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Exo Toa go through the same build-up and tear-down. Sold as the next level of evolutionary power, then immediately discarded during the big boss fight. One theory I have with the Exo Toa is that they originally fell into the protodermis vats with the Toa, contributing to the transformation of the Nuva's new parts. Although this image from the back of the box somewhat contradicts this, as it teases Tahu Nuva in Exo Toa armor. The Toa Nuva never once wore the Exo armor. I wonder what plans they originally had for the set? Either way, the payoff of the Exo Toa parts causing the demise of Gahlok-Kal was a nice touch.

Neat! I was actually thinking about Mata Toa Stones the other day and what they would look like since I had only ever seen this image

Brown Komau on Ebay. Slightly scratched, super rare https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brown-Komau-Lego-Bionicle-Kanohi-Mask-2001-Extremely-Rare-Damaged/264656413794?hash=item3d9ec06462:g:vV8AAOSw9u1eYB8Y

I remember some folks on BZpower way back in the day saying Kotu was "slightly overweight" compared to other Matoran. I don't see how that could be a thing considering they are all built with the same parts, and I'm assuming Matoran (at least from the same village) are all roughly the same density and mass. One I only heard recently, but I guess has been around a while, was that some fans believed Tamaru was trans-gender or gay. Not sure where any signs to that pointed-- especially if "gender" isn't actually defined in Matoran culture, apart from Ga-Matoran being "female". Some have believed Kopaka and Pohatu are "attracted to eachother" but I honestly think it's just Kopaka being admirable towards Pohatu, as he doesn't see eye-to-eye with everyone else (especially Tahu). There were also rumors right before Mask of Light was released of Kopaka and Gali "sharing a secret kiss". This never happened, but there was an extremely brief scene where Gali expressed her fears of the Toa's lack of unity to Kopaka while she is rejuvenating her elemental powers. This private scene might have been where that rumor started.

This was the first time I had seen this image. Very interesting. I think the Taku babies only exist because of the scenario that the game developers wanted. Rescuing someone from a giant nest is a very classic adventure story trope (eg. Sinbad the Sailor). If you are trapped in a giant nest you naturally have giant babies that eat you. So the babies were a result of creating a fun threat of danger/peril, and not LEGO initially thinking "let's give the Rahi some babies!" There are a few other instances like this in Bionicle and other toy lines with lore that put ideas in without really worrying about if it contradicts anything outright (eg. do the Matoran eat? If there's a Mask of Water Breathing do they breathe air? etc.)

I always thought the Toa would listen to tribal-techno music played by their fellow Matoran. Tahu - tribal drums and gongs of New Zealand and Japan mixed with heavy electro-rock Gali - traditional Hawaiian music (Ohe Hanu Ihu "Nose Flute") and Indian drum (Tabla) with funk-rock hybrid Pohatu - Australian aboriginal music (Dirigidos) and traditional Turkish zithers (Quanun) and flutes (Ney) with a synth remix Kopaka - Tibetan worship music with a retro synth-techno mix Onua - New Zealand instruments (like the Putaatara) with a soft earthly bass overlay Lewa - African drums (Djembe and Conga) with a heavy club mix

After Matoro rescues Takua from the snowstorm in MNOG he offers him "Energy". This item is strikingly similar to the Bula berries in Legend of Mata Nui PC game, which are used as an health pick-up item for the player. Although I consider game mechanics as non-canon, you do absorb the berries by running over them. It is also implied in the MNOG cutscene that Matoro hands/places the bula fruit before Takua, who is coming in and out of consciousness. Whether Takua absorbs the fruit in that moment, or it is placed in his hands for later, is unclear.

Had this same thought about a year ago. All of my old chrome LEGO parts (crystals, swords, etc.) circa 1995-2002 had weathered enough to see it. The plastic is more a colorless, milky, almost off-white and transparent on thinner parts. I imagine they didn't bother to dye the ABS since it would be covered up by chrome. Either way, you won't be getting a new colored Hau, but something closer to what a prototype would look like. Do us a favor and don't ruin a chrome Hau unless it's already scuffed up. Once they're gone, they're gone.

