The Insane History of Lego Bionicle | FULL DOCUMENTARY
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- čas přidán 11. 10. 2022
- This documentary takes a look into Lego's development of Bionicle - one of the most popular toy franchises of the 2000's.
Patreon: / slow_start
Second Channel: / @slow_start2
Music:
Jazz Ass - Shifty
The Magic - Nookie
Stay Grounded - Ian James
slide and glide - Macroblank
Daisy - Lee
Sources:
gatecrashers.fan/2021/12/31/b...
gatecrashers.fan/2022/03/01/b...
www.popularmechanics.com/cult...
business.time.com/2013/07/12/...
www.lego.com/en-us/history/ar...
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1...
faberfiles.blogspot.com/
robertsoninnovation.com/
hbswk.hbs.edu/item/hbs-cases-... - Zábava
Amazing documentary, incredible detail and a burning heart for creativity, storytelling and Bionicle. Thank you for this🤩👍❤️would love to ad more details😉 best regards from Christian Faber and the CPH Rig crew
Thank you Chris and team! Your work has inspired a generation of creatives, including myself. I look forward to your future projects and wish you all the best!
You said all the words. Bionicle is more than slicer or the roboriders ever been. But without the two series before, it doesn´t happen to Bionicle. It was a huge part of my childhood and yes, it´s crazy, but a part of my life.
@@slow_start
*True story:* At one time Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, addressed those who wished to thank him materially by suggesting they were welcome to send him Lego in lieu of anything extravagant or perishable. It was several years later by the time I discovered an archived copy of his early public web pages, presumably enough time for him to have accumulated a collection of Lego too vast to enjoy in full. I e-mailed him (from my AOL account!), very gently asking whether he might have any Bionicle that he might be happy to release to a poor student. He actually wrote me back, regretfully informing me that he had actually received little in the way of Lego, all of which had long since been given away to the children of friends and family.
You have no idea how much influence your products have had on me as a kid! Thank you for what you guys have done!!
@@slow_start
we thank you very much
O Lego Roboto your always there for us whenever we need you .
I don't have the Skywalker Saga Lego video game yet however I've seen the advertisement the worlds are so beautiful those game designers have done an amazing job making them look movie vision .
Force Be with us always .
I remember loving Bionicle so much as a kid. I never understood the story entirely since I was very young. But the world, ambience, characters everything about it was so captivating and unlike anything I've seen.
Well said I feel the same way I remember playing the game online with dial up haha
Same here. They were so friken cool!
Ikr
@@GatherYeRosebudsWhileYeMay wow lol
There was a story? 😱
The fact that so many people miss these, just shows how successful they were.
And how stupid lego was to bring them back as “hero factory” when so many of us was invested in both the toys and the story
I'm now 32 and wish I can go back in time 😂
If I could go back in time, I would buy one of each set, from the Toa Mahri to the All Stars.
as much as we all want our bionicle back, the current generation of kids do not have that same connection. And the reality is that based on market research, our generation didn’t step up and buy the g2 sets for the most part, and that’s really who they did it for. At the point it ended at the story was too complex and matured, and kids these days aren’t into the same themes and aesthetics. That always changes with time. Give it another 5-7 years and I think bringing back a g1 kind of feel might work, needs more time though
Yeah and the sad attempts at bringing them back are sadly missing the parts that make them... you know unique!
Only YT will have an hour long documentary on history of a toy that fully fleshes out how the designer’s illness impacted the art, story, and concept.
I love this so much.
the mata nui lore connection was pretty nuts, never thought of it that way. not to mention the cannister design representing pills. (or the fact they wanted to make a vending machine originally). (hell who wants to start a bionicle vending machine Kickstarter with 3d printed cannisters and original toa designs? :D)
Wait until you see the 10 hour bionicle lore video...
Yeah but don't attach the YT brand to people's work. Support the original creator not the platform. The don't really get what they deserve.
@@jonuno that’s actually a really good point; never thought of it like that.
looks at video length… IT WAS AN HOUR???? i was hooked lmfao
As a kid, there seriously was something about strangely eclectic sci-fi stuff. I remember first playing Halo: Combat Evolved and just LOSING MY MIND when I found the ruins in the second level, when I first charged up that green glowing plasma pistol... It had this mystical feeling I couldn't put my finger on.
Bionicles had a very similar effect on me, that sense of wonder is unlike anything else, and I look back on it so fondly.
Me too! Halo was the spritual successor of Bionicle for me!
Same here. Both franchises did a great job of showing us cool unique possibilities while still feeling very grounded at the same time. I loved the creativity they inspired.
I am so glad that Bionicle is finally getting some recognition in how important it is to lego.
It needed to be said!! It's been over 10 years since the original generation of sets. Hopefully with enough enthusiasm Bionicle can make another return :)
@@slow_start I am very sure that LEGO will re-activate BIONICLES (2.0) at some point in the future. The brand is already built up and can be continued successfully; just like, let's say, the Volkswagen Beetle.
Welcome home, big guys.
I always preferred Bionicles over legos because I loved action figures. And not just stationary and stiff ones, the ones with all the joints. I never understood making a stiff action figure that’s not a figurine. Bionicles allowed me to make mechs with a tail or make a werewolf or something. I even made dragon and stuff with different armor pieces as the mouth and different swords as the wings. Fluid motion with dope customization made it the best toy for me as a kid and I was so sad when they disappeared because I didn’t even know this happened. (I honestly didn’t even know Bionicles were from the Lego brand till this video lol)
@@slow_start I would love to see it happen, As a huge majority of the market if they do re-release em will be us, Who are mostly now adults. Would be awesome to re-awaken the design approach from its later models like Toa Newa ,Toa Mahri, Piraka. reinvent those designs into something really sleek and more mature. Action figure enjoyers would go crazy.
