Bionicle: How One Lego Line Continues Its Legend In Meme Culture

The year is 2001. The Fellowship of the Ring was playing in theaters, Halo had just launched and propelled the Xbox into the mainstream and Toys “R” Us was still thriving. Secluded in the back of the toy store, nestled in between sets of Legos, were six different kinds of plastic canisters. With robotic limbs, bright colors and elemental weapons, it was from these six canisters that the story of Bionicle began.

The mechanized action figures might've seemed out of place for Legos, as they were a visual departure from the iconic bricks, but in all of Lego’s history, there is no other line as beloved and memed as Bionicle. To fans of the series, the Bionicle universe is a place of mystery, terror and courage in all of its forms. Whether it be stories made by playing with the figures or reading through the plethora of novels and lore, Bionicle left a strong impression that translates into modern meme culture to this day. To commemorate this Lego meme giant, we shall retell the legend of the Bionicle through the eyes of those who carry its legacy today.

The Tale of the Bionicle

Those unfamiliar with Bionicle are easy to dismiss it as just another series of action figures, no different from G.I Joe or Transformers. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Lego was in deep financial trouble with all of their independent IPs losing money. The idea for a new IP, one with an in-depth story, was created, and Bionicle was born as a child of innovation and desperation. Alongside the toys on shelves, the now-defunct Bionicle.com and Bioniclestory.com were also set up. The sites included promotions, games and, most importantly, lore, which unraveled the Bionicle universe. Together, these factors resulted in Bionicle being Lego's only profitable line for several years. To this day, many claim that Bionicle is the reason Lego has survived to the present day.

For the next 10 years, Bionicle’s sets and story would become increasingly fleshed out and expansive. In terms of sets, new designs and characters were conceived and generally met with warm reception. Fans would also begin to experiment with their builds and create unique characters of their own to play with. Similarly, Bionicle figures would become stars in stop motion animation, known as Brickfilms, that flourished during the late 2000s. When it came to the story, Bionicle was expanded through the use of numerous multimedia channels. Novels, comics, websites, games, films, animations and more were used to grow Bionicle from a simple story of toys to a fully developed world. Even the commercials were iconic, with animations from Advance and rock music from bands, such as All American Rejects and Cryoshell, turning a TV ad into a cinematic experience.

At this point, Bionicles were no longer just toys, but a massive universe to explore. Despite its character-focused figures, the worldbuilding of Bionicle centers primarily around the greater world. It's this enormous universe that makes Bionicle such a unique franchise, setting itself apart from the vast majority of other Lego IPs, if not toys in general.

The End of a Dynasty

As successful as it was, Bionicle eventually met its end in 2010 due to a sharp decline in popularity. The rise of video games and other IPs of the era slowly overshadowed Bionicle’s indirect form of storytelling. Its spiritual successor, Hero Factory, lacked the same charm and was eventually discontinued in 2015. Also that year, a short-lived Bionicle reboot was made that received warm reception but was ultimately discontinued in 2016.

As the saying goes, "sometimes you don't realize what you have until it's gone." These words are no more fitting than with Bionicle’s ordeal and how fans felt when it was canceled twice in a single decade. While the ending to the story was generally satisfactory, the absence of new lore left a hole in many fans’ hearts. As old sites such as Bionicle.com were taken down, it seems as if Bionicle only lived on in the form of stop motion videos and nostalgic memories.

The Legend Reborn

While the brand ended, it's from these memories of Bionicle that it found new life in the late 2010s. On Reddit, Bionicle saw a resurgence of popularity through memes. In addition to making Bionicle derivations of established formats, such as Good Guy Bionicle, memes about the expansive lore were also prolific. The most popular types of Bionicle memes are those that pertain to the wealth of lore that can be explained over hours, even though "nobody asked." Currently, the /r/BionicleMemes subreddit hosts more than 41,000 subscribers and continues to post obscure lore memes and cursed builds to this day. From Bionicle Instructions to Bonkles and the Piraka Rap, the franchise has inspired numerous memes over the years.

Bionicle’s transition into the modern era is partially due to nostalgia. Kids who grew up with Bionicle in their lives are now at an age where they carry their childhood passions into their adult ones (in this case, with memes). However, unlike other toys of the era, Bionicle's secret to its longevity lies in its lore. Not the actual story of Bionicle, but how it was introduced and interpreted. The multimedia approach that Bionicle utilized created an entire franchise that profoundly affected the kids who became so engrossed in the toys. The impressions of the lore and designs translate into memories that kids growing up in the 2000s still hold dear. These memories then translate into the memes seen today, as an entire generation can understand the context and jokes behind a few plastic figures.

One last thing to note is that despite everything previously discussed, Bionicle is still unique to its fans in different ways. While the sheer scale of its media left an overall impression, individual memories of fans are perhaps the most impactful aspects of Bionicle’s modern identity. Whether it be reading the comics, window shopping at the toy store or shooting younger siblings with the squid launchers, everyone remembers Bionicle differently. It is memories and experiences like these that give Bionicle such a profound place in the memesphere and carry its legacy far into the future.

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