This is accurate, but the sense I get is that there's a deliberate effort to move from licensed IP to Lego-created brands. E.g. there are vastly more "Friends"

This is accurate, but the sense I get is that there's a deliberate effort to move from licensed IP to Lego-created brands. E.g. there are vastly more "Friends" kits, the Lego house brand targeted at girls, than Disney princesses. Ninjago has become a perennial answer to the sword fighting action that Star Wars only delivers intermittently. Lego's new "Hidden Side" brand seems clearly targeted at being a Lego-owned alternative to Harry Potter with alternative schools, trains, buses, etc. I also get the sense that the 3rd party licenses are actually more focused towards the "Adult Fan of Lego/AFOL" community, e.g. the $200 Stranger Things kit, the $399 Disney Castle, and the $799 Millenium Falcon seem priced well above even what generous parents will spend on birthday/holiday gifts. It would be interesting to see the sales breakdown between in-house and licensed brands and how it's shifting over time.