G2 did abysmally where I live. The 2015 first wave did so horrendously bad that they never stocked any of the second wave. All the sets were ‘reduced to clear’ and some shops didn’t even stock them in the first place. Advertising was basically non-existent, which certainly didn’t help.
By the time 2016 rolled around, the only things you could find anywhere were Uxar, Akida and Ikir. Literally nothing else. And even those took until late 2017 to sell off.
Well… This hurts.
Like I said last night, win or lose I was happy that this even happened in the first place.
Granted, the three they decided to go with are extremely disappointing. I mean seriously. Another flipping sitcom set? This is getting ridiculous.
My only hope is that Lego still has something planned for Bionicle’s anniversary. Given all the fanfare they recently gave Lego Starwars for it’s anniversary, it would be a horrible crime if they let Bionicle’s 20th year go uncelebrated.
It was fun while it lasted gentlemen. Even in the bitter pain of our defeat, I’m still happy this project came about and brought us all together in the first place.
Surprised that Futurama didn’t make it.
Well, maybe Bionicle will have a chance at its 30th anniversary.
Some words from one of the cast members. In case anyone didn’t get a notification for the upload.
To quote Jay from the Lego Ninjago Movie, “This is the Ultimate Ultimate Disappointment.”
so… this just REALLY shows that Lego doesn’t care and hates us isn’t it?
thats not necessarily true.
lego cared enough to make a second generation, and cared enough to cancel the original theme in time to allow it to return. this also doesent mean that lego as a whole hates bionicle. there are several people there who love the theme, its just that this specific project didnt make it through, just remember that lego ideas projects dont always make it through anyways.
To quote Trump from the White House, “This has been the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals, maybe ever.”
@KingBoss LEGO doesn’t hate us. LEGO is a company, its executives don’t have a grudge against Bionicle fans, they just want to make money. Bionicle has a small but dedicated fanbase- one comprised mostly of young millennials and older gen-Z, a demographic which doesn’t have a large disposable income. I wanted the Bionicle set to make it through, and I truly believed it could, but it makes sense why it didn’t.
well with G2’s Cancellation and the Lack of CCBS I’m just starting to get mad. and all of this is just adding Fuel in to the Fire.
all I want is Bionicle to come back or just a another Buildable Figure Theme.
you and me both
Well, this is just sad news. Kinda makes me curious to hear the reasons behind LEGO’s decitions to not go with any of the other selections. (Or possibly, if LEGO changed their minds when it comes to allowing Bionicle to be put up on the Idea board… or if they never expected it to make it to the Idea reviews stage in the first place.)
As I’ve said on other platforms, while I am disappointed that the set ultimately didn’t get approved, I’m still happy that it got the chance to
I do believe Lego still somewhat cares about Bionicle though, otherwise, we wouldn’t be getting these different references to the theme in a bunch of other themes. Heck, we’re getting two of them in this summer wave of sets
Two? One of them is in the Hidden Side fire truck, but where’s the other?
Lego is a both crazy and genius. Crazy-- only the typewriter (maybe, maybe not) will sell to actual fans of lego.
Genius – former-kid-now-adults will get nostalgia playing with lego plus nostalgia from their favorite movies and sitcoms. So really non-lego fans will end up buying these, giving lego max profit.
That’s my theory.
The city airport set includes an image of voya nui in the plane as well as the island name being on the destination board in the terminal
Ninjago was brought back by fan demand right? We can petition, boycott lego, buy stocks in an attempt a corporate takeover. We have nothing to lose now, there is still hope if we are willing to fight for the true meaning of lego. I t has become corrupted by an overreliance on licensed themes. We should band together with the other afols who have grievances against lego: the space, castle, pirate and other original theme fans. If we all band together with one voice lego will have no choice but to listen to us. Strength in Solidarity!!!
Somehow I don’t see that working.
People have tried petitions before. Surprise surprise: it didn’t work. Also, I’ve been “boycotting” lego products that aren’t Bionicle since I was about 14, as have probably many others in the fanbase. When you’re the biggest toy company on the planet, a handful of disgruntled fans aren’t exactly going to grind them to a halt.
So I’m actually surprised by some of the responses that I’m seeing here. I hadn’t seen any of the competition sets until yesterday, and when I did, I was frankly getting worried already. That’s not because Sokoda’s set wasn’t good enough to win, but because this isn’t a “MoC contest”. It’s submitting ideas for sets that will get sold, and so little things like being able to depict a rotating, threefold diorama with clarity on the box art are the sorts of minutia that can come into play with stuff like this.
This doesn’t write off the possibility for an anniversary tribute of some kind, remember, although I wouldn’t hold out hope. I think that, whatever happens, this at least shows Lego that Bionicle fans are still passionate. Whether we get something for the 20th anniversary or not, in the long run, this will have a positive effect on both the community and on The Lego Group’s perception of the community - if we stay strong from here on out.
As someone who is also involved in the system community (I don’t MoC much myself, but I pay attention to what’s going on) I am actually surprised by the number of comments about the winning sets not deserving it. Out of the competitors, they were definitely the ones I was most frightened by, and none of them are poorly done - plus, they all have alot of stuff going for them from a marketing perspective. As much as I would prefer a Bionicle set over any of them, I also know that Lego is a buisness, and all three of the winners have a lot more going for them from a marketing perspective (and I’m not just referring to the brands at play).
Lego has approved those Ideas because they are good ideas, and not because Sokoda’s idea was bad or because “they don’t like Bionicle”.
Whether they consider Bionicle to be at all a “viable” IP is more questionable, but if we all disappear into the woodwork or rage in disappointment ala-2010 in response to this, we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. Keep creating and supporting Ideas sets for Bionicle! Sokoda’s had the best chance out of any that I’ve seen so far, but that doesn’t me that he or other MoCists won’t create something equally or even more amazing around the corner. The only thing that can stop us from getting at least this far again is ourselves. It will always be in Lego’s hands at the end of the day, but if Bionicle appears as a consistent, repeating winner in future brackets, it will speak volumes.
I think the thing that would disappoint me the most, about this whole ordeal, would be if the community gave up at this stage. Not because the situation doesn’t look bleak (because it does) - but, like the wise Axonn once said, it’s the lost causes that are worth fighting for. 
If anyone disagrees with some of the points I’ve made, I’m happy to engage in a friendly debate - because I think these are all really important things for the Bionicle community to be considering going forward.
@Sokoda - Huge congrats for what you’ve accomplished, both in the community and in the quality of the MoC itself. Do not be discouraged by the result, and definitely don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s a reflection on the quality of the build - your set is amazing, and one of the best tributes Bionicle has gotten in a long time.
A few quick responses to specific comments:
I wouldn’t say that’s the only chance, but again - from what I know of the system community - that’s our best shot. Someone make, like, the gate to the colisseum, or a brick-built Tahu (like that Voltron winner a while back). Remember that Lego wants something that looks good on the box art, not just when it’s finished.
…that’s a common misconception. They said “Bionicle” sold well, they never actually specified that they were speaking about the 2015/2016 period in that tweet (if you’re referring to the one I am thinking).