So about 4 years ago I started looking into the names of characters, creatures, locations, and items in the early 2001 Bionicle story. Over time I slowly came up with this (nearly complete) list. I had intended to post this earlier, but wanted to wait until every word was explored. But since the community seems to be interested in Bionicle conceptual lore lately, and my work had not gained any new additions for over a year, I decided to go ahead and share anyway. I do not profess to be a language scholar or even an enthusiast. But I do love Bionicle and, thanks to the brand, also have an interest in Pacific culture. It should be noted that, although Alastair Swinnerton claims to have resorted to Māori for his inspiration, there are many other Pacific island languages utilized in Bionicle. I will link my sources at the end of this post. If anyone here is fluent in any of these languages or customs please feel free to correct and/or elaborate on any words in this list! Words with * are up for debate. Either I found no translation from any relevant language or there were too many conflicting definitions to warrant a proper translation. DEITIES HEROES LOCATIONS The locations on the island of Mata Nui shed some light into the great secret: that the island is not just named after the Great Spirit, it IS the Great Spirit, slumbering beneath the surface. Each location refers to a body part, typically of the head/face. ITEMS / OBJECTS ELDERS It should be noted that some of the region-specific characteristics of the Turaga, such as elemental powers or tools/trades, are used as names for titles and masks, rather than the idea they represent. MASKS RAHI VILLAGERS The original word "tohunga" was replaced with "matoran" after the Māori controversy with LEGO. Many of the early Tohunga names are based around Pacific words respective to their elemental regions. Takua, Nuparu, and Hahli were later additions to the canon, and may not follow the same naming scheme. Later Matoran names, especially those that appear in Templar Studios' Mata Nui Online Game 2, are based on elementally themed words from various languages. GA-MATORAN PO-MATORAN TA-MATORAN LE-MATORAN ONU-MATORAN KO-MATORAN SOURCES https://maoridictionary.co.nz/ https://books.google.com/books?id=9KUTAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false http://wehewehe.org/gsdl2.85/cgi-bin/hdict?l=en http://kohaumotu.org/Rongorongo/index.html http://www.rotuma.net/os/English-Rotuman_wordlist.pdf https://books.google.com/books?id=61JF9QEzfrkC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=P9VIDPfc6LQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.dnathan.com/language/gamilaraay/dictionary/GAMDICTF.HTM https://archive.org/stream/tahitianenglishd00davirich/tahitianenglishd00davirich_djvu.txt [1] It is possible that the names of Akamai and Wairuha had been switched by accident. [2] It is possible that the names of Akamai and Wairuha had been switched by accident. [3] Needs better translation. Could be referring to a general apex/point/peak situated atop an outcropping, dome, or mountain. [4] Kauae was the original name of Le-koro's bay. It was later changed to Kanae. [5] Needs better translation [6] It is possible that Matau was a named considered for the Turaga of Water, since "fish hook" seems to appear as the most common translation. Although the Fijian and Rotuma translations could imply that he carves boats from the jungle trees. Whether these are used for crossing swamps or seas, by Le-matoran or others, is unclear. [7] It is possible that the Kanohi Rau is named after the water related trades of its most notable wearer: Turaga Nokama, rather than the power of translation. [8] It is possible that the Kanohi Komau is named after the tool/staff belonging to the most notable wearer of said mask: Turaga Onewa, rather than the power of mind control. [9] It is possible that the Kanohi Mahiki is named after the elemental powers of the Turaga of Air, Matau (its most notable wearer), rather than the power of illusion. [10] Could be named after the shape of the mask, rather than its power. [11] I'm not convinced this is the translation that inspired the name, but it is close. [12] Needs better translation [13] Needs better translation [14] Needs better translation. [15] Could mean "Mr. Cow" in Fijian [16] Need translation. [17] Incidentally, the Tahitian word Uvihi means "light whistling of the wind" [18] Possibly mistaken for "wind/breeze" [19] Tamariki was original name of Nobua in Legend of Mata Nui PC game. [20] Not convinced this is taken from the translation.

