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The end is near.... again :(


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Hi BZPower, yesterday I was at Big W (basically Walmart here in Australia) and I ran into a Lego sales representative who was going around to all the shopping centres and going to the stores that stocked Lego and was rearranging the aisles to what the head office wanted all the stores to have them like, and for anyone in Australia trust me when you next walk into your local Big W, Kmart or Target and you haven't been there for a week or more, you are in for the shock of your lives, they are completely different in the layout of the Lego aisles!

 

I started speaking to her (thinking she worked there, didn't see the Lego logo on her shirt because it was hidden under her 'Big W visitor' tag) and telling her about my aspirations to be a Lego Designer and working hard in university to reach that point, also telling her which are my favourite themes (Bionicle and Ninjago) and the ways I try and contribute to the online Lego community. She was really nice and was telling me the ways she got into working at Lego and how I can aim to get there once I graduate from uni.

 

But she dropped a bombshell on me when I started talking about Bionicle, now I've heard rumours around BZPower about Bionicle being close to the end and if it's going to end this year, well she said "Just btw Lego is discontinuing Bionicle at the end of this year because it hasn't done well selling wise as a theme this time around", I froze for a few seconds thinking 'you've got to be kidding me, why the kids of this day and age don't appreciate Bionicle as much as we all did growing up', that was pretty heartbreaking for me to hear, and I honestly have no idea if the community knows all this stuff but if you all do I apologise, but if not well let me know :/

 

Another thing she told me when I said I was really excited about the summer wave this year with Ekimu the Mask Maker and the beasts she said "I don't think they will be releasing the summer wave of sets in Australia", now I will still be buying them either way, that part wasn't definite but she knew exactly when other themes are coming out here like Ninjago and Star Wars but said that nothing was said about Bionicle's release date here in Australia.

 

Thanks all for reading, let me know if this is old news or something new, either way I am very disappointed getting this information from someone directly working at Lego...

 

 

EDIT: Thanks everyone for the replies, I apologise for trying to seem like I was trying to sadden everyone, I was just reporting what I heard from this sales representative, I sincerely hope that this information she gave me is untrue, i just thought I'd let everyone know what was said so I could get a Bionicle expert's take on this information, I love Bionicle but when it comes to the news side of things, I don't have the time to keep up.

 

I had first asked her when the new Ninjago wave was coming out here in Australia and she quickly said "August" and then I asked when Bionicle was coming out and she said "I don't think they will be releasing the summer wave of sets in Australia" and I thought this could be true because look what happened with the last wave of Chima Ultra Builds, they were never released them anywhere apart from Europe I believe, and also the last wave of Ultra Agents was only released in North America, I am going to be crushed if the next wave isn't released here, the sets look absolutely amazing and if they aren't I'm going to have to buy them from overseas :/

 

Honestly tho of course I hope the theme continues and prospers in the next few years, the sets are amazing in G2, I've enjoyed it thoroughly so far, I apologise in advance to everyone if the information she gave turns out to be untrue, thank you all for understanding  :)

Edited by randomreviewerbros
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I would take it with a grain of salt. Last year during the Hero Pack promotion, I had a LEGO Store employee tell me something like, "LEGO had to cancel BIONICLE because they lost the rights to it, but they got them back this year." Not to say that all sales reps are misinformed, just that it's not unheard of. ;)

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I mean, even if we take hope out of the equation, I really really doubt this to be true. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying your story is fabricated, I'm saying what the Rep said doesn't line up with reality. 

 

While its true that most US based forumgoers have reported erratic stocks, pretty much everyone based in Europe, including me, have spoken of great sales. It's not unheard of that product lines become unavailable in some regions while continuing in others. If any of this doomsaying has basis in truth, which I doubt, that is the full extent of it.

 

I fully believe Bionicle isn't going anywhere, not even after 2017, let alone this year.

 

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Thanks for sharing! It's true that LEGO employees can and have relayed unreliable information, but this is interesting food for thought all the same. We'll see how it all plays out in the next few months.

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Intriguing. This information was especially hard-hitting to me as an Australian myself, even if this information is truly... well... true.

 

Still, the idea of the second wave of BIONICLE sets being absent from Australian stores is absolutely unnerving to me. The exact same thing happened with the criminally underrated Ultra Agents theme last year and I sincerely hope that BIONICLE, or any other theme for that matter, will not receive the same treatment. Although I have my persistent doubts about this information's credibility, it does provide some perspective. Thanks for posting this.

