tbh if bionicle was restarted today would kids be interested given what thier interestedin now.

[(-Kopaka Toa of Ice-)]

On 7/22/2022 at 8:23 AM, Lorentz said:

This website doesn't use hashtags. And since when were one-word posts allowed? Anyway, the answer is obviously no, since Bionicle failed financially twice. 

Bionicle was not a financial loss in G1. Otherwise they wouldn't have kept it for 10 years. It just lost it's charms in sales since it wasn't a based on powerhouse franchises like Harry Potter and Star Wars that were getting were popular during those years.
Split audiences between franchises eventually means one that people will support something else. Ninjago was also on the rise during 2005 onwards.

Edited March 9, 2023 by (-Kopaka Toa of Ice-)

[Toa Halcyon]

I'm late to this but I figured I'd leave my 2 cents on the topic.

It isn't that kids today aren't interested - my mother works in spec-ed teaching, and frequently asks to borrow my personal collection of Bionicles to show her students and they completely adore them. The problem at this point is Lego. The company's not interested in original IPs anymore and pretty much hashes out licensed brand sets nonstop since that's a very safe corporate way to make money.

Not to mention Gen2's sets were all very low quality for the price they were put on offer. People complained about parts coming off that wouldn't stick, how there was just one initial "villain" set to go with the wave of villagers and Toa that got released in the first batch of sets, stuff like that. And a lot of the story likewise felt off - the reboot all but shook off its original story roots likely to avoid another lawsuit in the event that they made it too similar to certain languages and themes (even though I personally loved the Maori-inspired storytelling of the original). By the end of that second wave of models most of the sets looked less like Bionicle and more like off-brand mockbuster-style Bionicle rip-offs.

Really at this point I don't personally care if we ever actually get Bionicle back, but I do want a chance to buy some of the old models again even if there's a price hike. Lego's been re-releasing old sets again and people have been actively buying them so there's definitely an audience, but it's been disappointing that they've been purposefully avoiding the one IP that actually financially saved them as a company back when they were struggling, even though they'd make a ton of money if they did.

 

TL:DR - Yes, kids are interested, you can blame executive meddling for our lack of Bionicle.

[Lorentz]

On 6/23/2023 at 3:39 PM, Toa Halcyon said:

Yes, kids are interested, you can blame executive meddling for our lack of Bionicle.

Just plain wrong. Your mom's special ed class is not a bigger sample size than Lego's massive market research and testing.

Executives want money. If kids were interested, market testing would indicate it. The toys would be sold, purchased, and Lego would make lots of profit.

But kids are not interested, at least not enough. Bionicle was canceled in 2008 due to dwindling sales (You're technically right, Kopaka. Bionicle G1 was not a financial loss - but it was heading straight towards it), and again in 2015 for the exact same reason. In fact, constraction sales so mediocre that Lego just gave up on the whole things.

Edited June 28, 2023 by Lorentz

[(-Kopaka Toa of Ice-)]

11 hours ago, Lorentz said:

Bionicle G1 was not a financial loss - but it was heading straight towards it), and again in 2015 for the exact same reason. In fact, constraction sales so mediocre that Lego just gave up on the whole things.

Yep but it was killed off quickly. Another example was Exo-Force, it survived 2 years and the first Jungle wave. That was longer than Bionicle G2. Most of the time lego offers 3 years.
Galidor was lucky to release the sets that had already been made but the tv show probably killed the budget for future waves. Lego Znap (a bad clone of the Knex building toys) was also a really odd series that came and went.
Spybots also had great designs if they weren't so expensive.

[Lorentz]

Bionicle ran for a whole year and a half after the decision was made in 2008 to cancel it. All of 2009, plus the 2010 STARS wave. 

I don't understand how that's "killed off quickly." Sales were dropping, kids weren't interested, so Lego decided to cut the line before they started losing money.

As for G2, I too wish we got that third year of it, but sales were just SO bad that they had to abort it.

