The Belville theme which was introduced in 1994 and later discontinued in 2009 was created to appeal primarily to girls. While the sets revolved around the concept of the LEGO system it featured doll-like figures known as Belville Figures instead of regular LEGO minifigures. The Belville Figures featured multiple joints to make play more like normal doll play and were larger than minifigures. The Belville theme was the predecessor to LEGO Friends.
2003 LEGO Sets
In 2003, LEGO faced one of its most challenging financial years, but it also introduced several innovations that would shape the company’s future recovery. The most notable change was the introduction of realistic minifigure skin tones for licensed themes, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Ferrari, and Basketball. While classic yellow remained the standard for non-licensed minifigures, this shift helped distinguish characters based on real-world figures and franchises, marking a major evolution in LEGO design.