by Sarah Herman
In 2005 both sides got an upgrade of one set each, which could transform into three different creations. Alpha Team got the Blizzard Blaster (4770), memorable for its distinct android qualities, similar to a Hasbro Transformers toy. The cockpit included space for special agent Zed (the AT member responsible for saving the team and battling Ogel), and a top-mounted cannon for firing at one of Ogel’s minions in a small vehicle similar to the Snow Crawler. The bad guys’ three-in-one design was the Scorpion Orb Launcher (4774)—a six-legged, two-armed ground vehicle with a large articulated tail. The set also came with Alpha Team’s Flex flying a hand glider. Despite the online story and comic showing Ogel himself trying to escape in the Scorpion Orb Launcher, he was not included with this set.
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While the Alpha Team theme lasted longer than other new themes of the period, the sub-themes themselves were distinctly different and introduced within a short space of time of each other, similar to the Adventurers sets. Unlike 1980s/1990s Space sub-themes, which had introduced new factions for children to develop their own storylines within the framework of spaceships and bases, Adventurers, Alpha Team, and other LEGO themes have since dictated specific characters and storylines through comics, video, and online media, perhaps to encourage children to buy more sets to complete the story. In a sense, this could discourage creative thinking, as children merely build the models from the instructions and re-enact stories they’ve read online. LEGO has continued to create worlds beyond the sets themselves, most successfully with BIONICLE.
By 1999 the Technic building system was a secure fixture beside LEGO sets on toy shop shelves. Regarded almost as a separate entity, Technic had built up a large following of older fans who were choosing LEGO’s technical system over rival brands K’Nex, Meccano, and Fischertechnik. Unlike LEGO sets, where building themes were becoming more disparate, Technic sets had managed to avoid straying too far from the fundamental building philosophy that appealed to fans. Perhaps the only exception was 1998–1999’s Znap (which never bore the Technic logo)—a flexible building system made of brightly colored parts that were snapped together to build structures, similar to K’Nex. Despite the simplification of some sets at the end of the 1990s, the majority of Technic toys such as race car Road Rebel (8247), motorbike Sonic Cycle (8251), and helicopter (8444) were not that dissimilar from the Technic toys of the 1980s, encouraging children to build fast cars and construction vehicles. There was one noticeable difference in the 1999 Technic catalog, however, and that was the introduction of Slizer (or Throwbots as they were known in the United States).
Each Slizer was a robot created and abandoned by an alien race. In the toy’s mythology there were eight “continents” or “zones” each inhabited by a different robot, who were designed to suit the climate and conditions of their home, e.g., Ice Slizer (8501) moves on ski-like feet and Sub Slizer (8503) has breathing tubes to facilitate his underwater lifestyle. The robots would come together and battle each other using their disc-throwing mechanisms. Certain figures could also be combined to produce “Super Slizers.” This “elemental” story technique would be employed later for Robo-Riders and also BIONICLE, allowing the LEGO Group to essentially repeat and improve on the same idea. Each toy consisted of one Slizer robot constructed using some Technic pieces, but predominantly new decorative parts. One of these new parts was an arm with a molded spring in the center to allow the robot to “throw” the included disc. This was one of the first examples of Technic designers developing a piece for such a specific function, making it only really suitable for the Slizer range, rather than the Technic system.
Slizer was superseded in 2000 with the introduction of the RoboRiders—small vehicle robots with similar elemental associations leading to names such as Swamp, Lava, Frost, and Dust. Unlike Slizer, these toys were packaged in plastic canisters—a successful product innovation that would translate to other themes, notably BIONICLE. Some of these canisters, when exposed to cold temperatures, would reveal codes to access an online game. It was these two significant departures from the Technic product line that led to the launch of BIONICLE in 2001.