A lot of Bionicle fans like to divide the franchise into G1 and G2. Personally, I think there are actually 3 generations of Bionicle (4 if you count Hero Factory). What I actually consider G2 is 2006-2010. My reasons are: the overall tone of the series shifted; the Toa builds evolved past their original 2001 designs; the comics started over numerically with issue #0 Ignition; just like 2001 and 2015 we restart on a tropical island; 2001GEN shifts into a new world and characters with Metru Nui on its fourth year, while 2006GEN shifts to a new world and characters with Bara Magna on its fourth year (mini reboots). I left Bionicle between 2005 and 2006. I don't know if it was the rubber masks, angsty comic art, Piraka rap, or just how the story was shifting further away from the original Toa Mata team. I realized that, those early years were made for me and the later years were for someone else. So, it might not be a nostalgia-crisis but just you coming to terms with the parts of the series that were important/significant to you. The concepts presented in 2001 were lightning in a bottle; A perfect storm of creativity and originality. If something is good, it sticks with you more than the other stuff.

I don't believe this theory, but: maybe the tan-chested matoran we see in Onu-Koro are actually Po-Matoran contracted to do slag work in the great mines? Or perhaps the Onu and Po matoran are all from the same greater elemental tribe (Earth/Stone) and one faction decided they liked living underground? Onua and Pohatu got along pretty well in the MOL movie, share the same music theme in the GBA game, and both elemental powers deal with things beneath their feet/claws.

I think there's already a mask of Clairvoyance, although I don't believe it has a canon design. I thought it would be neat if the mask was the inverse of the Mask of Time: instead of covering just the lower-half of the user's face, it would cover the upper-half. There would be no eye-slits since (using a mask that shows you the near future) you would already know what your next step was.

Here is their latest post https://templargames.tumblr.com/

ah, I see that now. my mistake mate

I always pondered that line about Makuta in the promotional CD: I thought it was an allusion to the idea of him being able to don 3 masks. When it was revealed that Time, Life and Creation were the only 3 Legendary masks I thought that the story was going in the direction of Makuta possessing/corrupting those powers for a time (Chaos, Death and Destruction). Much like how Thanos controlled the universe with the stones, I thought Makuta would win over the universe with those masks. I also thought that perhaps Mata Nui had 3 heads as a sort of robot version of the Trinity, and that Makuta had infected his body like a virus. By defeating Makuta and returning those kanohi to Mata Nui would restore the universe.

I was Bionicle fan from day 0, as I had decided to collect Throwbots and Roboriders over Pokemon, pogs, and MLB cards. I still remember the first time seeing the exotic names of the Toa in those mini catalogs they used to bundle into medium-large sized LEGO sets. Logging onto the website and playing MNOG for the first time, and being a big MYST fan with a love of robots and pacific cultures, this felt like something that was catered exclusively for me. I stopped collecting the sets and LEGO in general after the metru nui spiders. I just couldn't get into the new rubber masks on faceless Toa. But I didn't really leave the story. Occasionally I'd flip through the comics which my brother was still getting in the mail. So I was there for Matoro's sacrifice, Mata Nui rising, and the defeat of Makuta... just from a distance. The only set I purchased during this time (on a whim) was the 8998 Toa Mata Nui set. I figured the series would ultimately end with a giant Mata Nui set. My entire Bionicle collection remained neatly stored through college. I would occasionally play MNOG which I had downloaded sometime during school. When Templar started posting MNOG concept art my Bionicle fandom kicked back in for a short time. This was what I had always wanted, some insight into the building of the island world I had loved so much. And having Faber and Swinnerton coming back to talk and share concepts was like Christmas for me. I thought when G2 started that the nostalgia would bring me back to collecting Bionicle. I came back from my LEGO dark ages around 2013, discovered Bricklink, and started following LEGO news again. But it was actually when The Legend of Mata Nui PC game beta was leaked that it sent me back into full on nostalgia. I was back into Bionicle. Big time. Although I didn't buy any G2 sets (which I kind of regret) I did finish my 2001 Kanohi collection, revisited building Rahi, started collecting comic art, and absorbing the music and sights of the PC game I had wanted since 2001. I'm kinda ashamed to say it, but LOMN was the best thing to happen to me in 2018.