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The idea that Bionicle could end as soon as the end of this year seems really, REALLY dubious to me. Not just in the sense that it's unlikely, but in that it's hard to believe it would even be POSSIBLE what with the pace LEGO works at.

 

First of all, by last November, designers were already working on the 2017 sets (Also, when asked how Bionicle was doing at BrickFair New Jersey last year, Christian Vonsild basically answered "well enough"). Six months is a pretty short time to completely change course. What's more, cancelling it this abruptly would not allow time for LEGO to develop a replacement. They'd effectively be cutting in-house constraction themes out of their portfolio entirely for up to two years.

 

Let's not forget that the decision to end G1 Bionicle was made in 2008, and the decision to end Hero Factory was made in 2012, yet both of those themes continued for two whole years after that, simply because that was how long it took for LEGO to have a replacement ready. For LEGO to have a Bionicle replacement ready for 2017, they'd have had to start working on it in 2015 at the earliest, and LEGO could not have decided to cancel Bionicle that soon based on sales — they wouldn't have even had access to all that year's sales figures at that time.

 

Needless to say, I think the sales rep you spoke to must have been misinformed.

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Thanks everyone for the replies, I apologise for trying to seem like I was trying to sadden everyone, I was just reporting what I heard from this sales representative, I sincerely hope that this information she gave me is untrue, i just thought I'd let everyone know what was said so I could get a Bionicle expert's take on this information, I love Bionicle but when it comes to the news side of things, I don't have the time to keep up.

 

I had first asked her when the new Ninjago wave was coming out here in Australia and she quickly said "August" and then I asked when Bionicle was coming out and she said "I don't think they will be releasing the summer wave of sets in Australia" and I thought this could be true because look what happened with the last wave of Chima Ultra Builds, they were never released them anywhere apart from Europe I believe, and also the last wave of Ultra Agents was only released in North America, I am going to be crushed if the next wave isn't released here, the sets look absolutely amazing and if they aren't I'm going to have to buy them from overseas :/

 

Honestly tho of course I hope the theme continues and prospers in the next few years, the sets are amazing in G2, I've enjoyed it thoroughly so far, I apologise in advance to everyone if the information she gave turns out to be untrue, thank you all for understanding :)

Edited by randomreviewerbros

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Yes there have been similar rumors on Eurobricks to, but the truth is not every sales representative will know the truth. Sometimes their view is limited to local sales. The fact Bionicle keeps hinting at the Mask of Ultimate Power and the Mask of Time suggests at least more sets in 2017.

 

And even then if the theme is canceled is it the end if the world? No not at all. We've survived the theme being cancelled once before, and G2 in some ways feels like the encore act no one expected. It would be great to see the theme still around in 2018, 2019, 2020 etc. But an early death to G2 isn't heart breaking. Especially if the story team is able to conclude the story before then in a satisfactory way.

 

And please if G2 gets cancelled, nobody start up the "Bring back Bionicle!" nonsense again. Let Lego do their own ideas, with any luck someday they will have a crack at G3.

Edited by Xboxtravis
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Hm. If it were up to me, Lego would never ever drop Bionicle and G2 would last at least as long as G1. We certainly don't have any concrete information that Bionicle is ending, and taking Aanchir's information on 2017 set designs, we should have at least one more year of G2.

 

Just playing devil's advocate, there are unfortunately a number of indications that Bionicle is turning south, fast. Hearing many stories similar to this here on BZPower and on Eurobricks does not bode well, IMO. Why would so many Lego employees be telling us that Bionicle is ending? I see a couple possibilities:

1. All of these lower-level Lego employees are incorrectly interpreting information from higher up in the exact same way. /sarcasm Realistically though, don't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth among TLG's employees.

2. TLG is engaged in a massive misinformation campaign against its own employees, and this "Bionicle doom and gloom" is actually just an incredibly convoluted sales technique.

 

So what can we do about it? Go forth, and buy as many Bionicle sets as you can!

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2. TLG is engaged in a massive misinformation campaign against its own employees, and this "Bionicle doom and gloom" is actually just an incredibly convoluted sales technique.

 

Somewhere in Billund:

 

"So get this - if we tell everyone Bionicle is ending because of poor sales, they'll all flock to buy more Bionicle in order to drive up sales and save the franchise."

"That's a horrible idea, why would they ever fall for that?"

"Because they're fans."

".... Genius."

