LEGO Friends was launched in 2012 with figures and stories centred on friendship in the fictional town of Heartlake City.
The theme introduced a group of main characters including Andrea, Emma, Mia, Olivia and Stephanie. Its sets used a mixture of familiar LEGO construction elements and figures with a different body design from traditional LEGO minifigures.
LEGO Friends replaced the earlier Belville and Scala lines as the company’s principal product range aimed at a similar audience. Its settings include homes, schools, shops, animal-care facilities and community spaces, giving the theme a broad everyday-life focus.
The fictional town is Heartlake City, not a real place. It is also distinct from LEGO Elves, which uses a fantasy setting, and from LEGO Disney Princess, which is based on licensed fairy-tale and film characters.