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More new LEGO® products this year than ever before

- 182 of the 385 sets in the international LEGO retail range are new

With its 1997 range of products for children all over the world between the ages of three months and 16 years, the LEGO Group's position is stronger than ever. The international retail range consists of a total of 385 sets distributed between five product programmes. No fewer than 182 of the sets - almost 50% - are new. As a result, the LEGO Group, the only European toy manufacturer among the 10 largest in the world, is well equipped to meet the challenges of the large and turbulent international toy market - a market in which a fierce battle is currently being waged to capture children's time.

New toys for babies

A total of 18 new sets are being added to the LEGO PRIMO range for babies and toddlers (3-24 months).

The new products include a number of rattles - e.g. a charming Ladybird rattle which is nice to feel and easy to handle. Slightly older children's perception of shape and colour, as well as their motor senses, will be stimulated by play involving putting objects in boxes and stacking elements one on top of the other. The Versatiller is a little activity centre in which funny heads pop up when the ball is rolled along. There is also a brightly coloured Baby Walker push-along cart that comes with a selection of LEGO PRIMO Stack'n'learn blocks.

For children of kindergarten age

The year's biggest news in LEGO DUPLO is the prehistoric animals theme. The smallest of the smallest set contains the Pterodactyl Petrus. Another set has the LEGO DUPLO Tyrannosaurus Rex Dino and its baby. There are also a Dino Cave and a very large set with large and small dinosaurs, cave dwellers, plants, a campfire etc. There is also a large new set in the Harbour series, with a fishing boat, loading ramp, lorry and figures. The new theme sets will be in the shops in September.

New Basic sets in a range of price categories will be launched in March. They have lots of basic and decorated elements, vehicle bases and figures.

In all, there are 36 new sets providing countless opportunities for experimental, educational and creative play in a system in which all the elements can be combined - and which is also compatible with the elements in the LEGO PRIMO and LEGO SYSTEM product programmes.

Exciting news for girls

LEGO SCALA is the LEGO Group's latest range of products specially intended for girls, with 10 sets in the launch programme. LEGO SCALA is a flexible doll's house system in which the various elements can be put together in whatever way takes the fancy of the girl or girls concerned.

The product combines the traditional doll's house and role play that girls enjoy so much with LEGO building's characteristic flexibility and creativity. There are lots of fascinating details and realistic functions. The system's yellow and reddish pastels reflect girls' taste in colours. The feel is warm and friendly, with focus on the family. The range includes six dolls, ranging in height between 14 and approx. 17 cm, in the range - a father, two mothers and three teenage daughters. The dolls have bendable arms and legs, and they can hold things in their hands. The girls have lovely hair and are easy to dress and undress. There is also a baby.

The LEGO SCALA product programme broadens the range of LEGO toys designed for girls of five years and upwards. Taken together, LEGO SCALA and LEGO SYSTEM Belville - both developed on the basis of girls' own wishes - offer a unique range of play opportunities.

New Belville sets too

The LEGO SYSTEM Belville range is especially suitable for girls who like to build. Fast, easy construction is combined with lots of opportunities for role play. Six new sets will be added to the Belville line in April. They include a riding school, pony trekking and a circus princess - all with any number of fascinating and charming details.

Many other exciting new LEGO SYSTEM products

There are no fewer than 104 new sets in the many different themes in our largest product programme, LEGO SYSTEM. The brand-new Diving theme consists of 10 exciting sets in various sizes. They include a Scuba Team of sport divers, a Oceanquest and a Calypso Base with its own submarine for exploring the deep and equipment for investigating a Tooth Cavern and the sea creatures that inhabit it. The largest set also includes the elements needed to build a marine laboratory. All the models have a wealth of functions and details that make playing with them a challenging and interesting experience.

There are three new sets in the popular TimeCruisers line, designed for children between the ages of seven and nine who enjoy the idea of travelling through time. There is a Scooty 2025 for fast journeys, a "flying" train with lots of amusing details and surprising functions - and the Baron Blomberg aircraft that will scare off any enemies. Fun and games in space...

The biggest new set in the Castle line is the Bat Lord's Castle, with traps, secret exits and pivoting walls. All the new sets are based on the Bat Lord theme - and the Bat Lord himself is included in several of the sets. The eight new sets make the mediaeval theme - rich in imagination and mystery, and with a touch of realism - even more exciting for model builders who enjoy drama, action and magic.

The Western series, launched last year, now also features Indians. Big Chief Rattle Snake is included in several of the sets - e.g. the Indian camp, with tepees, horses, a canoe, a mountain with man-traps and much more besides. Medicin Spring is also new. This popular, traditional theme has a total of eight new sets, all of which will be launched in August.

The hallmarks of the Space line are action, fantasy and unknown danger. The line's new theme this year, to be marketed from October onwards, is UFOs. There are eight sets in a variety of sizes, containing the elements for models packed with fascinating functions and details, as well as lots of new decorations. There are holographic dish aerials and elements that are heat-sensitive. The models include a large Xinterstella Voyager will a fibre-optic lighting system, the Salienator, the UFO Xabductor - and the cheeky little Shyper, for hyperspeed flight.

August sees the launch of a new set in the ModelTeam series, intended for LEGO enthusiasts who want their models to be as close to reality as possible. It is a Big Foot vehicle, with large off-road tyres, chrome headlights and exhaust, and many other attractive details.

For the superbuilder...

In the LEGO TECHNIC programme, which appeals to slightly older superbuilders, there are no fewer than 15 new sets in this year's large international range. The most eye-catching of them is art. no. 8299 in the Starter line. The elements in the set can be used to build a smart yellow submarine and a "Mobile Submarine Base". The models can be either be built physically, following the instructions in the classic printed instructions, or on a computer screen, using software on the CD-ROM included in the set. The CD-ROM also contains lots of more exciting information, pictures and sound.

The new LEGO TECHNIC products, which are being launched this month, also include a large multi-functional set for children - primarily boys - of eight years and upwards, as well as various road vehicles and aircraft, all with realistic functions and details.

For example, slightly more experienced LEGO TECHNIC builders can try out their skills constructing the new Bar Code Truck. Apart from elements for the workmanlike truck, the set includes a new superstrong electric motor and a barcode reader that can be used to programme the truck's many different functions and to select the sound it makes as it drives along. There is also a Racer, with suspension, caterpillar tracks and balloon tyres. The new products in the range also include a large Digger Loader equipped with a pneumatic tank and a futuristic car with balloon tyres and a fourcylinder V-engine.
All in all, a large and impressive LEGO range for 1997 that is bound to delight children in the 130 and more countries in which the LEGO Group markets its products.

Other 1997 products and attractions from the LEGO Group: delightful licensed products (children's clothes, watches, books, bed linen etc.) and fun for all the family at LEGOLAND Billund and LEGOLAND Windsor.

This year's many new products are solid evidence of the LEGO Group's ability to compete for the loyalty and time of children (and their parents) in today's tough international toy market.

Many years ago, the creator of the LEGO system, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, said: "We don't want to be the biggest, but we want to remain the best". They are words that remain very relevant today.

The LEGO Group - purveyors of exuberance to children all over the world. Meet us on the Internet: http://www.LEGO.com

The LEGO Group

© 1997 The LEGO Group
TM and ® Trademarks of the LEGO Group
Page updated January 22, 1997.
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