 

:kakama:

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The details all seem to be different although all of the lego employees seem to be saying that at some point in the near future bionicle will end again. So from that I'd say it's a pretty safe bet to say bio will end at the end of 2017. I think Lego may not continue original contraction themes for a while on account of the licensed constraction sets doing very well. So they might fall back on those for a while. And if it does end next year I wouldn't suggest getting your hopes up for G3. G2 would probably have to do amazingly well in order for lego to consider doing that. 

It's time to move on.

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An interesting rumor to add to this I just heard on Eurobricks. There is possibly a SIXTH summer set that has yet to see release, and might come after the summer wave's main release. Hard to know if the rumors true, but if the "end is nigh" Lego might have expedited something for the sudden finale.

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I'm just going to copy paste my thoughts from another forum:

 

Alrighty. At this point in time, BIONICLE's future isn't looking too hot in my opinion. More and more users across all BIONICLE fan sites are coming back with the "only major retailers in some places will continue selling BIONICLE, in most places you'll have to buy them online" shtick. Not only this, but I've seen multiple reports of it ending in 2016 for a while now this past month, and after today's information received by a fan that was told about the themes end at the closing of this year by a LEGO sales representative... I can't keep myself in denial that the theme is doing well. Think what you want, but all of this is just piling up in such a cohesive manner that it's hard to think that the stores BIONICLE is selling well in are making the impact positive fans claim they are.

 

The bulk of information just seems too large to write off as store workers/representatives misinterpreting what the higher ups have told them. If you can stay positive about BIONICLE's future, then you're certainly more resilient than me. I mean, Star Wars becoming the new face for constraction, Google trends results being absolutely horrible compared to even HF, the sheer amount of fans coming back with grim information, BIONICLE no longer receiving written story material beyond what has already been written by Windham... I'm afraid to say that it just doesn't look good. I'm not trying to fear monger or stir people up, but I also just can't keep from seeing a common theme in all of this. If it were just one or two employees/sales representatives saying this, I'd pay no attention to it, but when you have a large influx of people coming back with the same news, especially from a LEGO sales representative? There's a connection. You can stay in disbelief all you want, but that doesn't change that all of this adds up. If I were all of you, I'd at least emotionally prepare for BIONICLE's (perhaps premature) end. If it doesn't happen? Great! You can feel a relief you've never felt before. If it does? At least it won't hit as hard.

Edited by Tarvaxx
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BIONICLE isn't ending. Case solved. Everyone pack your bags, go home, and go spend some time with your families. See you all when we actually have concrete evidence for such baseless rumors.

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It is really hard to believe random Lego store employees when they could be misinterpreting information and given that we've had a few over the last year just like this one, I still stand by my view that unless Lego contacts BZPower to confirm whether it is or not, then Bionicle is here to stay.

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I'm sure it's not doing THAT bad... I can see it going on for another year or two at the very least. Though I'll admit maybe bionicle could have been executed differently, but what done is done hopefully bionicle will get even more interesting in the coming future!

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The only way this isn't true is if EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE is misinterpreting information, and as we keep getting the same general details again and again and again, that's seeming less likely. 

We keep getting these details because we've become sensitive to them, Bionicle already ended once in G1. Some people are concerned that G2 isn't quite as good, so we've got it into our head that it will end earlier. Now we fret over any random doomsaying, even though none of it is official.

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More rumors from Eurobricks about Bionicle. Lego Ambassador "Dorek" commented there is an upcoming "announcement of an announcement" related to Bionicle that Lego is going to announce soon. Take that as you will.

Edited by Xboxtravis
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All aboard the hype train!

 

 

 

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...I thought Lego had all lines run for a minimum of 3 years, then decided if they would be renewed or not. I find it incredibly unlikely Bionicle would end before 2017. Could it end then? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Before? Really unlikely.

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I believe news of an upcoming dedicated Bionicle magazine just rendered all of this moot. No way they would make something like that for a line ending in a few months.

Also, the fact that it's German reinforces the observation that Bionicle is selling well in Europe.

 

Pack your bags, everyone.

 

:kakama:

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:kakama: Stone rocks :kakama:

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...I thought Lego had all lines run for a minimum of 3 years, then decided if they would be renewed or not. I find it incredibly unlikely Bionicle would end before 2017. Could it end then? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Before? Really unlikely.

No, not all lines. Some are designed with a much shorter lifespan in mind, like Pharaoh's Quest, Monster Fighters, and Galaxy Squad. And even certain licensed themes like Jurassic World and Scooby-Doo.

