So, what happened to the Fans?

[The Hordika]

Bionicle can still be turned around with proper advertising, world building and a good fanbase. We've been really negative the past few years

[ToaTImeLord]

But is it too little, too late? Has the damage already been done?

I read somewhere that sales in the U.S.A. are average but in Europe they are over the carts. They can't get enoght of them.

 

(this could also explain why European country's get special polybags. Such as the golden skull grinder mask.)

Edited May 1, 2016 by ToaTimeLord

[Tahu3.0]

 

But is it too little, too late? Has the damage already been done?

I read somewhere that sales in the U.S.A. are average but in Europe they are over the carts. They can't get enoght of them.

(this could also explain why European country's get special polybags. Such as the golden skull grinder mask.)

I really don't understand why there's more popularity for LEGO in Europe than the USA.

[Pohaturon]

 

 

But is it too little, too late? Has the damage already been done?

I read somewhere that sales in the U.S.A. are average but in Europe they are over the carts. They can't get enoght of them.

(this could also explain why European country's get special polybags. Such as the golden skull grinder mask.)

I really don't understand why there's more popularity for LEGO in Europe than the USA.

 

 

Not Lego. Bionicle specifically. Big difference.

 

I never really followed any Lego brand other than Bionicle, especially since Bionicle ended so I might be wrong on this, but weren't the Chima constraction sets never released in the USA?

 

Point is, maybe the 'fantasy-esque-buildable-action-figres" thing just doesn't roll in the States.

 

I for one can confirm that Bionicle has been selling ludicrously well in Europe - or Hungary, at least. Each time the sets are stocked (any there are plenty, so it isn't a quantity issue) they're gone in 2-3 weeks and restocked and gone again. There are a few toy stores in the area I live, and I've seen both the 2015 and 2016 Bionicle sets sell out and get re-stocked multiple times myself. There are countless Bionicle-only promotions going on, and they've taken some of the spotlight from Lego Star Wars which is a massive feat.

 

Who knows, maybe Lego will just axe the NA distribution and keep Bionicle running in other regions beyond 2017.

 

[Lyichir]

 

 

 

But is it too little, too late? Has the damage already been done?

I read somewhere that sales in the U.S.A. are average but in Europe they are over the carts. They can't get enoght of them.

(this could also explain why European country's get special polybags. Such as the golden skull grinder mask.)

 

I really don't understand why there's more popularity for LEGO in Europe than the USA.

 

 

Not Lego. Bionicle specifically. Big difference.

 

I never really followed any Lego brand other than Bionicle, especially since Bionicle ended so I might be wrong on this, but weren't the Chima constraction sets never released in the USA?

 

Point is, maybe the 'fantasy-esque-buildable-action-figres" thing just doesn't roll in the States.

 

I for one can confirm that Bionicle has been selling ludicrously well in Europe - or Hungary, at least. Each time the sets are stocked (any there are plenty, so it isn't a quantity issue) they're gone in 2-3 weeks and restocked and gone again. There are a few toy stores in the area I live, and I've seen both the 2015 and 2016 Bionicle sets sell out and get re-stocked multiple times myself. There are countless Bionicle-only promotions going on, and they've taken some of the spotlight from Lego Star Wars which is a massive feat.

 

Who knows, maybe Lego will just axe the NA distribution and keep Bionicle running in other regions beyond 2017.

 

 

I don't even know that Bionicle HAS even been unpopular in the U.S. as a whole. If it is in fact more popular and successful in Europe, it's an interesting inversion of G1, where the U.S. was pretty much Bionicle's most successful market. Then again, the second wave of Chima constraction figures was cancelled in the U.S. because of unpopularity, and Russia in particular has gotten a huge number of Bionicle and Hero Factory promotions not seen elsewhere, which might point to greater success for Constraction in general in Europe, at least in recent years.

[Shadow Destroyer]

 

 

 

 

But is it too little, too late? Has the damage already been done?

I read somewhere that sales in the U.S.A. are average but in Europe they are over the carts. They can't get enoght of them.

(this could also explain why European country's get special polybags. Such as the golden skull grinder mask.)

I really don't understand why there's more popularity for LEGO in Europe than the USA.