BIONICLE
In 2003 the best-selling LEGO product was BIONICLE, a range spawned from the style of Technic building and the character-led story of Slizer. BIONICLE, however, was built not around bricks and toys, but around a story that became the centerpiece of the product line. In a 2004 Guardian article, a marketing manager for BIONICLE said that when the idea for the range was proposed in 2000, the appropriate term for some of the more traditional executives’ reaction was “skepticism.” What the team behind BIONICLE was proposing was a multichannel, multi-media toy format where the story and the characters led the brand, rather than the toys themselves. Not only was this a method of selling toys the LEGO Group had not encountered before, but they were also wary of the theme’s inherent violence—the story is based around two warring factions of part-organic, part-machine beings in a subterranean world. The setting was initially on a mysterious island called Mata Nui where the bio-mechanical locals faced attacks from the evil Makuta (a being who controlled the island’s wild creatures). The theme’s heroes were the six Toa—elemental power-wielding warriors who washed up on the island’s shore in canisters. The villagers believed they would help to awaken the good spirit of Mata Nui and save them from Makuta’s wrath. Over BIONICLE’s history, new characters and locales were introduced, creating a diverse and imaginative universe for the BIONICLE story.
The LEGO Group took a leap of faith, launching the storyline on the BIONICLE website before any toys were available to buy. In 2001, under Technic branding (this was dropped a year later, helping BIONICLE to establish its own identity), the first BIONICLE toys were released. Similar to Slizer, the majority of BIONICLE sets were buildable action figures of varying sizes mainly sold in canister containers (to tie in with how the Toa arrived on the island), but there were also larger sets sometimes containing more than one buildable figure; Battle Vehicles—canister-size figures packaged with a larger vehicle; and more traditional play-sets featuring minifigurescale versions of the action-figure characters with structures such as the gateway in Battle of Metru Nui (8759) made from LEGO bricks and Technic parts. Each character had a name and unique identity as well as physical abilities often wielding the power The popular canister packaging was still being used in 2010 for the BIONICLE of the elements. While many of the parts used to construct BIONICLE figures were theoretically “Technic,” over time many original parts have been built and colors introduced that do not feature in classic Technic sets, seting BIONICLE apart as an independent building system.
The popular canister packaging was still being used in 2010 for the BIONICLE Stars sets. © Christopher Doyle
This 2010 set of the villainous Skrall (7136) was one of the last BIONICLE figures available. © Christopher Doyle
While the story was initially established online along with character bios and an episodic game, the website became the hub that drew together multiple elements that built the BIONICLE mythology. These included storylines within the instruction booklets for each toy, CD-Roms featuring movie clips and games, comics, and books, as well as four DVD movies beginning with 2003’s BIONICLE: Mask of Light, one of the top 10 DVD premiere titles that year. The storyline was developed by eight individuals from different continents working for TLG. They would convene to write the next part in the story, distributing the various developments between the different media. In 2004 a producer for TLG’s Web division admitted that the BIONICLE story was planned out for 20 years, so it was a shock to some fans to learn that the release of six BIONICLE Stars sets in 2010 would be the last. In a press release addressed to the fans, which appeared on the BIONICLE fan-site BZPower.com, LEGO announced that although there would be no more toys, the BIONICLE story would not be ending, with experienced BIONICLE writer Greg Farshtey continuing to contribute to the theme’s mythology on BIONICLEstory.com. The statement explained that a fresh start was necessary a
nd acknowledged the fact that it was only by embracing uncertainty and innovation that LEGO has had some of its greatest successes—BIONICLE included. TLG urged fans to continue to be a part of the universe they helped to create, emphasizing the integral part the stories and multimedia platforms that brought BIONICLE to life had played in its popularity, longevity, and success.
Not ready to give up on that success too quickly, the LEGO Group had a new lineup of Technic-type action figures ready to pick up the torch in 2010—Hero Factory. The new characters were similarly built and designed like BIONICLE, but with a more robotic and contemporary feel to blend in with their futuristic city surroundings. Known as the Alpha Team (no relation to the minifigure theme mentioned earlier), these robotic heroes worked for the Hero Factory—an organization that built and trained them using the most advanced technology—and took on the galaxy’s most evil monsters and villains. As with BIONICLE, online material heavily supported the launch of the line, including a build-your-own-Hero game.
