How Legos Licensed the Universe, and Ended Up Ruling Us All
By Elise Craig 02.06.14 6:30 AM Lego, pre-millennium: stackable bricks, generic yellow-headed characters, revenue sputtering. Lego today: Crushing the toy industry under its interlocking feet, having overtaken Mattel and Hasbro as the most profitable toymaker in the world. That's partially due to licensing deals, which, starting in 1999, added icons like Darth Vader and Batman to the mix.