 

It's worth noting, though, these aren't the backbone of an entire product category the way Bionicle is. When a theme like Pharaoh's Quest is introduced, there are usually more already queued up to replace it when it runs its course. That's generally not the case with constraction. It's a much smaller category that doesn't cycle through themes as regularly. LEGO did try cycling through themes at a brisker pace in the beginning, but it didn't work out well for them, leading them to adjust their strategy when developing Bionicle.

 

From Brick by Brick, p162: "Taken together, Slizer and Roboriders also delivered a painful lesson: the development team couldn't sustain the relentless pace required to turn out an entirely new product line every year. A better tack was to aim for a story that could be told over many chapters, like a serialized movie."

 

We already know Bionicle G2 was developed with a three-year plan. It's not that the LEGO Group couldn't change those plans, but to cancel it this abruptly would mean not having a replacement ready to go, meaning they'd be missing out on a few years of revenue. And if the constraction category as a whole is still relevant, then I can't see LEGO wanting to take that risk.

 

I don't doubt the rumors that Bionicle distribution may be on the verge of becoming more limited. I've seen with my own eyes that certain stores do not appear to have gotten the full range of 2016 Bionicle sets. But we need to put that in context. Bionicle is not the only theme that has not been available reliably from all retailers. Others that fit the bill include Architecture, Speed Champions (which, since its introduction, has been exclusive to Toys 'R' Us in the United States), Power Functions, and for a while, even the Bionicle theme's parent brand, Technic. Not being able to get these sets reliably at Target or Walmart has not been a death sentence for any of these brands.

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I froze for a few seconds thinking 'you've got to be kidding me, why the kids of this day and age don't appreciate Bionicle as much as we all did growing up', that was pretty heartbreaking for me to hear, and I honestly ha

 

 

 

As already stated, it's highly doubtful that Lego would discontinue Bionicle so early.

 

As for the quote above, that statement bothers me.

G2 is not the Bionicle we all grew up with.

It's a different entity entirely.

 

So if children don't like this version of Bionicle, it doesn't mean they wouldn't have liked the original.

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More rumors from Eurobricks about Bionicle. Lego Ambassador "Dorek" commented there is an upcoming "announcement of an announcement" related to Bionicle that Lego is going to announce soon. Take that as you will.

Since this in particular hasn't been addressed here, Dorek's going to Billund to interview the BIONICLE team.

 

Which, I assume, is what this refers to.

 

Until anything official materializes regarding the length of BIONICLE's run, I leave you with these words from the great philosopher of our time, Tristam:

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I froze for a few seconds thinking 'you've got to be kidding me, why the kids of this day and age don't appreciate Bionicle as much as we all did growing up', that was pretty heartbreaking for me to hear, and I honestly ha

 

 

 

As already stated, it's highly doubtful that Lego would discontinue Bionicle so early.

 

As for the quote above, that statement bothers me.

G2 is not the Bionicle we all grew up with.

It's a different entity entirely.

 

So if children don't like this version of Bionicle, it doesn't mean they wouldn't have liked the original.

 

No no this isn't what I meant by that statement, I have a sister who is in year 1, she loves looking at my Ninjago and Bionicle collections, and I always ask her "do your friends know what Bionicle is" and she always replies with the same thing "no they've never heard of it", now it was around her age I first heard of Bionicle and started collecting it, every single one of my friends knew what Bionicle was and all owned at least one set.

 

Now let's face it, the highest selling age group is the younger age group that pesters their parents for the sets, and if my sisters friends (who many are boys) haven't even heard of Bionicle yet at the age of 8 well I don't know what Lego is doing wrong this time around, because back when I was in primary school every man and his dog had at least one Bionicle set....

 

Oh and your last statement "it doesn't mean they wouldn't have liked the original", there are at least 60 kids in my sisters year and not 1 of them have heard of Bionicle but know what Ninjago is, this in itself is troubling to me.

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I wonder though if today's children just have dare I say, different interests! Take for example when most of us where kids the big names in children's toys where Star Wars, Pokemon, Power Rangers, etc. There was a HUGE focus on "collect them all" in a lot of toy lines, again especially in Pokemon. I have no doubt part of early success of Bionicle was due to arriving in the same era with a similar "collect them all" advertising campaign, and a lore that began to rival other themes. Don't forget also Lego's financial issues at the time to. Hard to think but sets built in classic Lego bricks where hard to sell. Design quality dropped. Bionicle's success was in part because as the company was failing Lego put EVERYTHING they had into Bionicle (and Lego Star Wars to) in a desperate attempt to save their company.

