Lego will begin mass production of its first-ever digital toys and accessories.
The company said Thursday it will start selling LEGO Friends and Lego Friends sets as soon as early next year.
It will make more toys for the Disney, Lucasfilm and Warner Bros. platforms, including figures of popular characters.
The new digital toys are designed to be played with in real life, Lego said.
“This is our first step toward creating the next generation of LEGO toys,” said Lego’s CEO Jim Waterson in a statement.
The Lego Friends and LEGO Friends sets will be sold exclusively through the company’s Lego Club, Lego Fan Club and Lego Marketplace.
Lego said it expects to sell 3.7 million Lego Friends by the end of the first quarter, up 50 percent from the same period last year.
Lego will also make its first digital toy for the Star Wars film franchise, the “Force Awakens” Star Wars Force Packs, starting with Star Wars Battlefront II, the first Lego game.
Lego is planning to release more of its products as digital products, such as Lego Minifigures and Lego Minigames.
Lego launched its first virtual reality game in 2015, with the “Minifigure Experience” app.
The app, which is available on smartphones and tablets, allows players to create virtual Lego minifigs and then use the figures in Lego games.
Lego’s new Lego Friends app will allow users to create their own virtual characters and share them with friends.
Lego CEO Jim Lattner told investors Thursday that the company is planning “more products, more apps, more content.”
The company is also investing in virtual reality in a deal that will allow players to build Lego characters for the first time.
“It’s a big step for Lego and the virtual world,” Mr. Lattners said.
Lego also announced a new line of Lego accessories for kids.
The line will be available in the U.S. through the online shop Lego Shop and online at Lego.com starting this fall.
Lego has not said when it will offer the Lego Friends line in Europe.