There are a lot of watershed moments in the building of the BIONICLE legend. It felt like every 2-3 years the story changed hands, despite some creators sticking around longer than others. The transition from 2001 - 2002 is more subtle compared to later years: LEGO suddenly realized they had a hit on their hands, the Maori lawsuit, changes in management, cancellation of PC games, and the rise of internet media all led Bionicle in a slightly different timeline than had originally been planned. I would love to have seen a "creative vacuum" version of Bionicle 2001 onward. EDIT: I was thinking about the Turaga pit on top of the Kini-Nui head sculpture you mentioned in Chapter 4. The pit could be stairs, similar in design to the Suva Kaita nearby as well as the Onu-koro sundial entrance in MNOG. While both lead to the Mangaia, there are some differences as to how they are accessed and what is found within: the sundial entrance requires a gnomon with a light source to unlock, while the Suva Kaita requires all 6 pieces of the Makoki stone; the sundial entrance first leads to a mysterious golden Hau, while the Suva Kaita leads to the Kaita transformation rooms (which also require Makoki stone halves to unlock).

I kind of disagree with this. Yes, Takua does become a capable hero, but I wouldn't go so far as to say the Toa were worse off without him. A while back I posted my Mask of Light fix to the r/fixingmovies subreddit. To sum it up, I found it kind of lazy that the Toa and Turaga allowed Takua to face Makuta alone. I understand that he is the hero of the story, and that confronting the villain should be the climax of the film. However, we started BIONICLE with "six heroes, one destiny". The Toa are only able to defeat the Rahkshi after the Nuva heroes are all united again. Although Jala is killed, this leads to Takua's transformation into a Toa. The Six heroes have now become seven... but when the time comes to face Makuta, they suddenly become just one Toa, for no reason. I don't believe for a second that Tahu, or Vakama, or even Takua's fellow Matoran friends, would have let him walk in there alone. Yeah, they show up in Makuta's lair in time for the finale... and just sit slack jawed while the two play Koli. The Toa were more than enough, but thanks to the single hero trope, the script ignores their potential to unify their powers.

I remember he was the musical guest when Adam Driver first hosted SNL. Is that a Chris Pratt voice cameo? This is all so random

I thought the Toa had collected 11 hidden kanohi each (5 great masks and 6 noble masks). They actually only collected the 5 great masks each. I guess depictions of the Toa using noble masks was "non-canon", which is complete garbage. Those noble masks have equally great powers and the Toa collecting them doesn't really contradict anything in the story.

I was a US Throwbot fan back in the day! I have no memory of any boxes or polybags on the stores shelves with the initial Throwbot release. The discs I got with each bot were all I got. Looking at Brickset, there are only images of the extra disc bags and boxes with the Slizer logo, not the Throwbot logo, which was known only as Throwbots in the US. Both products are only being sold by Euro Bricklink sellers, so I'm assuming they were never distributed in the US. EDIT: Just looked at my throwbots disc collection and compared it to the inventory on Bricklink for each bot. I don't believe they were randomly packaged as advertised. I owned every throwbot and never purchased extra discs. I've got discs with "element logos" (2 pips disc) and "disc action" (3 pips disc). According to Bricklink, each bot comes with their element disc and one disc from another bot that is their "disc action" disc. Example: Torch (the red bot) comes with his fire element disc (red, 2 pips) and Ski's disc action disc (white, 3 pips). The only powerful discs I have are Millenia's gold disc (9 pips) and Judge's "Treasure" disc (Throwbot planet, 8 pips). According to Bricklink, Judge's 8 pips disc in included with Millenia. I do not have any disc with pips 4-7 (flying box disc, action disc, enemy disc, treasure disc).

