About
Bionicle is a line of construction toy action figures created by the LEGO Group.
History
Bionicle, short for Biological Chronicle, was conceptualized after LEGO decided to create a toyline with an overarching story. Following in the tracks of it’s failed predecessors, Slizer/Throwbots[1] and RoboRiders[2], Bionicle was first released in Europe in December of 2000 as an online game, before sets were launched in early 2001, reaching North American markets in the summer. The line lasted nine years, creating a large universe and amassing a large amount of fans in its wake.
Reception
Though initially facing some resistance from within the company thanks to its new storyline-based format and more war-themed premise, the line was well received upon release, making £100 million ($161.7 million) in its first year[3]. It also went on to receive Toy of the Year Award for Most Innovative Toy in 2001 from the Toy Industry Association.
Impact
Bionicle had a large impact on both the LEGO Group and the general public. Stephanie Lawrence, the global director of licensing for Lego, stated “We’ve created an evergreen franchise to complement the many event-based properties on the children’s market. An increasing number of category manufacturers want to tap into the power of the Bionicle universe, and the key for us now is to manage the excitement to stay true to the brand and the lifestyle of our core consumer.”
Since its launch, toy critics have said that Bionicle has changed the way children think and play with Lego products by combining “The best of Lego building with the story telling and adventure of an action figure”. Toy statistics have revealed that 85% of American boys aged 6–12 have heard of Bionicle while 45% own the sets.
Fandom
Over the years, Bionicle has amassed a a large following, the most of which discuss and celebrate the series on forums and wikis such as BZPower[4] and BIONICLEsector01[5], though a large presence has been noted on sites such as Tumblr[6] and deviantArt[7]. Quite a few stopmotion and live-action series have been created on YouTube[8] using official Bionicle sets and fan-made creations, in a similar vein to Brickfilms.
Search Interest
External References
[1]Wikipedia – Slizer/Throwbots / 1-22-2006
[2]Wikipedia – RoboRiders / 9-9-2006
[3]The Telegraph – Lego: play it again / 12-17-2009
[6]Tumblr – search results for ‘bionicle’
[7]deviantArt – search results for ‘bionicle’
[8]YouTube – search results for ‘bionicle’