 

Now in 2016 what are the big names in children's Toys? Star Wars remains, but we now have Minecraft, Ninjago, Etc. Lego is no longer in dire need of help, it has come to be the a brand so powerful it was briefly recognized as more notable than even DISNEY! Wow! Lego no longer needs Bionicle to be a smash hit, they now have dozens of successful themes. All they need Bionicle to do now is perform well enough it remains "in the black." Also look at kids interests now to, things like Minecraft or Halo or other games aren't promoting a "collect all" culture anymore. Kids focus a lot on YouTube and what not, and when they want to play with Lego they want the characters they know from movies or TV. Since Bionicle does not have a major presence in those fields, no surprise it has had less fame than Ninjago.

 

But, is that a bad thing? Themes such as City, Friends, Speed Champions, Technic, etc are still produced by Lego even if they aren't as "well known" as say Star Wars, Ninjago or Super Heroes. If anything Lego might be trying to see if Bionicle still performs well even if they only invest in it only slightly less than they do in other themes.

Edited by Xboxtravis
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I wonder though if today's children just have dare I say, different interests! Take for example when most of us where kids the big names in children's toys where Star Wars, Pokemon, Power Rangers, etc. There was a HUGE focus on "collect them all" in a lot of toy lines, again especially in Pokemon. I have no doubt part of early success of Bionicle was due to arriving in the same era with a similar "collect them all" advertising campaign, and a lore that began to rival other themes. Don't forget also Lego's financial issues at the time to. Hard to think but sets built in classic Lego bricks where hard to sell. Design quality dropped. Bionicle's success was in part because as the company was failing Lego put EVERYTHING they had into Bionicle (and Lego Star Wars to) in a desperate attempt to save their company.

 

Now in 2016 what are the big names in children's Toys? Star Wars remains, but we now have Minecraft, Ninjago, Etc. Lego is no longer in dire need of help, it has come to be the a brand so powerful it was briefly recognized as more notable than even DISNEY! Wow! Lego no longer needs Bionicle to be a smash hit, they now have dozens of successful themes. All they need Bionicle to do now is perform well enough it remains "in the black." Also look at kids interests now to, things like Minecraft or Halo or other games aren't promoting a "collect all" culture anymore. Kids focus a lot on YouTube and what not, and when they want to play with Lego they want the characters they know from movies or TV. Since Bionicle does not have a major presence in those fields, no surprise it has had less fame than Ninjago.

 

But, is that a bad thing? Themes such as City, Friends, Speed Champions, Technic, etc are still produced by Lego even if they aren't as "well known" as say Star Wars, Ninjago or Super Heroes. If anything Lego might be trying to see if Bionicle still performs well even if they only invest in it only slightly less than they do in other themes.

In the words of Cyrus Borg from Ninjago "I used to think technology was the answer to all of our problems, but then I saw technology invent new problems, devastating problems", it really is a shame the kids of today want to have technology more than the fun of Lego, Lego has been the only thing I've collected my entire life, I never had anything else as a kid, and that's shaped me to be the person I am today, I didn't have a phone or a laptop till I was 14, now kids who are like 6 years old have phones and computers already, Lego will forever be popular and do well as a company, but at what point will technology become the only thing that kids want, and where will that leave everything else?

 

I always think too much towards the future but this is something I strongly believe is wrong with the world today, school is going to become purely based on computers one day, and that will be fine and all but with so many distractions, how will kids achieve the marks they need for a good career?

 

I rarely ever play video games, I've always been one to play sports and be creative with Lego and that is all, I have tried my best in school and now I'm at university, my Ninjago collection 100% complete and my Bionicle collection 95% complete, I can see what you mean by the "collect them all" thing, because that's always been my goal haha.

 

I am glad Lego aims high every year to produce the best quality products and sets, I will forever be collecting Lego, most people tend to have a dark age but I'm 18 soon and it hasn't happened, and I am aiming to be a Lego designer, so it never will happen.

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I always think too much towards the future but this is something I strongly believe is wrong with the world today, school is going to become purely based on computers one day, and that will be fine and all but with so many distractions, how will kids achieve the marks they need for a good career?

 

 

Marks (if you mean grades achieved in school) have absolutely nothing to do with a good career, unless your life ambition starts and ends at a mid-range office job. 