I have to admit, Bionicle played a big part of my childhood and knowing the facts behind it all now that I'm an adult kind of just hit a spot in me. Thank you for this man!
I'm watching this after having sold my 11 or 12 childhood Bionicles toys and now I'm sad 😆
they were a big part of my childhood and there was even a phase where I used to take them to school to battle the other kids' Bionicles
unfortunately I only bothered with the toys, never any of the comics or games, so I never knew the lore behind them so my appreciation for them might not have been as high as it should have been.
anyway they're all gone now, but most of them were bought up by a woman for her young stepson so it warms my heart knowing that my childhood toys might be bringing enjoyment and wonder to a kid :)
They were so cool.
same I can never forget wanting the toys so bad...and the games and my mom always getting me the comics for free from her school
I've built around 20 different Bionicles in my childhood. Some starters and some "projects". My favorite thing to do with them is take ideas from some bionicles and combine them with others, creating some type of monster for me and my friend to fight in our next session.
I wish I could buy more but I'm grown and I'm pretty sure they don't sell anymore
Same. Bionicle came out when I was I think like 9 or 10. I had already been a lego kid by then but when that came out and the culture of shows we had and animation really made the imagination of a young boy go crazy with creativity. Then when they added motors, everything changed. Im 33 now and whyen I see LEGO brand store or sometimes I walk down the aisle at walmart to see what new shit they got. Wild how big it was/is. I dont need a whole documentary to know what saved their company lol. I was there. The worst part was when the pieces would ware out.
I’ve got a soft spot for bionicle.
They were the best thing Lego did in my childhood.
I’ll never forget being 8, and running around outside with my friends as we played with our bionicles anywhere we could.
We’d go from place to place with them, like we went from one biome to another.
We’d go from playing on the rocks, to climbing up into a tree so we’d have a forest canopy.
It’s been 20 years, but i still have all of the ones i had as a kid.
They stay in a small bin i keep up in the top of my closet.
I plan on passing them on, one day in the far future.
Its gonna be a special moment, and I’ll probably shed a few tears as i let them go.
Pass them on to a kid so they can play with them
I legitimately felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me, unlike anything I've felt in years.
I unironically can't recall the last time I felt happiness and bliss like I did watching this video and remembering the fond memories I had with Bionicles as a kid.
I'm usually unable to feel any kind of happiness anymore because I am dealing with severe depression and nothing has really helped me this far, neither medication nor therapy. Going back into long term therapy in 2-3 weeks from now, hoping something in me will change. At least this video made me remember what it feels like to be happy, even just for a short time.
I genuinely want to thank you for showing me a glimpse of the light inside my heart that had sizzled out years ago. I didn't think it was possible but I guess there's still hope. Sorry for getting so emotional over a fucking Bionicles video. It just hit in a way that made me want to share my thoughts and feelings.
That was everything I wanted to say. I hope y'all are doing better than me at this point in my life. Wish me luck for the future boys, I will probably need it.
Man... buy a ton of lego and play with them. Scew what ppl say. If they criticize you, just ignore and let them go do their life
You are letting yourself be depressed. You need to decide to stop being depressed before any positive progress is made. Stop relying on medication or others and figure it out yourself. Sounds rough or like I don't understand, but I went through a decade of depression before realizing it is a self induced illness. Make active decisions at the start of each day to counter your depression and it will alleviate. Or keep beating yourself up and manifesting negative outlooks and see how that works for you...
literally bro I was depressed my whole life until I became spiritual and then stumbled into Jesus in my presence, He is real just seek him and you wont be depressed anymore. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you - James 4:8
Don’t underestimate the benefit of proper food and excersise, best of luck bro!
@@martinsimeonov1563LEGO's target group is mainly adults. They offer expensive display pieces like Star Wars or vintage cars 🌈
Dude, as a kid I was so impressed by those Bohrok canisters. The design and how the figure could be folded up reminded me of transformer toys, which was like, the gold standard for robot themed toys. Definitely have fond memories of this time period.
They were my favorite as well.
Oh heck yeah, the Bohrok were the real deal! Despite how different they were from their very _Technic_ rahi predecessors, they were fresh, unique and captivating, and that's what made them the successful blueprint for the villains that followed them, especially the Rahkshi, Vahki, Visorak, Piraka, Barraki and the 2008 Mukata! 2002 is also my favorite year for Bionicle.
Dude yes! They also had the coolest combiner model if you had three of the correct sets to fuse them
I only have the blue and silver bohrok personally. I was late to the party.
Actually the bionicle canisters where pretty action packed too, the original canister lids acted as mask seals like found in the OG games and media, the bohrok canisters allowed them to be suspended from the inside like their hibernation pods, and even the latest canisters could have two lids removed and combined to make the matoran pods seen in the movies!
there's also how the Rahkshi canister could be used to display what appears to be a dormant rahkshi waiting for the order to move, weapon in hand
I wish I still had those containers...
@@killer13324 Those we’re my favorite! I had the blue one, and you can split the staff in half when “dormant”
I used to read the comics that you could get with them, and play some random flash games on the official website back then. God i miss that part of my life
Been writing fiction my whole life (occasionally published). The very first story I've ever written was a Bionicle fanfic (at age 9). Something about the strange vibes the toys gave me... made me write. What a joy this video is to watch!
Same story, except never been published properly.
@@im_pianoyou'll get there my friend! After writing my entire life, going to university, and struggling for two years to get published, my luck finally changed in December and a poetry journal accepted and published my submission. All you need is the foot in the door, and remember: Cormac McCarthy was a mechanic for years before finding success with his novels.
Same story, except never been published properly and mine was a fanfic of American McGee's Alice.
It’s tough to see something go from the savior of LEGO as a whole to something of which a line the film based on their products directly stated nobody wanted to mention, whose only recent release was a simple brick figure in an anniversary set.
