These mini-dolls are a bit taller, thinner, and curvier than regular minifigures. They were an improvement over the older Belville dolls because you could customize them more. Mini-dolls also work with other Lego products. Lego Friends also brought in many new brick colors, such as purple, lavender, teal, and turquoise.
Meet the Characters
The Lego Friends series focuses on five teenage girls who live in the fictional town of Heartlake City. Each character has a unique personality, shown by what they love to do.
- Andrea - a confident and lively singer who loves to perform.
- Emma - a creative and imaginative character who shows her feelings through art.
- Mia - an animal lover who enjoys being outdoors.
- Olivia - a curious character who is very passionate about science.
- Stephanie - a sporty character who loves health and fitness.
How Lego Friends Started
Lego Friends first came out in January 2012 in North America, with 14 sets. (It launched a bit earlier in France, in December 2011). The first group of 23 sets featured the five friends in everyday settings. Some of the bigger sets in the first release included the Heartlake Vet, City Park Cafe, and Butterfly Beauty Shop. Smaller sets included Stephanie's Cool Convertible, Andrea's Stage, Olivia's Invention Workshop, and Emma's Splash Pool.
Since then, new Lego Friends sets have been released in waves each year. These sets have explored the friends' different interests and jobs. They have included themes like farming, horse riding, animal rescue, and pop stardom. There have also been sets about suburban life, an amusement park, and skiing. The biggest sets since the beginning have been the Summer Riding Camp, Heartlake Shopping Mall, and Heartlake Grand Hotel. According to Bricklink, over 400 Lego Friends sets have been released since January 2012.
In 2018, Lego Friends announced some changes to how the main characters looked. The Lego Group said these changes were made because kids gave feedback. The goal was to make the characters look "more diverse" and give them "more depth to their personality."
In 2020, The Lego Group worked with National Geographic to create building sets about environmental issues. The Lego Friends line launched sets focused on protecting animals. These sets included Baby Elephant Jungle Rescue, Jungle Rescue Base, and Panda Jungle Tree House.
Animated TV Series
An animated TV series based on the Lego Friends theme was made to go with the toys. It follows the adventures of the five friends in their hometown of Heartlake City.
TV Shows
Friends of Heartlake City
Friends of Heartlake City is an animated TV show that first aired on November 3, 2013. Each episode was about 25 minutes long.
Friends: The Power of Friendship
Lego Friends: The Power of Friendship was released on Netflix on March 4, 2016. This series has two seasons, with four episodes in each.
Friends: Girls on a Mission
Friends: Girls on a Mission is a TV series from 2018. It aired on Family Channel in Canada, KidsClick in the United States, Pop in the UK and Ireland, Super RTL in Germany, and TVNZ in New Zealand. The series started on October 25, 2018, and has continued for four seasons.
Other Fun Media
Books
In June 2012, two books based on the Friends theme came out. Lego Friends: Welcome to Heartlake City and Lego Friends: Perfect Pet Show were released on June 18, 2012, by DK. DK also released a Lego Brickmaster book about the Friends theme on September 17, 2012.
Video Games
Lego Friends is a Lego-themed life simulation video game. It was made by Hellbent Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game was first released for Nintendo 3DS systems on November 12, 2013. It then came out for Nintendo DS systems on April 8, 2014, and for iOS devices on July 31, 2014.
Magazine
In July 2014, the Lego Friends brand launched a monthly magazine for children. It was published by Immediate Media. The magazine was regularly published for six and a half years until it stopped with Issue 78.
Theme Park Rides
In 2015, a Lego Friends themed area called Lego Friends Heartlake City opened at Legoland California. It included a splash area, Lego models of the characters, a place to meet the characters, and a live show. In the same year, a themed area also opened at Legoland Windsor Resort, with a live show and the Heartlake City Express Train. Heartlake City also came to Legoland Florida in May 2015. This area featured two rides: Mia’s Riding Adventure and the Heartlake Mall theater.
Movies
On February 2, 2016, Warner Brothers released a Lego Friends movie on Blu-ray called Lego Friends: Girlz 4 Life. This 2016 American direct-to-DVD computer-animated film tells the story of a pop star named Livi who comes to Heartlake City. The Friends characters have to come up with a plan when Livi's manager steals their hit song called Girlz.
The Lego Friends line also appeared in the 2019 film The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. They were seen in scenes set within the SyStar System.
See also
In Spanish: Lego Friends para niños
