t the dawn of time, the great Mata Nui was sent from paradise to care for all living things. He brought joy and light to the Tohunga people. But Makuta, Mata Nui’s spirit brother, was envious of his power. He followed Mata Nui down to the island, and after a struggle, Makuta cast a great spell which made Mata Nui sink into an endless sleep and brought darkness to the land. But the Tohunga people would not worship Makuta, so he brought dark places and great beasts to the land. The islanders kept faith in the legend that six mighty heroes, called Toa, would come from the skies, and with the help of the Kanohi, the great Masks of Power, would liberate them from Makuta and his beasts.
Lego, long known for its quality construction blocks, has, in recent decades, branched out from its standard rectangular interlocking blocks to provide more complex pieces that allow for many more forms of construction and imaginative play.
Bionicles come with interlocking ball joints, gears, superstructures, weapons and masks to form six Toa—7-inch-tall robot-like saviors of Mata Nui. The six Toa sets can be used to form two larger Toa Kaita, which prophecy says will defeat the Makuta.
Rarely has Lego put such effort into the backstory for their toys. Certain Bionicle sets come with a mini-CD-ROM which contains a multimedia program including movies introducing the six Toa, as well as narrations on the complex story of the struggles between two gods and the prophecy of salvation. The CD-ROM is very well constructed, and is gorgeously rendered to provide information on the backstory, the six masks of power and the weapons used by the Toa.
Even the tubular cases these sets are packaged in play a part in the legend. Judging by the first page in the manuals, when the Toa come, they will crash to the planet’s surface in capsule-like ships, spilling their individual pieces to the ground, where they will magically connect to become the Toa.
The legend of Lego lives on
The Bionicle sets are an extension of the Technic line introduced by Lego a few years ago, which was meant to give young engineers tools to create moving articulated toys that were more machine than static structure.
Lego seems to have put a great deal of effort into this newer line, including a circular rune language, complex computer-generated videos and ads that are shown not only on TV, but before movie trailers in theaters. There are adventure games playable at the Bionicle Web site, and computer and console games are available which take place in the rich world of Mata Nui.
The manuals are bright and colorful and have easy-to-follow instructions to create the Toa as they were intended. Of course, as with any Lego set, this is only one possible way these toys can be constructed. Instructions are also provided to create the larger Toa Kaita, made in conjunction with other Bionicle sets, which will ultimately defeat the evil Makuta.
The quality of these sets is impressive, and will provide kids with endless toy fun, something long associated with Lego. But instead of building blocky structures, they can now be detailed, articulated, jointed and geared. And unlike some of Lego’s more complex sets that include drive trains and motors, these inventive constructions are intended for children as young as 7. And even younger children can appreciate them, even if they will require help in the construction.
These six initial sets—Tahu, Toa of Fire; Lewa, Toa of Air; Kopaka, Toa of Ice; Pohatu, Toa of Stone; Onua, Toa of Earth; and Gali, Toa of Water (according to the narratives, the only female among the Toa)—have already been accompanied by a wealth of support. There are musical CDs including a mask for the sets, interactive card games, smaller sets of figures and larger sets of Makuta’s dark beasts, each playing up the rarity of some of the masks, adding the two elements this series needed to ensure success in the competition that marks the modern era of toys: exclusivity and collectibility.