Not Lego. Bionicle specifically. Big difference.

 

I never really followed any Lego brand other than Bionicle, especially since Bionicle ended so I might be wrong on this, but weren't the Chima constraction sets never released in the USA?

 

Point is, maybe the 'fantasy-esque-buildable-action-figres" thing just doesn't roll in the States.

 

I for one can confirm that Bionicle has been selling ludicrously well in Europe - or Hungary, at least. Each time the sets are stocked (any there are plenty, so it isn't a quantity issue) they're gone in 2-3 weeks and restocked and gone again. There are a few toy stores in the area I live, and I've seen both the 2015 and 2016 Bionicle sets sell out and get re-stocked multiple times myself. There are countless Bionicle-only promotions going on, and they've taken some of the spotlight from Lego Star Wars which is a massive feat.

 

Wow, awesome! I had no idea that the line was so selling so well outside of the US. This is definitely good news.

[The Hordika]

It's good that all that "Bionicle is cancelled" talk was

[ToaTImeLord]

Who even started the Bionicle is dying rumour?

 

The moment I saw it I researched the sales of Bionicle and Lego as a whole and found out that Bionicle in global sales has past the profit mark Ninjago had in its first 2 years.

So Bionicle is doing okay I'd say.

[Shadow Destroyer]

Sweet! What website did you find this on?

[Lyichir]

Who even started the Bionicle is dying rumour?

 

The moment I saw it I researched the sales of Bionicle and Lego as a whole and found out that Bionicle in global sales has past the profit mark Ninjago had in its first 2 years.

So Bionicle is doing okay I'd say.

I really, really would like to know where that statistic is coming from. I try to keep an eye on business news related to Lego, and have never heard any such information. And even as a Bionicle fan, I can't help but find it really, really hard to believe. Ninjago was an absolute phenomenon in terms of sales, and was Lego's most successful product launch EVER when it was first introduced. Even if Bionicle HAS been successful I can't imagine it coming close to that, and if it had it would surely be a huge deal.

[Aanchir]

 

Who even started the Bionicle is dying rumour?

 

The moment I saw it I researched the sales of Bionicle and Lego as a whole and found out that Bionicle in global sales has past the profit mark Ninjago had in its first 2 years.

So Bionicle is doing okay I'd say.

I really, really would like to know where that statistic is coming from. I try to keep an eye on business news related to Lego, and have never heard any such information. And even as a Bionicle fan, I can't help but find it really, really hard to believe. Ninjago was an absolute phenomenon in terms of sales, and was Lego's most successful product launch EVER when it was first introduced. Even if Bionicle HAS been successful I can't imagine it coming close to that, and if it had it would surely be a huge deal.

 

If it's comparing Bionicle's all-time sales with Ninjago's then it's possible Bionicle comes out ahead, simply due to having been around for so much longer. But just comparing sales in 2015 and 2016, I don't think Bionicle outselling Ninjago sounds realistic, considering that Ninjago was one of the LEGO Group's five top-selling themes last year and Bionicle was not (and sales figures for this year probably wouldn't even be available at this time). Needless to say, Bionicle's all-time sales figures wouldn't really tell us anything about how Bionicle G2 is doing.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Aanchir

[masterchirox580]

I'm not sure about that Europe statistic. For example I live in the UK. I went to Oxford recently. And I checked what is probably the best place to buy lego there. At said store there was nearly a full shelf of 2015 bionicle sets (and this was in January). Only a couple of skull sets and protectors seemed to have been bought. It could have been left over stock but this was after Christmas. Not to mention Argos (a very large retailer around here) stock only select sets and they're all online exclusive. I've also found other stores stocking only certain sets. A big toy store was recently opened in my town so I might look in there some time to see what the stock situation is like. 

[Shadow Destroyer]

Went to my local Target last night here in the US, and they only had two Uniter Onuas, and one Uniter Kopaka. It seems like the entire Bionicle section was replaced with other various Lego sets.

[Lyichir]

Went to my local Target last night here in the US, and they only had two Uniter Onuas, and one Uniter Kopaka. It seems like the entire Bionicle section was replaced with other various Lego sets.