Edited July 2, 2023 by Lorentz

[KyDv404]

My two cents as an older gen z kid: I'm a bit out of touch since I am like, a whole adult, but I do live with and take care of two younger siblings. One of the biggest IPs among kids these days is Five Nights At Freddy's. Do you all know how wild the lore of that stuff is? How obsessed kids are over the lore of these games? I think with the right marketing, Bionicle could be pulled off again, maybe even with something similar to g1, since now with the internet, it should be easier for kids to access the full lore. Again, I point to FNAF. Neither of my youngins have even played the games yet they're all over the lore. I was born a year after g1 started. I was a judgemental little kid who just saw Bionicle as the "weird" part of lego, and I don't think it helped that the lore wouldn't have been fully available to me. I was like, 8 when g1 ended. At this time, the concept of shoving an iPad with unrestricted internet access in your kid's face wasn't a thing yet, so computer time was still a special thing, so surely even if I was interested in Bionicle then, I couldn't just go online and read the serials, etc etc. So maybe it'd work out for this gen if say, instead of comics and serials, it got webisodes like a lot of toylines these days. And I don't just mean some little online animations like previous gens, I mean tell most of the story through one source, one series of webisodes, where it's all easy to access in one place. That or a full length, proper series, but again, keep it all in one place. Maybe some new little mobile games too, just like MNOG. Get those kids looking for every little easter egg in the game, use it for foreshadowing, but don't make it vital to understanding what's going on, just have it there so kids can make theories. Also like, clean up the lore a bit and don't do what g2 did lol. And trust me, even if a kid buys a toy and drops it after five minutes, if it's attached to a piece of media, they'll still be interested and will probably want more toys, and a sale is always a sale. (I mean, there are still new toylines popping up and sticking around. As a general toy collector, I've seen plenty of new franchises and reboots pop up in this decade alone that are still going and honestly, a three year run isn't too bad the more I learn about a million toylines that flopped even before the digital age.)

I think there are very few things that just can't work today. Bionicle could work, but I do think Lego is to blame to an extent. Ninjago and Monkie Kid do well, they're clearly evergreen until they eventually go the way of Bionicle too. Otherwise, there's one original story/big bang theme that'll run alongside those (Chima, Nexo Knights, Hidden Side, now Dreamzz), then the sorta generic things like City and Friends. There are outliers, but I think this is a solid description of everything non-licensed. I don't know what it would take for Lego to want to revive Bionicle. I'd say the implosion of one of their other originals, but no, because those all seem to fill some sort of vital role. We have the slice of life stuff (City, Friends), the big cool action theme that can adapt to other aesthetics (Ninjago), and the new theme at the moment that's there for the kids that don't like City or Ninjago (Dreamzzz). I think Bionicle will only return if Lego feels they need that hole filled once again, but I guess currently it's occupied by those buildable Marvel figures and what have you. That said, I don't think it's completely impossible. Also, veering away from the topic of what would interest kids, I could also see Lego dropping a small Bionicle line aimed at older fans. Maybe a single set to test the waters (maybe that's what the GWP was, who knows!), but I don't think it's entirely dead nor impossible to bring back.

Idk maybe I'm just talking out of my rear with a heavy dose of hopeful thinking though lol.

Edited July 3, 2023 by KyDv404

[InfinityStuffBionicle]

They got interested in bakugan and beyblade, which were both rebooted recently, and started in the 1990s and 2000s so why not bionicle 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Takanuva111

[ENTITY .01]

personally the bio lore isn't well known enough with the younger gen

[ENTITY .01]

#BRING BIO GEN 1 AND 2 BACK

the trouble nowdays it that there are loads of other things that kids are into, poppy playtime chapter 3 is out there is a big lardedaar abt that then fnaf ruin, its all abt advertising and marketing, poppy playtime fans had to wait ages for chapter 3 to come out, u never know, bio my come back.. it MUST  come back, other wise fan bases like these will fall into oblivion, we CANT let that happen, maybe on lego ideas we post loads of bio stuff, then ALL of us vote on it, prahaps we can bring back the bio

that would be incredible......

[ENTITY .01]

On 7/3/2023 at 6:45 AM, KyDv404 said:

i compleatly agreee with you, i am from the 20th century tho im 15, but there is still hope, well i hope anyway,and all of the bio lovers on here are hopefull too, lets make our hopes and dreams come true.....