As for children being more and more exposed to tech and becoming early adopters, that is nothing but good. Historically, progress was always met by opposition, and yet society today is objectively better than it was a few centuries or even decades ago - however the things that have increase the standard of living today were decreed back then as harmful or of bad influence.

That generation, the ones who have laptops and smartphones at the age of six? They are the ones who will solve the problems those who came before them could not. They may only use those laptops and phones for entertainment today - since, you know, they're children - but that plants the seed of greater technological literacy, upon which the species' future is founded.

 

I also find it curious that someone whose entire forum presence is built around a youtube channel, to discourage its use  :P

 

:kakama:

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I always think too much towards the future but this is something I strongly believe is wrong with the world today, school is going to become purely based on computers one day, and that will be fine and all but with so many distractions, how will kids achieve the marks they need for a good career?

 

 

Marks (if you mean grades achieved in school) have absolutely nothing to do with a good career, unless your life ambition starts and ends at a mid-range office job. 

As for children being more and more exposed to tech and becoming early adopters, that is nothing but good. Historically, progress was always met by opposition, and yet society today is objectively better than it was a few centuries or even decades ago - however the things that have increase the standard of living today were decreed back then as harmful or of bad influence.

That generation, the ones who have laptops and smartphones at the age of six? They are the ones who will solve the problems those who came before them could not. They may only use those laptops and phones for entertainment today - since, you know, they're children - but that plants the seed of greater technological literacy, upon which the species' future is founded.

 

I also find it curious that someone whose entire forum presence is built around a youtube channel, to discourage its use  :P

 

:kakama:

 

Aye I like your last comment lol :P 

 

But I do think too much towards the future when I should really just be focusing on now, I do have my opinion and others don't share the same notion that is completely fine, everyone has right to their own opinion :)

 

Btw Pohatu is the GOAT (Greatest of all Time), Pohatu Mata and Nuva are awesome ;)

Go check out our Youtube channel! We review BIONICLE and other LEGO related items!
https://www.youtube.com/user/RandomReviewerBros

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I froze for a few seconds thinking 'you've got to be kidding me, why the kids of this day and age don't appreciate Bionicle as much as we all did growing up', that was pretty heartbreaking for me to hear, and I honestly ha

 

 

 

As already stated, it's highly doubtful that Lego would discontinue Bionicle so early.

 

As for the quote above, that statement bothers me.

G2 is not the Bionicle we all grew up with.

It's a different entity entirely.

 

So if children don't like this version of Bionicle, it doesn't mean they wouldn't have liked the original.

 

No no this isn't what I meant by that statement, I have a sister who is in year 1, she loves looking at my Ninjago and Bionicle collections, and I always ask her "do your friends know what Bionicle is" and she always replies with the same thing "no they've never heard of it", now it was around her age I first heard of Bionicle and started collecting it, every single one of my friends knew what Bionicle was and all owned at least one set.

 

Now let's face it, the highest selling age group is the younger age group that pesters their parents for the sets, and if my sisters friends (who many are boys) haven't even heard of Bionicle yet at the age of 8 well I don't know what Lego is doing wrong this time around, because back when I was in primary school every man and his dog had at least one Bionicle set....

 

Oh and your last statement "it doesn't mean they wouldn't have liked the original", there are at least 60 kids in my sisters year and not 1 of them have heard of Bionicle but know what Ninjago is, this in itself is troubling to me.

 

 

Subpar marketing. That's the issue. :/ Plus, Ninjago is just too good to compete with. :(

 

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A big thank you to Toucan Sam for the Okotian name.


[topic=gallery_115994_378_11223.jpg][/topic]


 


:vahi: [ON HIATUS]  :vahi: 


 


 

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I wonder though if today's children just have dare I say, different interests! Take for example when most of us where kids the big names in children's toys where Star Wars, Pokemon, Power Rangers, etc. There was a HUGE focus on "collect them all" in a lot of toy lines, again especially in Pokemon. I have no doubt part of early success of Bionicle was due to arriving in the same era with a similar "collect them all" advertising campaign, and a lore that began to rival other themes. Don't forget also Lego's financial issues at the time to. Hard to think but sets built in classic Lego bricks where hard to sell. Design quality dropped. Bionicle's success was in part because as the company was failing Lego put EVERYTHING they had into Bionicle (and Lego Star Wars to) in a desperate attempt to save their company.

