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I'd imagine that the Throwbots and RoboRiders weren't extraordinarily
successful, but they were successful enough without Lego having made any
attempt to promote them that Lego realized they could be extraordinarily
successful if they did something similar but with a real storyline and lots of
promotion.
And yes, the Pokémon collictibility factor. This was done with both the
Throwbots and the Roboriders as well, but again Lego is only making a real
effort with Bionicle. Of Throwbot discs, Roborider wheels, and Bionicle masks,
only the masks can be found in American stores. And Bionicle has the card game
to boot.
Why are they popular? Well, that they are action figures is a prerequisite,
and action figures are hard to do if they're not combat based. But I think
it's the promotion that's the main thing. Many fads lately have been
self-fulfilling prophesies. "Hey kids, this is the hot new toy you have to
have, just look at the signs TRU has in the window for it!" "Wow, really?
Mom, I want those!"
As for being robotic, well, the Throwbots were a lot more robotic looking (and
a lot more varied between each other) than the Toa sets are. I think the main
reason the Mata Nui inhabitants are deemed "robotic" is that it's hard to make
something that's made out of Lego pieces look organic, even harder when it's
Technic Lego pieces.
For me, it was the cute little robots in the Throwbot line that roped me into
Throwbots/Roboriders/Bionicle, and while I was getting those I also discovered
the great "real" Technic sets like the 8448 Supercar II and the 8446 Crane
Truck.
> Has anyone done a study to determine what is so appealing to the buyers
> of Bionicle? And I don't mean the AFOLs as much as the rest of the
> buyers...
>
> Is it:
> - Because they are robotic/action figures?
> - Because they have a full online story behind them, with characters and
> a specific storyline?
> - The online game, which is different from just a storyline, I guess.
> - Because they are "combat" based? ( The idea of "knocking masks off" to
> "cure" infected or evil enemies)
>
> any other ideas?
>
> The thought I was having was that whatever the reason, it CAN be applied
> to traditional Lego system sets, if Lego wanted to... i.e. Hype the
> minifig, leave less storyline to the imagination (UGH), etc.
>
> -Andy Lynch
>
> Or did I miss a gigantic thread on this subject already? I probably
> did... <sigh>
>
> <snip>
> > "Steve Tanner" <bounga1@REMOVECAPSyahoo.com> wrote in message
> > news:GLCv6K.7nu@lugnet.com...
> > > > Now Lego will have the justification to focus more on this junk, • and less
> > on others :-(
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