I think it's worth pointing out that we are very, very close to the release date for the summer Bionicle sets (June 1st). At this point, it would not be surprising if some stores don't reshelve all of the winter wave sets, since all that would do is fill up shelf space that will be needed for the summer wave of sets.

 

I'm not saying that this is necessarily the reason for your Target's poor selection. I've noticed this year that my own local Target has had a very poor Bionicle selection, mostly limited to the three larger Toa and their respective Creatures along with Umarak. On the other hand, my local Toys R Us has had a very good selection this year from what I've seen, and even had a large cardboard Bionicle display early in the year. So between that and the very real possibility that Target wants to clear space for their summer inventory, I would hesitate to judge their poor selection as that indicative of a wider sales trend.

[Dogbert]

I can only speak for myself on that subject, I honestly don't mind seen angry people, is better than the "only talking about the positives" thing... so creepy. Also I want to add that the story so far has only disappointed me less and less, so I can't really get angry about that.

 

The main thing that has made me angry since the end of 2015 is that Lego hasn't brought the Bionicle sets to México. Honestly, is horrible. I have to pay at least double the price to get them. Kind of ironic as one of the fabrics is in Monterrey. But on the other side, I kinda see why: Lego is just too expensive for the average Mexican citizen. Sure, the price doesn't spike too much when they're sold here, but if your salary is minimum wage, as it would be for a History college student, toys like that are a luxury. At least in my area I've still seen old sets from three years ago. Bionicle sets are either uot of sale in my closests Wall-Mart, or either hidden behind the Ninjago stes or utterly ignored in the farthest ones.Perhaps the most insulting thing to me was having the 2015 summer cataloge, seeing that it included three of the five sets and hoping I would at least get those (BTW they also only brought four of the Protectors, so I already felt somewhat sad and angry that I couldn't complete the winter wave as soon as posible), but nope! No sign of them. Then,  they come up on MercadoLibre (kind of like the Latin American Ebay) at triple the price. I had to pay five times the price of the Protector of Jungle because literaly it was the cheapest option! And so here I am, saving money for the Protector of Stone (again, I will have to pay five times the price) and hopefully the 2015 summer sets (at around three times the price). My only solace is that the 2016 sets are at only double the price.

 

And before anyone suggest to me getting an Eaby account and ship them from Europe, I can't. A credit card needes for paypal and the subsequent price of that is really not something feasable for me. Also the international shipping fees add up a lot to the cheapest offers. I would get a passport and go to El Paso to buy them myself, but the trip across half of México is too expensive (I can't take a plane because I have aviophobia) so in the end the cheapest and more secure way for me to get the sets is buying them from frontieer scalpers who get them cheap across the border and resell them here.

 

Sorry if my post is hard to understand, is not easy filtering all the curses. I'll try to explain in more detail if anyone is interested.

[Xboxtravis]

Yikes! Hard to hear that story, knowing Lego has its own factory there. I wouldn't have guessed it would be so hard to get them in Mexico.

 

Reminds me though of the two years I was in Argentina. Of course I didn't have the time or luxury to be buying any Lego sets anyways; but I did keep track of when I did see Lego. Of course since so little Lego showed up there, I had no idea what was being released. I remember one time in early 2015 thinking while in Argentina "Wouldn't it be cool if Lego Re-released Bionicle?" not knowing at all the reboot had been going for nearly three months by then!

[Dogbert]

I know, right? You'd think they'd use it as a hub for the Latin American market, which by the sound of what you're telling me, it may not be too big, sadly.

 

Unfortunately, I don't see Lego suddenly changing their minds. They've brought the Nexo Knights, but as far as I know, they're not doing very well.

[Shadow Destroyer]

I can only speak for myself on that subject, I honestly don't mind seen angry people, is better than the "only talking about the positives" thing... so creepy. Also I want to add that the story so far has only disappointed me less and less, so I can't really get angry about that.

 

When fans start making topics like "Let's only talk about the positives", you know the line is in trouble. (I don't want to start a massive argument with that statement, just throwing it out there.) I hope that the storytelling improves for next year, and that sales are good enough for the line to continue.

[ToaTImeLord]

 

 

Who even started the Bionicle is dying rumour?