What was this brick figure?
@@BloodAsp The tahu minifigure from Lego classics
That scene in The Lego Movie was needlessly harsh towards Bionicle and its fans. This was the series that saved the entire Lego company from going bankrupt and was huge success for many years ... and that's how Lego repays it? With a simple png slideshow among failed products and a mean spirited comment? I love The Lego Movie, but that part was so jarring.
Edit: I realize that I'm being a bit too dramatic here. The Bionicle fan in me can get pretty passionate! It was just a little disappointing to see the once gigantic brand get such a cruddy reference on the big screen after being cancelled for a few years. I and many others just like to see some good Bionicle rep, which thankfully we have been getting lately. Lego's not ignoring it like they often did, so that's a plus.
@@FoxsDumbSeriesMaker which scene was that in? I can't remember seeing Bionicle anywhere in the Lego Movie
@Steven Zeh It was the Wild West part where Emmet and Wild Style were talking on the horses. She mentioned several Lego themes as a slideshow of different Lego themes were shown. Bionicle 2001 was one of them.
The 90s and early 2000s were a fantastic time for kids. You had Lego at their peak, cartoons were at their peak, video games were just video games, anime for kids was absolutely exploding and then you had all the toys and games from those animes. Not to mention the explosion in popularity of extreme sports. I don't think we'll ever see a time like that again.
Entrepreneurship was a wild new thing, everyone was starting companies, everyone was throwing everything against the wall to see what stuck, we had green catsup back then. Lol Unfortunately, like all "wild wests", it got "civilized," the big money people figured out how to control everything and suck the joy out of it all.
I always think about Agent Smith’s line in The Matrix where he says the year 1999 was “the peak of your civilization”. In a way, he was right. Everything was so creatively driven to a point where people were constantly thinking outside the box and so much of pop culture hinges around that year it’s insane.
It was the best time to be alive in a long time, and certainly since
I’d argue at least video games and anime, probably cartoons too are better now than ever before,
@@ravenkarlin yes now we live in Nostalgiagrad and Wokeburg
I was born in 2007, so I never really got to experience bionicle, but I grew up on lego. Ninjago and Chima were a huge part of my childhood, and I'm still heartbroken about the loss of Chima to this day. Despite never playing with bionicle, this video really hit home for me and I salute all you bionicle fans for making Ninjago and Chima possibe. Thank you so much for making this video, and thank all you bionicle fans for making my childhood possible, from the bottom of my heart.
I was born in 2001 and grew up with the later half of Bionicle's run, although I was completely captivated by it. When you lost Chima that's how I felt when Bionicle ended in 2010, it was so soon for me. By the time Ninjago and Chima came out I was less interested in legos, partly due to that heartbreak from Bionicle's end. However I'm really glad to see that Ninjago is still going on to this day and that the new generation like you is finding just as much excitement and allure in it.
for me my favorite lego line was hero factory, it was bionicle's succsessor and i was a big bionicle fan at the end of its run so hero factory was the coolest thing i could play with at the time, and they were pretty good
I am decades older then you and also never seen Bionicle. Not even an ad for it.
The only LEGO that somewhat sold was System for most part other then that we always had cheaper far better alternative toys that put LEGO to shame, same things exist today. So next to those facts and things I am genuenly confused how a garbage corporate entity so as major waste producer like LEGO still manage to exist today.
Also by this video's logic how Bionicle magically saved LEGO as a company when next to no one even had access to it ...
Looks like any clown can make up a video like this today and casually claim it like it's the truth so as idiots believe in it too.
Funny enough, 2007 was the probably the best year for Bionicle, in terms of build diversity.
@@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy oh well if YOU didn't see it, obviously it couldn't have been successful. After all, you are the only person in the world!
I have never once played or consumed a piece of Bionicle media, yet I currently find myself fully invested in its entire story and lifetime. Amazing Video
My condolences for never having Bionicles in your childhood. That plus YuGiOh and Halo probably keep me from being completely miserable the entire time.
@@alexanderrobins7497 Are you sure *you're* not the one who needs the condolences? Considering those were the *only* things keeping you from "being miserable"?
Please ask me questions, if you have any about the timeline. 😂 I would love to talk about it.
21:19 Man, the parallels between the role of Mata Nui as a being where Matoran civilization resides and Chris' unfortunate medical complications really hit hard. I had no idea about this. Props to him for being so resilient and finding inspiration even in such a dark personal experience.
ikr
I went crazy when I realized where it was going.
I never realized mata nui was a parallel to Chris. I knew mata nui was literally the island but never knew about the parallel to real life
That just shows how fiction is supposed to work as a _great_ piece of fiction! Despite how fictional or fantastical it may appear on the surface, there is something real deep down inside it and that's what hits home to us: its human audiences who live and feel.
I was heartbroken just hearing his vision fading but then a little heartened knowing he was able to transform some of those awful moments of his life into something so beautiful. When I heard he was able to get better treatment with less side effects and seeing recent clips of him, I was fully revealed. He is a childhood hero I didn't know I had until now.
The revelation that Chris actually benefited from a medical breakthrough and was able to live like he hadn't in years made me really happy actually. I just assumed this was one of those "this guy got unlucky and had this problem for the rest of his life" things, but the fact that it wasn't the case made me really happy for Chris.
I started tearing up
I was so grateful when hearing the childhood hero I didn't know I had got a relative happy life compared to the direction I was afraid it was going to go.
So glad I was into bionicle as a kid. Now I have a massive container of old bionicle pieces that I’ve been able to mess around with throughout the years. Made a bunch of mocs and still play around with them sometimes. It’s awesome that there were toys like this that allowed kids to be creative and have fun at the same time.
