Lego sales take off as toy maker sends figures into space

20 plastic figures are on a Russian rocket that took off in Kazakhstan on Wednesday

Jurassic World has helped add blockbuster bite to toymaker Lego's sales

Lego was shooting for the stars on Wednesday after the toymaker recorded first half-sales up 18 per cent on the same day that it sent 20 plastic figures into space.

Lego made the figures with European Space Agency logos for Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen to carry with him on a Russian rocket that launched in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, heading for the International Space Station.

The figures will be handed out as competition prizes when they return to earth. But Lego will be hoping its profits stay sky high after first-half revenues shot up 23 percent to 14.1 billion kroner (£1.4 billion).

Jurassic World has helped add blockbuster bite to toymaker Lego's sales as the dinosaur franchise captured children’s imagination 22 years after its silver screen debut.

The Danish toymaker today said its new Lego Jurassic World and Lego Elves lines, launched in the first half of 2015, "were received very positively by children all over the world".

Lego, which comes from a Danish phrase meaning 'play well', had 300 different sets on the market during the period.

Lego’s resurgence since last year's The Lego Movie continues with growth across the globe, led by Asia, where the group continues to invest.

Chief operations officer Bali Padda said: "Later this year, packing activities in our new factory in China will begin.

"The factory is going to supply our expanding Asian market and will create production capacity that will enable us to reach even more children in the region."