How LEGO can rerelease BIONICLE

Although I’m happy to have BIONICLE sets and pieces again after years of not having them, the way I obtained them was rather difficult. Granted, you can still get them today if you check out BrickLink or other sites that specialize in selling LEGOs (or even BIONICLE only), but as someone who supports more accessibility to older LEGO sets, you shouldn’t have to do this. Not everyone is going to create an account, and kids can only buy LEGOs they find in the store. Additionally, it’s only going to be a matter of time until BrickLink will run out of BIONICLE sets and pieces in circulation.

I have accepted that LEGO will not rerelease BIONICLE sets again, but they might do it. We will never know. In case if you’re wondering, there are many reasons why LEGO would not rerelease BIONICLE sets again:

1. Many BIONICLE sets have used pieces that are exclusive to the BIONICLE theme, while some other pieces (like Piece 32310 and Piece 32175), despite used in other themes, have not been seen for over 10 years. LEGO pieces that are not compatible with other themes besides the themes they were made for aren’t really practical.
2. Since the franchise is long-discontinued, they would have to either remake the molds that printed our BIONICLE pieces or try to make them with their newer molds.
3. Back when BIONICLE was first released, it coincided with heavy marketing (like collectible masks, video games, and its own website). Heck, the Toa sets came in canisters rather than standard box sets. If they were to rerelease the older sets, they may have to do it without the promotion (which is what made BIONICLE more special in the early 2000’s). If they did the promotion again, they would take away the uniqueness and specialty of promoting it back in the 2000’s.
4. It also comes with a big and deep story that built the lore. Part of the reason why it sold better during the early years than in the later years was because the plot was simpler and easier to understand. But now, people are less into story and more into creativity.
5. When BIONICLE got a new generation in 2015 (which ended in 2016), it did not do too well in sales. The reboot’s poor performance would make it harder for LEGO to take BIONICLE more seriously.
6. Finally, judging by LEGO sets as of late, people aren’t as interested into original LEGO themes as they are into licensed themes. The only original themes that would do well in today’s age are generic themes (like LEGO City or LEGO Creator).

And another thing. LEGO is not Nintendo. While Nintendo has been good about rereleasing their old games, rereleasing old games means more data will be uploaded or downloaded, which takes no physical space (unless if you need a new memory card). Rereleasing older toys would use up more resources and take up more physical space.

That being said, it can be done. Anything is possible. If they did, newer generations of children might get to purchase the same LEGO sets that their parents collected and played with back when they were kids. But there needs to be more of a popular demand for older sets to be rereleased.

How BIONICLE can be rereleased:

While they may have to make the same old molds they previously did back in the 2000’s, they do not have to release the sets like how they previously did it in the 2000’s. They should follow the minimum expectations of making them available again without having to promote it like they did before.

Let’s start with the first caveat on this. They should only rerelease the sets from the Mata Nui Era (2001-2003). This may seem biased and unfair to those who like the newer eras more, but there are many reasons why they should go back earlier. Other than the fact that newer sets used too many unique pieces only made for BIONICLE, the franchise didn’t sell as well as the years progressed. It was widely popular back in the first three years, but as soon as they did the theme switch and transitioned to a new concept, sales began to decline. Each year did worse than the previous year, and it’s gotten so poorly that LEGO decided to not continue the franchise. The turning point was right about 2004.

But within 2001 to 2003, they can rerelease any set. Even the McDonald’s Matoran. However, due to environmental reasons, they may have to package the older sets differently. Here are all of the differences between how they previously did it and how they should do it if they rerelease them:

• The Toa sets, as well as the Bohrok, the Toa Nuva, the Bohrok-Kal, and the Rahkshi, can no longer be put into canisters. They’ll have to be in regular cardboard boxes.
• Each Toa Mata set comes with a golden mask (in Pearl Gold color). The Toa Nuva sets can come with a Pearl Light Gray mask.
• The Turaga sets must be packaged with two Matoran in diminished form (aka the McDonald’s version). In particular:
  • Vakama with Jaller and Kapura (Villagers of Ta-Koro)
  • Onewa with Hewkii and Hafu (Villagers of Po-Koro)
  • Whenua with Onepu and Taipu (Villagers of Onu-Koro)
  • Matau with Kongu and Tamaru (Villagers of Le-Koro)
  • Nuju with Matoro and Kopeke (Villagers of Ko-Koro)
  • Nokama with Macku and Hahli (Villagers of Ga-Koro)
• Meanwhile, Takua should be paired with the Ussal (named Pewku), while also having a lava surfboard, a lightstone, a flute, a heatstone, and a throwing disk.
• All of the other creatures featured in the Master Builder Set should have their own packages rather than one special-edition package. But they should be grouped as:
  • Fikou and Kofo-Jaga
  • Ruki and Takea
  • Kewa and Taku
  • Bog Snake and Shore Turtle
  • Husi and Fusa
  • Makika and Vako
  • Hikaki and Hoto
• In the contrary to the above, all Rahi sets (as well as the Bahrags) should come with one creature per package instead of two creatures per package. This means the following:
  • Muaka & Kane-Ra shouldn’t be packaged together. You can either get Muaka or Kane-Ra.
  • The blue and purple Nui-Jagas shouldn’t be packaged together. Each Nui-Jaga should have their own package.
  • The yellow and orange Manas shouldn’t be packaged together. Each Manas and its remote should have their own package.
  • The blue and green Tarakavas shouldn’t be packaged together. Each Tarakava should have their own package.
  • The green and orange Nui-Ramas shouldn’t be packaged together. Each Nui-Rama should have their own package.
  • Cahdok & Gahdok shouldn’t be packaged together. You can either get Cahdok or Gahdok.
• Each 2002 Bohrok should be paired with the Bohrok Va of the same color. The Bohrok-Kal and Rahkshi can still stay the same (no canisters though).
• In regards to the Kanohi collection, Krana collection, and Kraata collection, they can put them all together in the same package similar to the Master Accessory Kit from 2004. That would save time and money to get all of the masks.
• Takua and Jaller (in rebuilt form) should be separated from the Pewku and Gukko sets from 2003 (respectively) and put together in the same package.
• The other rebuilt Matoran should be packaged together from the same village. For instance, Hewkii and Hafu would be from the same set rather than two different sets.
  • This also means they should have the Kongu & Tamaru set and Onepu & Taipu set.

Finally, unless if the sales go super strong, they should keep the rerelease a limited edition. They may not reach out to as many people as they did before if they did it like this, but BIONICLE is an old theme.

If there’s anything you disagree with me on, please leave a comment. I can also explain why I made these suggestions.

How LEGO can market BIONICLE’s rerelease:

To give newer generations a fresh new look BIONICLE, they can still do some promotion. However, as we’re living in a digital age, the way they should do it is by having a mobile app, just like how there used to be an official website for BIONICLE.

The comics related to the first three years should be rereleased along with the toys. Back when BIONICLE first came out, the comics came with them as well. This way, newer generations of children can see the story along with the toys. Everything else that came out with BIONICLE back then, such as the board game, the video games, the books, other merchandise (like the pens), and even the movie, should be left out. We’re not in the 2000’s anymore. BIONICLE is no longer new.

As for the app, it should contain the following:

• The Mata Nui Online Game (remastered and with new content)
• Cutscenes (like the old Flash Animations, but remastered)
• Character profiles
• Mask information
• Unlockable content (requires purchasing the set to get the QR code)
  • Examples of unlockable content include the CD-ROM games included with the BIONICLE sets.
  • Remember Desktop Takua? If you get the Takua set, you could have something similar to that.
• Map of Mata Nui
• Story information

You may ask “how could you fit all of that in one app?” Remember that all of that was made a long time ago. Back then, there was not a lot of room for all that data online. But since data storage has expanded over the years, you could fit all that into one app.

I may go over how to do the Mata Nui Online Game remake some time later. As for the other stuff, it should be like what it was back in 2001-2003. It would be like if BIONICLE did not get to continue after the theme switch in 2004. This may confuse newer generations of fans, but remember, not everybody is for the lore.