As a Lego and Bionicle fan I clicked on this expecting factoids, and fond memories with a hint of nostalgia but you also made a gripping case while making your point known without repetitive points and phrasing. Plus, your closer? I was ready to tear up, dead on gave me chills. This is peak video essay format and I hope more CZcamsrs find you and use this as a template for their videos. Seriously you nailed it. Subscribed
BIONICLE did save Lego and it seems they forgot this after its first discontinuation. Thank you for the Making of BIONICLE series, I didn’t know the origins of BIONICLE went back to 1995 and thanks for covering its lifespan in this documentary.
I was there at the beginning...
I almost started to cry while watching this. These toys were a HUGE part of my childhood and seeing them be brought up in these hard times took me back to better days. Thank you for this video sir.
Yeah, lots of memories i forgot I had
Same here 💚
I hope your hard times get better my good sir!
Cry baby
@@rodionraskolnikov3853 What are you, 12?
"Thankfully, LEGO avoided that PR nightmare and went ahead with 'Boneheads of Voodoo Island'" is an amazing sentence.
This is an amazing video. I never got to experience Bionicle when it started, and only got a few of the reboot sets so I never really understood the IP. This video really showed me just how important this toy was to kids, and the company itself as well as being such an intriguing retelling of the story. So thank you, I applaud this work of art you’ve made surrounding yet another work of art
My man Chris single-handedly carrying a huge chunk of my childhood into existence. Hats off to Faber.
I remember the revelation that the great spirit Mata Nui resided below the island as one of the best plot twists of my childhood on par with KotOR1. I'm so pleased that they actually had it planned out from the beginning, even though it was only revealed around the end of the story. (Something like 7-8 years later.) That explains why it made so much sense.
I know right? It’s crazy to think they had a secret that big waiting beneath the surface from the very start.
There's something about an entire ecosystem, culture and civilization coming into existence on the body of a long slumbering god that's not only so metal, but captivating. It's probably why Xenoblade Chronicles 1 is so compelling.
As a kid, I was either so dumb (or maybe it was because I didn't read the books and barely looked over a few comics), that I thought the Mask of Life created the robot out of the landmass of the planet (like how it created Toa Ignika out of sea weed).
I really wonder how the giant robot was hidden from leaks. Like, did Miramax and the game studios know about this fact? And I also wonder how the people who followed the lore didn't catch on to it. The Metru Nui eyehole "suns" being eclipsed in the second movie look very much like eyes being closed
I was born in '96, and was the exact market for this toy series but.. well it passed me by. I think I was really into dinosaurs, star wars and army men.
That said, it's really really touching how much this world means to you guys. I'm so glad that it touched your lives like this.
An aside, as a 26 year old, these toys look unbelievably cool. I like them much more now than I remember thinking about them as a kiddo. Such a cool and fresh world design, and the toys just look rad. Y'all had great taste!
You missed out.
I was born in '04, and I do remember seeing bionicles toys in Target stores and TV, though I never really cared about it. I wasn't much of a lego kid myself, but I loved the lego video games such as Lego City Undercover & Indiana Jones. And I must say I also loved watching Lego ninjago whenever it was on.
@@RonnieRonnie3697 Too bad. Bionicle was cool
I was never born
After watching trailer for Bionicle: The Mask of Power, my Bionicle nerd in me woke up from slumber. And here I am, buying old sets which I had to leave behing unwillingly as a kid, checking old lore, watching videos like these, putting old wallpapers on my wall in my office, re-learning Bionicle alphabet. Bionicle were trully something special and I realized how much they influenced me as an artist. First story (more like fanfic) I ever had was from Bionicle universe. Even my first fanart was Kopaka. My love for mysterious stories came from Bionicle. I miss Bionicle so much, LEGO could do amazing Bionicle movie again these days, with better writing, budget, everything. They have tools and all the money in the world.
I had no clue about all the creative process but it's incredibly uplifting how many errors in the row created something truly special. Including finding about an amazing lore built around non-removable brain tumor.
I never realized it as a kid, but Bionicle was truly something special.
woooow slizers were so cool. i still have all the disks and arms but forgot what they looked like. cool to see the old sets and ad material
Yeah I forgot they even existed. I had a bunch of them and my brother got the giant yellow one with 2 heads. I was so incredibly jealous. They were cool af
Me and my friends used to take the arms and make grips for them outta other lego parts. We would then use them as dedicated disk launchers and have wars with them in my basement. Those were the days...
I completely forgot about them. Seeing this brought me back to when my grandad bought me the Electro set. I cherished the hell out of that thing until I passed along my lego to my siblings.
I received the flying yellow dual-launching one as a gift. I can't remember the name of it, but it was so freaking cool!
Also, the artwork showed off vague but epic depictions of the Throwbots fighting giant monsters and/or each other.
I have the green slizer buried somewhere at my parents house!!!
I remember being obsessed with these things as a kid. My dad bought me my first one back in the early 2000s, and I still remember it being the ice warrior and thinking it was so cool how you got little weapons and could turn the little wheel to make its arms move. I remember using any money I got to get one or two since they were pretty cheap. Good times...
I bought one in 2016 during G2 with my allowance, was also Pohatu. I just loved it.
Dude the ice one had the coolest mask.
I went diehard into Bionicle as a kid. I had even signed up for their monthly magazine, which came with Bionicle comic books.
I was obsessed with Bionicle as a kid, collected every figure I could and read and watched anything i found that featured them, this is all to say im embarrassingly familiar with the story of Mata Nui and its themes of infection and finding a cure to it.
Learning the creator of my childhood essentially struggled with these problems within his own body makes me appreciate the work and creativity so much more. It feels so much more personal now.
This is a remarkably well-researched and edited documentary. You've clearly got a knack for this, it's great to see someone who pretty much out of the gate has this video essay thing down. As someone very well-informed on Bionicle's history, this hits pretty much every major aspect of its development to a T, while also making it understandable for a general audience. Well-done.