 

[Taohe_Netrus]

On 1/18/2024 at 2:45 PM, ENTITY .01 said:

#BRING BIO GEN 1 AND 2 BACK

the trouble nowdays it that there are loads of other things that kids are into, poppy playtime chapter 3 is out there is a big lardedaar abt that then fnaf ruin, its all abt advertising and marketing, poppy playtime fans had to wait ages for chapter 3 to come out, u never know, bio my come back.. it MUST  come back, other wise fan bases like these will fall into oblivion, we CANT let that happen, maybe on lego ideas we post loads of bio stuff, then ALL of us vote on it, prahaps we can bring back the bio

that would be incredible......

Look what type of content is the most popular among kids: FNAF, Poppy Playtime, Skibidi Toilet etc. What connects all of those? The answer is simple: mystery, theories and darker tone. Kids like creepy and edgy stuff. They like to be scarred. And they like YouTube videos with theories connected to the main story of specific creation.

And how BIONICLE G1 looked compared to the G2? Mysteries were everywhere. Tons of secrets, riddles, creepy ambience in MNOG games (especially the Telescope music)... all of this was more important than people realize. And after 2003, BIONICLE was getting darker and more edgy. It was good because story was getting more mature when audience was growing up. That's the main reason why so many older fans still is interested in BIONICLE lore. Of course, the most brutal stuff was included in side stories, when main story was better toned for younger audience. Actually, when you'll think about it, BIONICLE was first and last proper dark fantasy from LEGO. 

In my opinion, G3 would require LEGO to get out of the safe comfort zone. BIONICLE must be a grittier brother of Ninjago and it needs a show which will have elements of horror and whose history will be full of secrets, the answers to which will not be revealed to us too quickly. The key is that between successive years, YT channels interested in the series begin to attract children with theories in a similar way to Gravity Falls. Don't simplify BIONICLE. LEGO should keep complicated terminology, decipher messages in Matoran language, hide clues in the background and leave some threads open for years to come. 

And it is important to keep changing the status quo each year instead of standing still, like Ash in Pokemon over the seasons. Ninjago is a good example of how to NOT do this. Lessons from previous years should remain in memory of our characters and the techniques learned shouldn't be forgotten each time when LEGO will bring the new gimmick.

Let's also not forget that children are creative. This is proven by the popularity of sandboxes like Minecraft. So it's important that G3 encourages the creation of your own Toa/Matoran and setting them in this world. The return of the collectible aspect based on mask recollors would definitely help.

And about LEGO Ideas projects, we need to remember that unlike MOCs, fanarts, fangames, animations etc. Ideas projects always have to go through the hands of Creative Team, so supporting even those less interesting MOCs on the site can be really helpful for our cause.

Edited April 1, 2025 by Taohe_Netrus

[(-Kopaka Toa of Ice-)]

On 7/22/2022 at 8:23 AM, Lorentz said:

This website doesn't use hashtags. And since when were one-word posts allowed? Anyway, the answer is obviously no, since Bionicle failed financially twice. 

Bionicle It didn't fail twice. The first generation was just old run-away success with dwindling sales (around 2005 or 2007 and many at lego decided it wasn't worth keeping over 10 years like Ninjago.

Kids these days have a shorter attention span and just seem to be into things easier to remember for short bursts like Marvel, Fortnite, Sports and, Pokemon (games, the card game and cartoons), cartoons and video games that can be played for short hours.

[Lorentz]

On 9/5/2024 at 2:39 PM, (-Kopaka Toa of Ice-) said:

Bionicle It didn't fail twice. The first generation was just old run-away success with dwindling sales (around 2005 or 2007 and many at lego decided it wasn't worth keeping over 10 years like Ninjago.

Kids these days have a shorter attention span and just seem to be into things easier to remember for short bursts like Marvel, Fortnite, Sports and, Pokemon (games, the card game and cartoons), cartoons and video games that can be played for short hours.

If a series gets cancelled because the revenue isn't satisfactory, that's a fail. Arguing otherwise is pure semantics and technicality.

 

Also, please tell me that you didn't just say "KIDS THESE DAYS!"

 

Now why is Marvel on your list of examples for short-attention spans? The MCU hinges on the audience remembering movies and Disney+ shows from years ago. And sports? Sports have always been popular and always will, and definitely don't reward short attention spans. Lots of games are too long if anything.

Edited September 24, 2024 by Lorentz

[Archius]

Only if it turns into a Fortnite/Genshin ripoff lol 

[TERIDAX941]

16 hours ago, Archius said:

Only if it turns into a Fortnite/Genshin ripoff lol 

Honestly I would love a bionicle battle royal, so much you could do with that. or even just a bionicle skin for Fortnite, I mean, they have a lego mode in it already, just sell some bionicle skins in the store.

