A
Lego minifigure, commonly referred to as a "
minifig", or simply just "
fig", is a small
plastic articulated
figurine, many of which are yellow, available as part of the construction toy
Lego, produced by
Danish toy manufacturer the
Lego Group. They were first produced in 1978, and have become hugely successful, with over 3.7 billion produced, and the figure appearing in a variety of media, including movies, books and video games. The figures are usually found within Lego sets, although they are also sold separately as
keychains and magnets. While some are named as specific characters, either licensed from film franchises or of Lego's own creation, many are unnamed and are designed simply to fit within a certain theme (such as police officers, astronauts and pirates). Minifigures are collected by both children and adults. They are highly customizable, and parts from different figures can be mixed and matched, resulting in a large number of combinations.