This was my exact goal - general appeal while still trying to be entertaining to the fans. Hearing that someone appreciated the video for that reason makes this one of the kindest comments I've received yet. Truly, thank you!
@@slow_start No problem, you deserve it!
I loved bionicle, I still love it!
Researched everything but how to pronounce the Maori who he referenced multiple times
46:39 wow... Feels good to appear in such a great video compiling such important aspects and history of Bionicle as not just a toy line, but much much more... It's nice to be a small part of something this big, were every Bionicle fan can help keep this alive and going for more years to come
So glad you found this my friend. And thank you for helping to keep the legend of Bionicle alive!
It's been like a year and I'm sure someone has mentioned it but I can absolutely confirm that yes, the gears used in the original Toa were designed to be a Rock-em Sock-em style battle thing where you could knock off the opponent's mask. It was tunny because it was wasn't really part of the story and the system worked questionably because some of the masks, like Lewa's, didnt have enough forward-facing surface area to be reliably knocked off. But that was why all of the original Rahi and the Bohrok had the rubber band-powered punching features like punching arms for the Tarakava and Manas, tails for the Nui Jaga and Nui Rama, and the "punching" head on the Muaka/Kane-ra and the Bohrok- they would knock a Toa/Turaga/Matoran's mask off to replace with an Infected Kanohi or Krana to control them, and the Toa could knock off the Infected Masks the Rahi had to free them from Makuta's control.
With the Toa Metru you also saw them see if the gear idea was still important without the mask gimmick, with the Toa's masks using cross pegs to stay on, the arms being too stubby to reach, and the weapons tending to be either too long and spindly or be disk launchers with little force. I get the impression it felt gimmicky in the Toa Metru and hurt their posability so they abandoned it entirely in the back half of Y2 in favor of iterating on Kanoka Disks, leading to their obsession with projectile launchers.
What we have here is such a professional and extremely well made documentary. Seriously, this is something I would expect to find on a history channel. Your video deserves far more views for all of the hard work put into it. I learned so much from this, like how the whole idea of Mata Nui being harmed by Makuta and the Toa arriving to fend him off was based on the human body, illness, and medication. I never knew that. I also didn't know that Lego leaned on Bionicle _that_ much back then, what with other Lego lines failing in 2003 while Bionicle was at the top of its game. I always assumed Bionicle got them out of that mess right from 2001, but no. Lego had to rely on this series far longer than I suspected.
It makes me question how Bionicle went from being such a colossal hit to becoming a niche series within the Lego fandom and toy industry in general, but really, there are all kinds of reasons. Poor management and repetitive builds come to mind. The QC on some of the parts wasn't up to Lego's usual standards, standard Toa builds were beginning to feel bare bone, and 2008 and 2009 began to heavily rely on large vehicle sets, which I believe didn't sell very well. Ironic how Bionicle was created to be different from the usual Technic builds like their vehicle sets, only for said builds to be used later on and ultimately damage the longevity of the franchise. This series could have benefited from more creative minds and innovation, because after peaking in 2006, everything began to slowly decline.
Regardless, I'm just happy that Bionicle had been around for so many years with such memorable stories, characters, and sets. It was such a huge part of my childhood and even now, I like to go back and listen to the old books I once read and watch the movies. Sometimes I would even track down old sets that I used to own, proudly displaying them on my shelves. It's also nice to see Lego acknowledge Bionicle these days, as well. ^^
Im so glad you enjoyed this documentary. I am gearing up to tackle another large project like this in the future. Long live Bionicle!
Documentaries are the new History Channel but for modern and not-so-modern history.
I think another problem not brought up is Bionicle’s lack of a robust, individually heroic silhouette. Bionicle is cool and unique, but everyone is kinda… gangly
it's a bit of self-sabotage that lego wanted a system to make bionicle simple as making brand new molds foor the plastic each year for new parts never to be used again was super expensive but bionicle was popular and uniue because it didn't have a system.
Also the story they were advertised with was hella confusing to follow as it was split between books, comics, games, and the lego magazine. Noot to mention the names, while amazing that they would utilize maori inspired names, llater changed as the maori people, was amazing but also confusing to shop for.
And with price increases due to oteh sets being more complex meant that kids just didn't care for it that much and plenty of lego purists were very hatefull towards Bionicle because iti wasn't built off System (the normal standard bricks) and thus wasn't true lego.
@@tanuki01 The Toa Nuva were pretty robust looking. When I think of standard Bionicle sets with super hero qualities, the Nuva fit that silhouette pretty well. Adjust them with better articulation and more pieces and they would no longer look gangly. ^^
I never knew that Bionicle was such a pivotal brand for the LEGO company, but that was really cool to learn about even if I never got own any as a kid(they were too expensive for my parents to ever buy for me, but I always wanted them). Great documentary on the subject for me.
Same I think I got one my whole childhood but now I’m thinking about getting the sets as an adult hoping to fill some void
I always wanted them but was in the same position. I was apprehensive to watch this with all the comments being from people who had them, but based on your comment i’m excited to watch. appreciate it. ✌️💙
@@michaelmeara6776 phantoka and mahri were the coolest ones other than the 1st gens. Although some of the larger sets were awesome too like keetongu
As a kid it was 100000% the story telling that got me. The mini shorts, the tv commercials that didn't explain much. Looking back its interesting how much interest it drew from me at the time.
The background music is superb. Thank you for showing me Shifty
Those early development stages were even more dire than this documentary lays out. Let's not forget how Lego pretty much put all their chips into Galidor, even with an entire live-action TV show, and it bombed spectacularly. They bounced back big time with Bionicle. Of course, some people didn't get it. I remember when I was a kid, I heard some girl say she hated Bionicle because "They tell you how to play with it." IE; lore. But, for many, that was the best part!