[Aiden]

6 hours ago, TERIDAX941 said:

Honestly I would love a bionicle battle royal, so much you could do with that. or even just a bionicle skin for Fortnite, I mean, they have a lego mode in it already, just sell some bionicle skins in the store.

As funny as it sounds, I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw Tahu cranking 90s one day.

[TERIDAX941]

18 hours ago, Aiden said:

As funny as it sounds, I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw Tahu cranking 90s one day.

Apparently Oboeshoes beat us all to it. 

 

[KyDv404]

Okay so revisiting this thread: I work at a Bricks and Minifigs now, I've only been there for about 2 weeks, part time, so my experience is limited, however, I've noticed a fair amount of kids coming in asking for Bionicle. Some got hand-me-downs and wanna expand the collection, some just know the lore from YouTube. Idk, maybe it's just because it was spring break this last week, so I suppose it could explain an influx of bored kids looking at old things, plus confirmation bias by literally working in a store that only sells Lego product, but I'm amazed, probably had 5 kids versus 2 adults ask for it in the last 4 days alone. Take from that what you will, I guess?

[KyDv404]

[Duplicate reply due to a glitch, my bad]

Edited March 23, 2025 by KyDv404

[InfinityStuffBionicle]

I would say from experience that a decent amount of kids could put in the effort to learn the lore

[Taohe_Netrus]

This is definitely not just a local trend. I myself have witnessed a few times that children in the LEGO Store were asking an employee whether there will be some containers for Technic bricks on the PaB wall, which they wanted to buy for their Bionicle MOCs.
When the Tahu & Takua GWP set went on sale, crowds also flocked to the store. I was especially amused when the guy behind the cash recognized the child as a young BIONICLE fan just because "it doesn't happen that someone pairs sets from Ninjago and LEGO City".
Last summer, when I helped run a BIONICLE MOCs exhibit at a LEGO convention in Wrocław, where I brought some of my own MOCs to show, I also got the impression that our exhibition attracted a surprising amount of attention, considering the competition that included a Warhammer diorama and a huge LEGO Star Wars UCS collection. Older fans were happy to see sets from their childhood and younger audience could learn how great stuff LEGO had in their offer few years ago. It was actually heartbreaking when group of kids asked where can they buy such sets...
So yeah, BIONICLE became really popular among those who were born after the final wave of G1. I think that as a result of old fans making a fuss about BIONICLE, children became interested in this universe and started treating it as a mystery to be explored.
As I mentioned a few posts ago, the younger generation likes dark, edgy tones and riddles. And BIONICLE G1 had both. Definitelly, the biggest series' strenght is that there's nothing like BIONICLE anymore. New stories are... well, childlish, colorfull, full of humor and jokes, there's nothing targeted at those edgy kids looking for dark fantasy vibes in times when almost every single fantasy RPG game is a Dark Souls clone. So if there's nothing new to explore, curious kids are reaching for old stuff.
Definitelly, it would be wise for LEGO to make use of that chance. The question is: Will the people responsible for the boring diagrams and calculations be able to notice this trend, or will they remain blind to it?

[(-Kopaka Toa of Ice-)]

On 9/24/2024 at 3:17 AM, Lorentz said:

If a series gets cancelled because the revenue isn't satisfactory, that's a fail. Arguing otherwise is pure semantics and technicality.

 

Also, please tell me that you didn't just say "KIDS THESE DAYS!"

 

Now why is Marvel on your list of examples for short-attention spans? The MCU hinges on the audience remembering movies and Disney+ shows from years ago. And sports? Sports have always been popular and always will, and definitely don't reward short attention spans. Lots of games are too long if anything.

I meant most kids i know about have little interest in toys.

[_834]

Although kids nowadays definitely aren't as into toys as they used to be with all of the video games and social media available, I've found plenty of them still are pretty interested in Bionicle when shown it. A lot of my younger cousins (4 - 9 years old) who typically don't even care much about Lego still jump at the opportunity to look at my collection and grab at their favourite cool figure.