 

Now in 2016 what are the big names in children's Toys? Star Wars remains, but we now have Minecraft, Ninjago, Etc. Lego is no longer in dire need of help, it has come to be the a brand so powerful it was briefly recognized as more notable than even DISNEY! Wow! Lego no longer needs Bionicle to be a smash hit, they now have dozens of successful themes. All they need Bionicle to do now is perform well enough it remains "in the black." Also look at kids interests now to, things like Minecraft or Halo or other games aren't promoting a "collect all" culture anymore. Kids focus a lot on YouTube and what not, and when they want to play with Lego they want the characters they know from movies or TV. Since Bionicle does not have a major presence in those fields, no surprise it has had less fame than Ninjago.

 

But, is that a bad thing? Themes such as City, Friends, Speed Champions, Technic, etc are still produced by Lego even if they aren't as "well known" as say Star Wars, Ninjago or Super Heroes. If anything Lego might be trying to see if Bionicle still performs well even if they only invest in it only slightly less than they do in other themes.

In the words of Cyrus Borg from Ninjago "I used to think technology was the answer to all of our problems, but then I saw technology invent new problems, devastating problems", it really is a shame the kids of today want to have technology more than the fun of Lego, Lego has been the only thing I've collected my entire life, I never had anything else as a kid, and that's shaped me to be the person I am today, I didn't have a phone or a laptop till I was 14, now kids who are like 6 years old have phones and computers already, Lego will forever be popular and do well as a company, but at what point will technology become the only thing that kids want, and where will that leave everything else?

 

I always think too much towards the future but this is something I strongly believe is wrong with the world today, school is going to become purely based on computers one day, and that will be fine and all but with so many distractions, how will kids achieve the marks they need for a good career?

 

I rarely ever play video games, I've always been one to play sports and be creative with Lego and that is all, I have tried my best in school and now I'm at university, my Ninjago collection 100% complete and my Bionicle collection 95% complete, I can see what you mean by the "collect them all" thing, because that's always been my goal haha.

 

I am glad Lego aims high every year to produce the best quality products and sets, I will forever be collecting Lego, most people tend to have a dark age but I'm 18 soon and it hasn't happened, and I am aiming to be a Lego designer, so it never will happen.

 

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Your entire premise (that technology is making kids in general less interested in Lego) couldn't be more wrong. Lego in general is more popular and successful than ever. Ninjago, Friends, and City are all huge. Same goes for licensed themes like Star Wars, Super Heroes, and Disney Princess. The Lego Movie was a smash hit and led to a huge uptick in Lego's popularity among kids and adults alike. If kids today cared more about technology than physical toys, you would expect Lego to be suffering across the board, but that clearly isn't the case. So it doesn't make any sense to try to ascribe that reasoning to Bionicle's less impressive sales.

Edited by Lyichir
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Formerly Lyichir: Rachira of Influence

Aanchir's and Meiko's brother

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My part of it wasn't aiming to point towards technology as the cause of lack of interest in Bionicle; but just merely popular things do change overtime. 

 

Also another factor in what could undermine Bionicle's current success right now is perhaps "accidental" self cannibalization of sales by Lego's part. Offering the Star Wars figures up at the same time might have drawn consumers away from Bionicle and towards the Star Wars figures. While I'm sure Lego plans for both lines to be successful, I have no doubt that Darth Vader, General Grievous, Kylo Ren, and Obi-Wan carry a lot bigger pop-culture fame recognition than Tahu or Gali ever did. So it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of kids who are getting interested in constraction are drawn first towards the Star Wars figures, before they are drawn to Bionicle. Again I don't buy the fan rumors that "Lego is trying to kill Bionicle for Star Wars!" but it might be an unintended side affect of releasing both lines at nearly the same time. 

 

Of course Star Wars Buildable Figure sets might inadvertently help Bionicle to. If a kid enjoys the Star Wars sets and wants more, they or their parents might seek out the relatively cheaper cost Bionicle sets to fill up the toy bin along the way. 

Edited by Xboxtravis
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All aboard the hype train!

 

 

 

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I wonder though if today's children just have dare I say, different interests! Take for example when most of us where kids the big names in children's toys where Star Wars, Pokemon, Power Rangers, etc. There was a HUGE focus on "collect them all" in a lot of toy lines, again especially in Pokemon. I have no doubt part of early success of Bionicle was due to arriving in the same era with a similar "collect them all" advertising campaign, and a lore that began to rival other themes. Don't forget also Lego's financial issues at the time to. Hard to think but sets built in classic Lego bricks where hard to sell. Design quality dropped. Bionicle's success was in part because as the company was failing Lego put EVERYTHING they had into Bionicle (and Lego Star Wars to) in a desperate attempt to save their company.