Being born in 2000, Bionicle was an undeniably huge part of my childhood from as early as I can remember I was surrounded by Lego, most specifically Bionicle. I've always held a deep fondness for the IP. This video is so incredibly well done, you have such a knack for storytelling that I greatly applaud. However it still deeply disturbing to be watching CZcams and get jump scared by a picture of your Dad. Not sure what I really expected thought to be honest.
Absolutely hilarious. I will cherish this comment. Please share with your father if he hasn't seen it! So glad you enjoyed it :)
@@slow_start Don't you worry, I've already sent the video his way.
@@kirkthompson2883 did He find it accurate?
@@sniper0073088 I have been informed of some slight inaccuracies in certain areas. However since overall the history around the goings on weren't extremely well documented there was bound to be some speculation involved unless of course you knew someone who was there ;). Cant say anymore at risk of getting myself in trouble.
@@sniper0073088 I should mention though he watched the whole video and found it an entertaining watch.
I had never really been into any toy that much as a kid, until I saw my first Bionicle TV commercial for the Vahki. I remember being captivated in a way I had never been, it might have been the first genuinely awe-inducing experience I had at that age. For the first time I had a reason to save money, and I remember my heart beating with raw excitement every time my Mom asked if I wanted to join her to our local hyper market. It's been a privilege growing up in the early 2000s. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to every member of the Bionicle team for enrichening my childhood to an unimagined extent.
I actually cried while watching this. I absolutely love playing with bionicles when I was little and have many precious memories with them
ok mate, let's take it easy here
@@gordonlekfors2708 *starts crying insanely hard*
@@gordonlekfors2708nostalgia is very overwhelming
@@rannnoch lol 🤣
feel ya, but 4 me it was listening to Meat Loaf's Bat out of hell, yesterday ! *Greetz
Thank you for this amazing documentary! It really taught me that just because something isn't so good or does not produce great results, it does not mean that it's a true failure. Bionicle stood on the shoulders of multiple failed or half-baked concepts, refined them, and became a truly great thing. And now, even though it's been discontinued, its DNA continues to live on in LEGO's other product lines. I will always remember Bionicle fondly for the great childhood memories it has given me.
Very well said! Glad the video was able to communicate that effectively. It really was a labour of love that paid off in spades in the end :)
I remember trying to like bionicle as a kid, I believe the story itself was made for older kids, that could understand more, what did hit for me was Ninjago, my parents and family combined probably spent well over $1k throughout my childhood/early teen years. After hearing about the creators story I can respect bionicle and can appreciate how these toys saved one of my favorite childhood companies to this day, I too will buy my kids Lego to explore and experience Lego, no iPads no phones, just raw creativity
Both my husband and I love bionicles! It was one of the first topics he talked about on our first date and he showed his love for the series with our kids.
Bionicle was one of the most defining things of my childhood, connecting me to friends over decades, and even when I was alone, it kept my creativity alive and running, allowing me to create my own characters or trying to mimic things I saw in other media. It's probably one reason I became an author. Hopefully, Lego returns to these creative product lines someday, so my kids might enjoy a similar experience as I did.
Damn i was just about to make this comment. My brother and I would play for hours. We made these two larger bionicles by combining Multiple of them together. One was called creation and the other was destruction. We also had those kinnect magnet toys with the small metal spheres. We would use the Them as main characters. We were just 10 and 9 and getting into final fantasy and Suikoden. We loved the turn based strategy games on PS1. So we basically made our own JRPG out of these toys. I have been writing a story for the past five years and I think this is the final message I'm receiving to make it a videogame. Thank you for your comment.
I was always the kid to throw away the boxes and manuals for things right after opening them. But what you mentioned with bionicle utilizing the canisters in the story and making them useful after building the toys definitely holds true. They were the only toys I made a conscious effort to keep all that extra stuff. Unfortunately, my parents would be the ones to throw away all the canisters and manuals years later, making my remaining bionicle collection feel incomplete.
Yeah, as kids we never really recognized the value in things like packaging haha. Bionicle made us think twice about throwing it away though. Pretty sure I tried to hold on to mine as well!
My dad kept the canisters as he thought they were very useful storage items lol.
@@slow_start i was a slightly older kid when I first got them, probably around 12 i believe and kept playing with them during my teens. But I always kept my canisters and manuals bcus the toys looks so damn cool and I wanted to know how to re assemble them if I decided to have some epic fusion game. I think apart from the very first 2-3 toa's i got, i kept all the canisters and manuals of every single bionicle i got/bought. Sad that many of the bigger ones just came in boxes. For those I just kept the manuals
Be thankful they didn't give away your pre-1986 lego while you were on a gap year, like my mother did. I've never forgiven her for it.
Maybe they were inspired by Kinder eggs.
This was absolutely stunning. I never knew the in-depth history of Bionicle, thank you so much for doing all of this research. The first ever book I read was the first Scholastic book by Cathy Hapka, and seeing all of these sets has brought so much nostalgia. Thank you for making this!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
@slow start I loved seeing the concept art and that there's still a strong fandom!! I have my old comics up in my attic somewhere, you've inspired me to find them and read through them again :)
29:00 "fun to handle"
This was a huge point I think. They were always more awkward to use than other action figures, but that didn't matter because they were just fun to move and modify
I've never seen anything like Bionicle, nor anything since. The idea of living machinelike beings in a deeply mystical world was so captivating. Given it's stopped production, I'm somewhat disappointed another creator, studio or company hasn't made a spiritual successor as a new game or animation franchise that hits all the same beats Bionicle once did.
Holly jengas what a video...