 

The moment I saw it I researched the sales of Bionicle and Lego as a whole and found out that Bionicle in global sales has past the profit mark Ninjago had in its first 2 years.

So Bionicle is doing okay I'd say.

I really, really would like to know where that statistic is coming from. I try to keep an eye on business news related to Lego, and have never heard any such information. And even as a Bionicle fan, I can't help but find it really, really hard to believe. Ninjago was an absolute phenomenon in terms of sales, and was Lego's most successful product launch EVER when it was first introduced. Even if Bionicle HAS been successful I can't imagine it coming close to that, and if it had it would surely be a huge deal.

If it's comparing Bionicle's all-time sales with Ninjago's then it's possible Bionicle comes out ahead, simply due to having been around for so much longer. But just comparing sales in 2015 and 2016, I don't think Bionicle outselling Ninjago sounds realistic, considering that Ninjago was one of the LEGO Group's five top-selling themes last year and Bionicle was not (and sales figures for this year probably wouldn't even be available at this time). Needless to say, Bionicle's all-time sales figures wouldn't really tell us anything about how Bionicle G2 is doing.

I can't remember the website but I do believe it was Bionicle as a whole.

I do know Europe is crazy for the sets. That's for sure.

I can only speak for myself on that subject, I honestly don't mind seen angry people, is better than the "only talking about the positives" thing... so creepy. Also I want to add that the story so far has only disappointed me less and less, so I can't really get angry about that.

 

 

Hey I started the topic because I saw NOTHING showing the bright side to Bionicle's return. So I created the topic to hear what people liked about it.

(we all have already heard the bad things ten million times)

Edited May 5, 2016 by ToaTimeLord

[SailorQuaoar]

The new sets are solid to very good; it's the story that's the weak link.

 

To be clear, it's not that I think the story's bad...It's just mediocre.

 

It doesn't feel as inspired setting-wise, and the villages and culture of Okoto have barely been developed. MNOG went a long way to make the setting compelling by fleshing out the ordinary villagers.

 

And I don't want to use the "it's a kids show so it's simple" excuse; Steven Universe manages to have lore and well developed characters while still being for children.

[Lyichir]

The new sets are solid to very good; it's the story that's the weak link.

 

To be clear, it's not that I think the story's bad...It's just mediocre.

 

It doesn't feel as inspired setting-wise, and the villages and culture of Okoto have barely been developed. MNOG went a long way to make the setting compelling by fleshing out the ordinary villagers.

 

And I don't want to use the "it's a kids show so it's simple" excuse; Steven Universe manages to have lore and well developed characters while still being for children.

I think a more accurate justification is "it's SHORT so it's simple". Steven Universe is a show with FANTASTIC worldbuilding, but it built that up over a HUGE number of 11-minute episodes (many of which only scratch the surface of the depth of lore and characterization that would eventually be revealed, especially the early episodes). 2001 Bionicle had an in-depth story, but a huge amount of the weight was carried by the Mata Nui Online Game, an adventure game that managed to pack in a huge amount of content (and a pretty sizeable length, if you wanted to talk to everyone and experience everything).

 

Bionicle's story last year, on the other hand, was told, for the most part, through 20 or so 5-minute webisodes that had much less time for worldbuilding and character development just to cover the plot as a whole. This year it has had more involved 30-minute Netflix episodes, but only two of those have aired so far with two more due for the summer. The books, on the other hand, are longer, and mostly use that added length to flesh out the world and characters beyond what any of the other media has managed to do. They have provided more information about side characters like the Protectors, more information about Okoto's backstory, and more characterization for the individual Toa—albeit with a lot of repeated content as well (a consequence of attempting to cover the main story across all media as well, a break from G1's early strategy of never telling the whole story in any one medium).

 

The good thing is that a low QUANTITY of story media is an issue that will eventually rectify itself as new stories continue to build on the older ones. From where I sit, I'm already seeing the story's quality improve more and more as the story moves beyond the groundwork laid by last year's introduction and moves on to more involved plots, better characterization, and a deeper look at the underlying mysteries of the theme.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Lyichir

[Dogbert]

I can only speak for myself on that subject, I honestly don't mind seen angry people, is better than the "only talking about the positives" thing... so creepy. Also I want to add that the story so far has only disappointed me less and less, so I can't really get angry about that.