 

Now in 2016 what are the big names in children's Toys? Star Wars remains, but we now have Minecraft, Ninjago, Etc. Lego is no longer in dire need of help, it has come to be the a brand so powerful it was briefly recognized as more notable than even DISNEY! Wow! Lego no longer needs Bionicle to be a smash hit, they now have dozens of successful themes. All they need Bionicle to do now is perform well enough it remains "in the black." Also look at kids interests now to, things like Minecraft or Halo or other games aren't promoting a "collect all" culture anymore. Kids focus a lot on YouTube and what not, and when they want to play with Lego they want the characters they know from movies or TV. Since Bionicle does not have a major presence in those fields, no surprise it has had less fame than Ninjago.

 

But, is that a bad thing? Themes such as City, Friends, Speed Champions, Technic, etc are still produced by Lego even if they aren't as "well known" as say Star Wars, Ninjago or Super Heroes. If anything Lego might be trying to see if Bionicle still performs well even if they only invest in it only slightly less than they do in other themes.

In the words of Cyrus Borg from Ninjago "I used to think technology was the answer to all of our problems, but then I saw technology invent new problems, devastating problems", it really is a shame the kids of today want to have technology more than the fun of Lego, Lego has been the only thing I've collected my entire life, I never had anything else as a kid, and that's shaped me to be the person I am today, I didn't have a phone or a laptop till I was 14, now kids who are like 6 years old have phones and computers already, Lego will forever be popular and do well as a company, but at what point will technology become the only thing that kids want, and where will that leave everything else?

 

I always think too much towards the future but this is something I strongly believe is wrong with the world today, school is going to become purely based on computers one day, and that will be fine and all but with so many distractions, how will kids achieve the marks they need for a good career?

 

I rarely ever play video games, I've always been one to play sports and be creative with Lego and that is all, I have tried my best in school and now I'm at university, my Ninjago collection 100% complete and my Bionicle collection 95% complete, I can see what you mean by the "collect them all" thing, because that's always been my goal haha.

 

I am glad Lego aims high every year to produce the best quality products and sets, I will forever be collecting Lego, most people tend to have a dark age but I'm 18 soon and it hasn't happened, and I am aiming to be a Lego designer, so it never will happen.

 

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Your entire premise (that technology is making kids in general less interested in Lego) couldn't be more wrong. Lego in general is more popular and successful than ever. Ninjago, Friends, and City are all huge. Same goes for licensed themes like Star Wars, Super Heroes, and Disney Princess. The Lego Movie was a smash hit and led to a huge uptick in Lego's popularity among kids and adults alike. If kids today cared more about technology than physical toys, you would expect Lego to be suffering across the board, but that clearly isn't the case. So it doesn't make any sense to try to ascribe that reasoning to Bionicle's less impressive sales.

 

Beyond that, technology has time and time again supported Bionicle's popularity, not detracted from it.

  • It's a theme that, when the Internet was still a new thing for a lot of kids, put a whole lot of its marketing (including collectible checklists, character bios, a lexicon, and an immersive online game) on the web.
  • It's a theme that has always used computer-generated imagery extensively in its ads and promotional media.
  • It's a theme that had video games as a major part of its promotional strategy from the very beginning.
  • It's a theme that put actual mini CDs in some of its earliest sets in order to put digital content right in the hands of users.
  • It's the first LEGO theme that ever implemented unique laser-engraved codes to unlock online promotional content.
  • It was one of the LEGO Group's first themes to include games for mobile phones — even before the dawn of the iPhone!
  • It's a theme that, when it was rebooted, was heavily promoted via social media, including contests, exclusive concept art, and a series of eighteen short, sharable web videos.
  • It's the first LEGO theme to have a Netflix-exclusive series, in response to kids increasingly watching cartoons via online streaming instead of cable TV broadcast.
If you had asked an AFOL (or even a LEGO employee) in 2001–2003 why Bionicle was so successful and other themes were failing, a lot of them would have probably blamed it on technology-obsessed kids with short attention spans not being as interested in traditional LEGO building as they once were. So it makes little sense to now claim that as the reason why other LEGO themes based on the classic brick are now vastly outperforming it. Bionicle has never fought against kids' increasing use of technology. Rather, it's been riding the coattails of that trend since it first began.
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