So when I was around the age of 10-12, my mom forced me and my sister into joining a “speech club,” where we would write and perform speeches of various sorts. In 2009, we were told to write a Persuasive speech. Being a Bionicle nerd at that time, I decided to write my speech on Bionicle. The writing is a little…questionable (though slightly excusable considering my age at the time), but I thought I’d share this piece of my history with y’all.
So without further ado, here is “Bionicle is a Great Toy!”
“In the time before time, on the mysterious island of Mata Nui, six canisters washed ashore on a golden beach. And new and powerful legends were born.” This is probably one of the most famous quotes of the Bionicle world. But what is this Bionicle world? And why should you buy these toys? My name is (Political_Slime), and I’m here to show YOU why Bionicle is a great toy.
Let’s just talk first a little bit about their creation. Bionicle was a goal for Lego. They wanted to have a toy that had a story to go along with it, like Lego Star Wars, but without the treaties. They first created the Throwbots (known as “Slizer” in Europe). These had 12 different main characters, and were a big hit. But Lego wanted more, and tried their luck again with the RoboRiders. These had 6 main characters, but were unfortunately, not as successful. Lego decided to try one last time, and created the Bionicle sets. These have since been a hit, and have been running for almost 9 years.
My second point is their interesting story line. They’ve got humor, suspense, mystery, and action. They’ve got plots, and subplots. They’ve got podcasts, blogs, and story serials, and almost everything else you can think of. So what is the story?
Well, it starts off with six heroes washing ashore on an island. Each one of them controls a different element, such as fire, air, or water. Their names are Tahu, the Toa of Fire; Lewa, the Toa of Air; Kopaka, the Toa of Ice; Gali, the Toa of Water; Onua, the Toa of Earth, and Pohatu, the Toa of Stone. Their destiny is to awaken the Great Spirit, Mata Nui, and that they must defeat the evil Makuta to do so. But Makuta sent creatures after them, like the Bohrak, insect-like robots, or the Rahkshi, servants of Makuta. But a Toa of Light arrives, and helps to defeat Makuta.
My third point is that there are no deaths. They might look vicious, creepy, or just downright scary. They may look like they carry deadly weapons. They may look like they are cold and heartless, but they don’t kill each other. Only one Bionicle in the main storyline was actively known to be killed, and that was because he had to sacrifice himself to save the universe.
Let’s move on to another thing: the actual toys themselves. One thing is that they help build fine motor skills. While other toys may need glue or other adhesives, Bionicles only need you to be able to snap them together. This may be hard at first, but once you know how to do it, you have very strong fingers. Having these strong finger muscles will help improve handwriting.
Also, they help kids learn to follow directions. In order to build with Bionicles, you have to be able to read the directions. These instructions are step by step, so you see every little piece that needs to go here, or there. This will help later in life with anything that needs to be put together with instructions.
Another thing is their prices. There are several different types of sets. The cheapest are the Small sets. These usually have the lowest amount of storyline significance, and are priced around $7.00. The next are the Medium sets. These are usually the main characters, and are around $13.00. The largest sets are the Titans. These are usually range from $20.00 to $50.00. This set range is very useful, whether you are an experienced builder, or a rookie.
Occasionally, Lego will release a contest to see what the Bionicle fans can make. Some of these contests include: an animal contest; a Villain building contest; a Makuta building contest; and more recently, a Gladiator building contest. Most of the winners of these contests had their models made into a book.
My last point is that they build imagination. Although most Bionicle sets are already packaged, once you open them up, your imagination can fly. You can build a robot, an animal, or a car. This allows you to have complete constructive freedom, which helps build artistic skill.
I have told you about the Bionicle story. I have informed you of the different benefits of building with them. Now I hope that you will go and buy one.
