Bionicle (stylized as BIONICLE) was a line of contraction toys created by the Lego Group marketed primarily for 5-to-16-year-olds. Originally a sub-theme of Lego's Technic series, the line was initially launched in early 2001 in Europe andAustralia and the following summer in North America and over the following decade became one of the Lego Groups's biggest-selling properties. The theme's concept is based on two earlier Lego themes that featured characters based onclassical elements and incorporated a similar building system. In 2009, The Lego Group closed down the production of future Bionicle sets due to a lack of new sales in the product, and in the wake of theme's cancellation "replaced" Bionicle with Hero Factory; a new contraction series that carries Bionicle's legacy and features a similar building system.