 

Hey I started the topic because I saw NOTHING showing the bright side to Bionicle's return. So I created the topic to hear what people liked about it.

(we all have already heard the bad things ten million times)

 

I know, and I also commented what I liked there. It's just thati feel you can't have the positives without the negatives. But I think it was a mistake from my part when writing my comment: What really creeped me out was some comment (I can't really remember if it was on this topic or another) about "social ingeneering" the communty to show a more positive face. As a historian I can quote endless examples of it  not working or being just plain unethical.

[ToaTImeLord]

 

 

 

I can only speak for myself on that subject, I honestly don't mind seen angry people, is better than the "only talking about the positives" thing... so creepy. Also I want to add that the story so far has only disappointed me less and less, so I can't really get angry about that.

 

Hey I started the topic because I saw NOTHING showing the bright side to Bionicle's return. So I created the topic to hear what people liked about it.

(we all have already heard the bad things ten million times)

I know, and I also commented what I liked there. It's just thati feel you can't have the positives without the negatives. But I think it was a mistake from my part when writing my comment: What really creeped me out was some comment (I can't really remember if it was on this topic or another) about "social ingeneering" the communty to show a more positive face. As a historian I can quote endless examples of it not working or being just plain unethical.

That dose go both ways.

Can't have the negative without the positive.

But thank you for the clarification.

 

It's hard for a reboot to take hold because all the old fans are trying to destroy it or mold it back to the original.

 

We all need to take a step back and truly look at Bionicle without comparing it to G1.

 

Once we can make our own conclusion about it by itself then we can compare the two.

Edited May 6, 2016 by ToaTimeLord

[Shadow Destroyer]

I don't think any of the old fans are trying to destroy the old line, exactly. None of us wants to see bionicle go away. Many of us just want to see the line's story improve, and are frustrated at how G2 has been treated so far. For example, I am personally disappointed with how it's turned out, but I'll still be buying the new sets when they come out in June. 

[The Hordika]

We need to recognize G2 as it's own thing, especially considering the culture of Okoto is very different from Mata Nui. It just feels like a new place.

[Lenny7092]

We need to recognize G2 as it's own thing, especially considering the culture of Okoto is very different from Mata Nui. It just feels like a new place.

I agree with you. G2 is a reboot with a new setting and people. Even though that Okoto has some similarities with Mata Nui, it feels different because:

1. It is ruled by two people who make masks rather than a group of six elders.

2. People can reproduce.

3. Elder tribal leaders are able to go commando on evil creatures.

4. The Toa fight skull- and skeleton-related villains rather than animals mind-controlled with infected masks by the main villain in G2's first year. In other words, the Skull Creatures are the Toa's first villains, rather than the Infected Rahi.

5. There are also animals that are like gods of elements to Okoto, and there is a hunter hunting them.

6. The masks are based on elemental powers rather than different super powers you read from DC and Marvel Comics.

 

So there. These facts about G2 makes it very different from G1. However, to make people happy, it includes the main protagonists that we know and love, the Toa, and the main antagonist that we know and love, too, Makuta. Bionicle G2 is Bionicle because it has these main characters, the fact that characters are bio-mechanical, elemental powers and masks, and a sleeping god-like guy for the Toa to awaken. I know G1 and G2 are very different, but the similarities are most important, so, as I said, Bionicle G2 is Bionicle.

[The Hordika]

Yeah. LEGO wants it to still reboot the Bionicle universe, but still keeping it accessible to old fans of the series. I've been here since the Metru Nui arc, and I think the Maori theme was great, sure, but the Aztec/Mayan themes of G2 are really able to hold my attention. The architecture of the City of Mask Makers and the Labyrinth of Control are very tribal and South American is design. I'm anticipating some more world building to see these places close up  

It is still Bionicle, but we need to realize we aren't on Mata Nui anymore(Todo!), and we need to recognize the good things about G1. Our old Toa characters that we can all recognize, in a new and interesting world, alien to us and them. What's not to like?