(BUMPED)

LEGO.com's email form only allows 2000 characters, so I've sent this to Black Six for him to pass on.

Hello to all!

 

First, I want to thank everyone who has been part of the creation of the BIONICLE property for a job well done. I have been a fan of BIONICLE since it was first introduced and have always thought it was unique and excellent in both design and story.

 

I am not actually saddened, however, to hear of your plans to replace BIONICLE with two new toy lines. In my opinion, BIONICLE has come to a place where it can gracefully play out to its end. In fact, your decision to continue the storyline past the discontinuation of the products is a huge act of love toward the community and goes above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you so much for opting to do that! =)

 

Ben 10 is obviously the first of the replacements, aimed at a slightly younger audience. I am not at all familiar with the property, but I do hope for the best of success in your venture with it.

 

As for the other, as yet unknown property, I have one heartfelt request. I make this request knowing that I speak for a great many others as well.

 

I am requesting that the new toys and story treat male and female characters with equality.

 

This is a long-standing issue that many of us fans have had with the BIONICLE property. I realize that BIONICLE was conceived primarily as a boys' toy, and I respect the decisions you made (for reasons that I have no doubt were valid from at least a marketing viewpoint) regarding the relative numbers of male and female characters. There were several excellent female characters introduced alongside the male ones, and I don't mean to suggest that there was any overt sexism involved. My experience has been that fans are generally satisfied with the individual female characters themselves, but that there are a significant number of us who are dissatisfied with the systematically lesser proportion of females in the BIONICLE universe overall.

 

In my personal opinion, having both sexes equally represented could only be a positive thing. Much of the world has lived in paternalistic societies for a long time, where the male archetype, or "energy" if you will, has dominated. This is an unhealthy imbalance. If we are to call ourselves civilized, enlightened human beings, how can we stand for such a thing and continue to perpetuate it? I am certainly not asking for the LEGO Company to take a stand on spiritual matters, but I am urging each of you, to the best of your ability, to carry the same responsibility that we all must learn to carry: the responsibility to live by our principles, not just talk about them while betraying them with our actions.

 

I believe in the possibility of a just world and a harmonious world. I believe that every human action, every human thought and belief, has the potential to bring that possibility closer to reality, or to push it further away. I believe that neither man nor woman is better than the other. I believe the feminine and the masculine aspects of consciousness can only reach their full potential when they are in balance. Both are equally necessary.

 

I was talking about toys and stories. These are powerful cultural tools. It is, in part, through these very tools that we pass on to the next generation our beliefs about who we are and what we are capable of. It is true that girls are more often attracted to themes in toys and stories that we associate with the feminine, and boys likewise are more often attracted to "masculine" themes. But wait. Aren't the most successful toys and stories the ones that have relevance for the widest sector of the community, irrespective of sex or age? I would certainly include the venerable LEGO brick in this category.

 

As you are no doubt aware, BIONICLE, although marketed specifically toward boys, has a small but significant following among girls (and women) as well. The female minority among us fans has been a tremendously enriching element in the community. In fact, I don't know if I would have enjoyed my time interacting with other fans half as much without their presence and influence. That's not an exaggeration. It is due in no small part to the activity of the girl fans that we boast such a delightfully broad range of original artworks and stories.

 

I am 100% confident that you are capable of making BIONICLE's successor equally appealing to both boys and girls. Just because we call the toys "action figures" doesn't mean they're not, in essence, functionally equivalent to "dolls." Girls can appreciate the building experience just as well as boys can. As for the story... well, I am not greatly acquainted with the world of anime and manga, but if I were to ask around, I am certain I could come up with numerous examples of those that are not created particularly for boys or girls, but have roughly equal followings among both. It can be done. It has been done. I would say that, in the case of BIONICLE's successor, it ought to be done. And if done well, you could soon find your sales of buildable action figures doubling quite easily.

 

I am aware of the tendency among those who teach and study marketing to target products at ever more narrowly-defined groups of consumers. I am no expert, nor do I refute the claimed effectiveness of such a strategy, but my intuition tells me that the opposite strategy can also be a winning one, and is perhaps even more likely to succeed. Your announcement stated that the new toy lines would appeal to a wider age range, and I strongly applaud that. Extending their appeal across the gender line as well would be a logical step and, I contend, a winning move for LEGO.

 

Summa summarum: Please create a property that avoids as much as possible the pitfalls of its predecessor, especially the pitfall of marginalizing the female element. Your fans -- and your bottom line -- will thank you.

 

Best regards,

Juho William Tauriainen, aka "BCii"

 

P.S. I trust that this letter will find its way into the appropriate hands. Thank you for passing this message on.

Let it not be said that BCii doesn't keep his promises.

EDIT: Oh, and I might as well reprint my initial reaction to the big news here.

So the rumours were true.

 

I couldn't be more satisfied, actually. After nine years, BIONICLE has exhausted its novelty value. The reboot of 2009 was a heroic last attempt at self-renewal, but it wasn't able to shake off the sense of stagnation that has haunted the line for years and only gotten worse over time.

 

This new strategic move by TLC is a risk, certainly, but one that I am hopeful will pay off for fans and company alike. It is truly a rebirth of the legend. The old will continue to play itself out, freed from the constraints of the product cycle, while the new universe kicks off with a brand-new aesthetic and legend of its own.

 

BIONICLE has come to the fullness of age and now gracefully yields the center stage to its successor. What could be more natural? I certainly prefer this to any further, ultimately futile attempts to keep BIONICLE on life support past its time.

 

The decision-makers at LEGO have been realistic and honest. They've seen the writing on the wall and have made the right choice, knowing full well the risks involved. Above all, they have kept in mind those whose support has made BIONICLE the huge success story that it is: us, the fans. And as long as there is yet one who keeps the legend of the BIONICLE alive in their heart, that legend will live on.

 

Bring on the future.