Thx so much for the video bro
So nostalgic
My dad once threw out 2 of the containers for my bionicle because I quote “they were trash”
Still haven’t forgiven him
Knowing what the original concept of binonicles looked like... It's surprising they really nailed the final product. Binonicles we're so cool I loved them
My first Bionicle was from a Gas Station - I had no idea that was an intentional part of their marketing strategy for the Buildable Action Figures. But I definitely remember the Bionicle having the "Craze Product" feeling! It certainly work! My local toy store had a massive display case stacked full of Bionicle just to try and meet the demand! Xalax racers were another fun, small series I remember getting at a gas station on a road trip
Thank you so much for this documentary. Bionicles are a very important part of my childhood development, and this nostalgia is probably one of the strongest feelings I’ve felt in a while. They were involved in so many parts of my childhood
I actually won the golden mask for the red bionicle. Its somewhere in my old lego boxes. I still remember the games, the toys, I had them all. It brings back such good vibes.
thx for making this documentary! means alot for us Bionicle Fans
As kid, I was infatuated with the bionicles lore. I had several books, watched clips, and had a couple of bionicles figures. The lore was very captivating to me as a young kid and helped me develop my reading and comprehension. I remember being a kid and riding in the car pretending that I was one of those bionicles coming down to the island in a capsule. I was most captivated by the story and less so the actual figurines. My favorite Lego sets were from the the Lego city line and technic. My original collection of legos has since been donated, but this last Christmas I received a Lego Batmobile which contained some of those ball and socket joints to facilitate the angular geometry of the set. I believe that when I was growing up Lego was in a golden age with a comprehensive product line which spanned both the home, school, and with friends. Truly innovative sets and modular power functions. Now that I am older I sometimes want to connect with my younger self and build some more sets. I think Lego has reached me and others like me with their new marketing campaigns and sets centered around the phrase, “adults welcome”. I find the more sophisticated yet simple sets of architecture, vehicles, sculpture, and maps very appealing as a decorative piece. They bring enjoyment to build and nostalgia from times which have come and gone. I hope Lego can continue their legacy and continue to advance their product for future generations as a I feel it is a line of toys which fosters a great deal of creativity, ingenuity, and fun for people of all ages but kids especially.
Fantastic documentary. A whole new dimension to my childhood. Started on slizer and then was infatuated with bionicle, particularly the flash game. I actually preferred the mystery behind them, hence I didn't like them getting personalities.
This is a fantastic video. You did an absolutely amazing job capturing what made Bionicle so special and telling the deep story of its development in a very mesmerizing way. I loved these toys as a kid and I have many fond memories of then, specially the first movie. What a blast. Thank you for making this piece!
This documentary was amazing! As an old fan and someone who has tried to look for a lot of the history of the making of Bionicle it was great learning new things, great job :D
Revisiting this comment to say thank you! So happy Bionicle fans enjoyed this.
This perfectly ties the episodes together
Literally just happened to stumble upon this video, but it brought back so much nostalgia for Bionicle. Super well made and incredibly enlightening.
I was too young to really care about the origin of it but man did I ever love collecting them
It all started when my neighbours moved and the little boy left his black bionical on the front steps. I held onto him for a few weeks hoping he would return for him but he never did. I felt obligated now to care for this lost little guy. He was my best friend. I actually have no idea what happened to my bionicals; I think my dad must have thrown them out in a cleaning rage.
The concept of toa being like medication and the villains being like diseases makes crazy amounts of sense, if they subconsciously stuck to that longer I think they could’ve kept the story more interesting than what they chose in the Glatorian/gasleak storyline.
Being born in 2003, LEGO and bionicle was almost entirely my childhood. Seeing this video has made my day and overwhelmed me with nostalgia. Reminds me of how much I loved it, especially the 2003 movie and the Bionicle Heroes game on the PS2. Thank you for making this documentary.
How would it have been almost your entire childhood? It was discontinued 1 year after you hit the minimum age.
bionicle was definitely one of the best toys i ever played with as a kid and i feel like they definitely had a huge impact on my childhood, i remember getting butterflies watching the bionicle edits people would put on youtube in the early 2000's and the feeling of waiting for the old sets to come after id order tthem on ebay. i cherish these memories alot
I was obsessed with Bionicles as a kid. They were my entire childhood. I still have the same Bionicles I had as a kid to this day even. I'll never part with them, ever
Can we appreciate how avantgarde Chris was ?
This guy literally created a never seen before toy.
Sure, at the time it seemed like a one off thing..
But look at what his influence became..
Starting off as a wired toy with joints, he created a universe.
Buildable action figures are such a wild concept! Lego really struck gold with Chris :)
Oh man, not knowing I played a part of saving Lego as a kid collecting a lot of Bionicles hits home. I remember spending allowances buying Bionicles and playing with my friends. First one I got was the green one with the axe, as the red was sold out.
The 1st generation was the best.. I had alot of the ones with the moving heads as well but the first ones were more unique
Green one was my favorit but the last one i got. Started with the red one
Excellent documentary! Had me tearing up at multiple points just from nostalgia and the way you wrapped it up. Thank you!
I miss these toys. I feel so old despite being 19…
Time flies.
I really hope one day we get a Bionicle Re-release or even new Bionicles. To me they will forever be the best thing Lego has ever made, it truly was a special thing they created way back when.
If there's any viewers who don't know about the bionicle lore, i highly recommend diving into it. The creativity of the writers still amazes me 10 years after.
According to it's wiki page, Judgement/Immortal Cell shares similarities with Makuta. It's the main antagonist of Hyper Light Drifter.
I've got a couple, just before I quit altogether with Lego for years due to age, but I remember tossing them aside rather quickly. I can't remember even getting into the lore
To me, it has always felt like a theme without creativity for the player. Seeing this documentary it feels like I was right, and like you said, it is more about creativity of the writers.
There certainly was an audience for that according to the numbers, but I'm glad Lego never stopped with the regular stuff.