As much as I'd love to see a revival, I know Lego could never capture the same lightning in a bottle, and they don't have much reason to with their current success. In my eyes a lot of the charm of Bionicle was in the unique molds, plenty of weird and interesting pieces that were used in very creative ways, but it just isn't the same after Lego's crackdown on creating new molds.

Feel like the best chance we have at a G3 would probably be a short line of nostalgia bait in another 5 to 10 years. And honestly, I'm fine with that. Since we all know it will never be the same as G1 or G2, all I'm asking for is more brick-built models like the GWP Tahu, it's grown on me a lot over time. Only change I'd like to see if Lego went that route would be a few molded mask pieces.

[Toa Jaxus]

I think it's possibly but unlikely; the problem I see is Ninjago. Basically Ninjago has been such a money maker for Lego and it's elemental themed heroes covers alot of Bionicle's potential thematic space and it would require a strong media presence to really sell the series, which might not get the investiment it would need because the you would to justify it not having Ninjago to get the resources and focus instead. I could be wrong (and I hope I am) but it's worth considering how Lego decides would produce more profit.

[Skrade]

On 7/3/2023 at 1:45 AM, KyDv404 said:

My two cents as an older gen z kid: I'm a bit out of touch since I am like, a whole adult, but I do live with and take care of two younger siblings. One of the biggest IPs among kids these days is Five Nights At Freddy's. Do you all know how wild the lore of that stuff is? How obsessed kids are over the lore of these games? I think with the right marketing, Bionicle could be pulled off again, maybe even with something similar to g1, since now with the internet, it should be easier for kids to access the full lore. Again, I point to FNAF. Neither of my youngins have even played the games yet they're all over the lore.

I know I'm replying to a two-year-old comment lol but I have to agree with this 100%. Kids today still love discovering and learning cool lore the same way we did when we were younger. I don't expect Lego to pull off a G1 again, but if G2 took its worldbuilding and lore more seriously I really do think it would've been more successful.

Of course I know there are a million more factors to consider as to why G2 didn't work. Most importantly, Lego would've been competing with themselves because of Ninjago, and since that theme's still not going anywhere anytime soon I just don't think there's room for traditional Bionicle.

That being said, I've wondered for the past couple years how a potential Bionicle G3 would do if it was marketed more for hobbiests, like Gundam. Yeah this is probably the millionth time someone has suggested marketing the theme to teens and adults, but I honestly could see something like that working, especially with a strong emphasis on customization like you would with Gunpla kits. I mean, I at least would gobble that up anyway. Just food for thought.

[stormer4herofactory]

Maybe but they could be into hero factory more because of its simple lore because with bionicle the lore kinda got to much at the end so it would be harder for new fans to enjoy

 

[Taria Pakari]

8 minutes ago, stormer4herofactory said:

Maybe but they could be into hero factory more because of its simple lore because with bionicle the lore kinda got to much at the end so it would be harder for new fans to enjoy

 

Given how things went for G2 Bionicle, I doubt Hero Factory would fare any better.

[Toa Philo]

On 6/11/2025 at 10:38 AM, Taria Pakari said:

Given how things went for G2 Bionicle, I doubt Hero Factory would fare any better.

Agreed, If Lego really wanted to do Bionicle Right with a G3 I think what they would need to do is continue the story with the Shadowed one being the main antagonist and to make the story something to unravel, rather than just Bad guy bad. make people question who is a bad guy, who is a hero.

Also, the idea of collectables like Old Bionicle had (2001 era) would do wonders with the modern internet.

But alas, Lego will never bring back Bionicle, at least not to a level that it was during G1.

[InfinityStuffBionicle]

On 6/12/2025 at 9:23 PM, Toa Philo said:

Agreed, If Lego really wanted to do Bionicle Right with a G3 I think what they would need to do is continue the story with the Shadowed one being the main antagonist and to make the story something to unravel, rather than just Bad guy bad. make people question who is a bad guy, who is a hero.

Also, the idea of collectables like Old Bionicle had (2001 era) would do wonders with the modern internet.

But alas, Lego will never bring back Bionicle, at least not to a level that it was during G1.

If they made The Shadowed One the main villain, not only would it continue the story, but it also could help with the problem of kids not learning previous lore, one flaw being: Velika. EDIT: I mean, with a villain that doesn’t have as much G1 lore already, they would save the need to learn G1 lore.

Edited August 1, 2025 by InfinityStuffBionicle