I'm really glad you touched on the MYST inspiration in your recent post. 2001 was the year I got into BIONICLE and also the year I got lost in RIVEN. MNOG was a huge selling point for me, and since we never got the LOMN PC game officially released, it was the only way I could actually "play" in the Bionicle universe. I do remember the Riven fire marble eyes and the matoran alphabet having a similar look and feel. The Maori inspiration mixed with the robot-techno-sci-fi was what initially drew me into Bionicle. I remember looking at a new mini lego catalog that came in my most recent lego star wars set (remember when they used to throw those in with the instruction manuals?) and seeing the Toa names got me excited. Pohatu? Kopaka? Those are unique names compared to the Throwbots and Roboriders! To this day, it's the most genius/original concept LEGO has ever done. My theory on Papu and Rangi was that they were originally the Toa Kaita: Earth, Fire & Stone are nether based; while Air, Water & Ice originate celestially. Since Akamai and Wairuha are two entirely new beings, they could have walked the earth at some point before going back to the red star. For whatever reason, they separated into the Toa and boarded canisters to return to Mata Nui when aid was needed. It is not until the toa learn UNITY, that the Kaita are reborn. They then proceed with their DUTY to defeat Makuta, which leads them closer to DESTINY, of awakening Mata Nui. Or maybe Papu and Rangi are the Kaita of entirely different beings, or multiple? Maybe the Matoran population, Turaga, Toa, and perhaps Rahi, combine to create the two beings, all things becoming one. There is --I believe-- a little typo in the first line of the second-to-last paragraph on the "Creation of the island of Mata Nui" segment.

I does, doesn't it? I kinda thought it looked a little like the Mask of Energy from the game. Always liked those UFO aliens, very original helmet design. I always envisioned Makuta as the computer virus analogy established in Roboriders and Throwbots. The Turaga deified Mata Nui, the super-computer/giant-robot, and likewise the error (The Makuta) that had corrupted The Great Spirit into a demon/plague. Since Makuta is chaos, destruction, the disassembled lego pieces on the floor, he can't create anything -- but he can inhabit them, just like a virus or a possession of an evil spirit.

It would have been neat to have other prominent deities than the Toa, Makuta & Mata Nui. The removed references to Papu and Rangi seemed to invoke the idea of an Earth and Sky being from the Maori stories. My personal theory is that Papu & Rangi are the Toa Kaita: Fire/Lava, Earth & Stone are from beneath (Akamai = Papu), while Water/Rain, Ice & Air are from above (Wairuha = Rangi). I remember a lot of references in 2001 of the Toa being worshiped as gods. Over time they became more like mythical demi-god heroes. The Great Beings always loomed over the story. Before 2009, my theory on The Great Beings was that they were actually LEGO builders, us the fans, the big hand in the sky, kids 7 and up, etc. One thing I always noted about the original Great and Noble Kanohi is how they seem to allude to the powers of Mata Nui and Makuta respectively: Mata Nui protects his people, is fast and strong, and explores the highest heights and deepest depths of the universe, to discover what is hidden; Makuta infects the minds of others, hides himself in the dark as a disembodied voice, and manipulates the universe with illusions and magic.

Tamaru is Lime and Teal. In MNOG each Matoran village has 3 base colors (Ta, Po and Onu do share Black, Tan & Orange, but that is another story...), Le Matoran have Green, Teal and Lime. Although the cancelled LOMN game depicts Tohunga in various shades never seen, other games & comics depict the villagers all having the same color (and even the same mask at times), so it's never been consistent anyway. Since Tamaru was introduced in MNOG, and almost exclusively stays there as far as media goes, his color scheme should be based on that. I think whoever was mocking up the promotional image of Tamaru accidentally slid the Hue bar slightly to the left before dropping him in the jungle background. Here is Tamaru "fixed". You will notice that his torso/arm color also goes back to true LEGO Teal and not the slightly blue Green color that never existed in their lineup.