Wow what a story! Art is so misunderstood and still a mystery in most ways. And how artists come up with their stuff is quite remarkable. loved this one.
I miss Bionicle, was such a big part of my childhood.
A month ago I revisited my old Lego collection and i was tempted to sell my Bionicle pieces since they are mostly incompatible with the other systems, but I decided to wait. And boy was that the right choice since today this documentary perfectly answered the questions that were still open in my head since childhood thus bringing back a lot of great memories, the sheer awe for the first movie alone is enough to never forget this franchise. Thank you so much for your work, keep it up!
Cherish those pieces! So glad this video helped inspire you to keep them. Every old toy I save with my videos is one worth making lol
I'll never forget Bionicle's or the Mask of Light.. They were such a huge part of my childhood! Makes me sad I don't have a single piece of any of my Bionicles.. I had the actual mask of light which makes it worse 😥 I fought tooth and nail to keep that mask from my friends in school lmao
Small follow-up: my renewed passion for the franchise led me to discover that my small collection included the rarest Bionicle set ever, Toa Mata Nui! (though I'm probably missing a bunch of pieces)
First off - Bionicle has such a strong nostalgic place in my heart. Such a cool concept. Obviously it did well, but I would still consider it a pretty niche part of lego history, but it's a shame it didn't get absolutely massive
Second - holy crap you've unlocked memories I had long forgotten. Before watching this I had never heard of "Slizers" and "RoboRiders", but I 100% remember having some of each growing up in the house. I'm guessing my older brother had them. Watching the segments on those two lines here, I see so many pieces that I have such strong memories of being in our giant collection of parts. No memory of them being built tho
That's crazy
Was never into Bionicle growing up as a kid but after watching this and other videos I'm so glad it was made otherwise LEGO pretty much wouldn't exist. Hope they do bring the theme back on day for its fans.
I have a pretty short attention span, but you captured it so well. I loved Bionicle and its world and vibe, and I learned so much about it! It was so special and you should be very proud.
Bionicle slapped so hard. I'm glad I live in a time where I can listen to someone else explain the history of one of my favorite Lego products (and I grew up a BIG Lego kid) right when I'm of the age to truly appreciate the nostalgia. Good stuff, thanks for this.
Let's smarten up our speaking. Frfr
huge shout out for shifty and nookie, absolute classics. the late 90's early dnb is truly something magical, you can dance to it, sleep to it, and it works as a great background track too. big up
Could not agree more. Love it when people notice!
I remember the mask thing was a phenomenal element to the toy. As a kid I was desperate to get the different masks for my bionicle and was fascinated by the faces underneath.
Bionicles will forever have a place in my heart. It was a bright spot in a bad childhood, and I will never forget that.
A huge part of my childhood. I was even able to hold on to most of my Bionicle sets from back in the day. Thanks for making this
And thank you for watching!
It warms my heart to see Bionicle get the love it deserves. Those toys were my childhood, I had all the Borhok, all the Rahkshi, all the Toa. Gods I loved them
Amazing doc! My mom would get me a figure of the original Bionicle at Walmart every 2-3 weeks until I had all of them. I still have them and would never let them go.
Thank you for an incredible documentary. I've been very interested in this topic when I was a child. And I'm glad to see that a lot of people still remember it.
I'm old enough that I had a few of the original bionicles when I was a kid and they were insanely cool. I remember the computer stuff even.
Being born in 2004, I wasn't aware of Bionicle until the reboot came out when I was 10. I instantly fell in love with the series, particularly Gali because I liked the color blue and she was the only girl Toa. I actually had no clue it was a reboot until I found one of the movies (either Mask of Light or Web of Shadows, I don't remember which) on YT in like 2016. It was really interesting to see the development process of one of the two LEGO themes I had an obsession with when I was younger (the other one being Chima). Those canisters seemed awesome, and it's really disappointing to me that they didn't use a similar packaging for the reboot sets. The Cybots concept art was some serious nightmare fuel tho.
Outstanding work, with great detail and research to present the whole story! Thanks for the nostalgia!!
Bionicle was such a big part of my youth, I have so many incredibly fond memories of it. With that said, I hope the franchise stays in the past. Sometimes an experience is best when experienced at the right time. I just hope the whole vibe and mythology will continue inspire the adults we are today to make new magical things.
This video unlocked so many memories I forgot of my childhood. Slizers, all the first bionicles. It has been more than 20 years .... damn. All I can say is thanks
Thanks for this dawg. This whole video was such a sweet treat on the GOOD delicious nostalgia
These old bionicle cinematics really made me nostalgic. Bionicle was such a huge part of my childhood and also my best friend's
Honestly, this is one of the best docs I've seen on CZcams. You should be really proud of what you've made here. Instant subscribe, can't wait to see more of your stuff
Thank you so much, that really means a lot! And thanks for checking out my other stuff too! ;)
actually started crying during the video. very well made documentation of how my favorite toy came to life
So glad you enjoyed it! Very heartwarming to learn that my video has resonated so strongly with people and their childhoods. Lots more coming soon!
@@slow_start I always suspected Bionicle was a Lego product or Lego competitor. This doc really clarifies things. These well researched documentaries seem to be a very new CZcams trend, one that I'm loving. I could feel the excitement the creators had when their products waxed. Who knew that corporations could have their own stories of success and failures?
And as someone born in 1995, it's crazy seeing these old footages piecing together what was happening behind the scenes.
Imagine the untold stories happening at this very moment for companies like AMD, Nvidia, Intel...
you just unlocked a new memory for me cause i had the hero factory meltdown, the one with the toxic canisters on his back and i loved it so much, im happy i found him
Good times in my life from around 6-8 years old… there was a lot of stuff happening personally including abuse and I remember finding happiness in bionicles. I didn’t have many, a handful at most but the ones I did have I loved. I almost am going to cry writing this.