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While BIONICLE heroes may not have wielded light-up weapons or robotic body parts, their creation was still a technological advancement in terms of LEGO design. Developing a Technic-compatible fantasy theme to create their own range of action figures was just one of the risks TLG had taken by investing its money in the production of these new parts and the continuous mythology they were part of. But in terms of pushing the techno envelope to bring children interactive toys that embraced their computer-savvy lifestyles, the LEGO Group looked to other areas of the business to ensure it didn’t fall behind other manufacturers, such as Bandai and their Tamagotchi virtual pets and Tiger Electronics Toy of the Year winner Furby. Computer games, handheld electronic devices, and robotic creatures with sound, light, and movement sensors were becoming increasingly affordable. While TLG was developing computer games (see Chapter 6), and had released its MINDSTORMS RCX brick in 1998, its core product was still just simple plastic building bricks. Rather than try and compete directly, the company introduced new ways to bring its bricks up to date.
In 2000 TLG formed an alliance with acclaimed film director Steven Spielberg to launch a brand-new theme that would allow children to play with LEGO toys from an entirely different perspective. At a glance, Steven Spielberg’s MovieMaker Set (1349), with its street scene, minifigures, and angry dinosaur, may have looked like a slightly unusual Town scene, but when you noticed the minifigure holding the camera, the clapperboard, and the boom mic, it became clear that this was a movie set. The bricks and pieces were packaged with a PC camera with USB connection and editing software co-produced by the LEGO Group’s media arm and editing software developer Pinnacle Systems.
But the filming of LEGO toys using stop-motion animation was not the LEGO Group’s idea first. The creative phenomenon had become a fan hobby toward the end of the 1980s, and with the growing availability of cheaper cameras and editing software, as well as the introduction of video-sharing site YouTube.com in 2005, making “brickfilms” (as they are known) became an established form—with entire websites dedicated to the appreciation of the films (for more, see Chapter 6).
This original Steven Spielberg set, available between 2001 and 2002, was the only one to contain the camera and editing software, but whether a child chose to use the camera provided, their own existing equipment, or simply play with the sets as LEGO toys, the additional LEGO Studios sets introduced lots of new parts and scenarios to the LEGO landscape.
LEGO Studios
Film Production (2000–2001)
Perhaps the most interesting of the LEGO Studios toys were those that focused more on the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film industry. Alongside the Movie-Maker Set, there were a few other larger sets released that same year and in 2001, these included Explosion Studio (1352) with a collapsible bank for a bank heist chase scene, Car Stunt Studio (1353), and a studio scene with a moving backdrop powered by a motor, allowing the filmmaker to capture an in-car driving scene and helicopter chase (1351). A number of smaller sets featuring stuntmen (1356), cameramen (1357), and small on-set vehicles (including a director’s helicopter and camera car) were also available, some of which were sold with comic books. A large number of minifigures and on-set props and equipment were available as promotions with corporations including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Kabaya Sweets.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
While the film-production-related sets may have alluded to popular movie scenes (Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is clearly being referenced in set 1355 Temple of Gloom), no films were actually cited. In 2001 two sets were released to tie in with the cinematic release of Jurassic Park III; a film executive produced by Steven Spielberg who had a well-known relationship with the franchise, having directed the first two movies. The two sets, Raptor Rumble and Spinosaurus Attack, focus more on the action taking place in the film but a cameraman is included in each set. The dinosaurs that feature in these sets, while not officially considered part of the LEGO Dinosaurs range also released in 2001, are constructed using similar parts. While these were the only two widely released sets connected to the movie, it is also believed that the scene depicted in 2000’s MovieMaker is a reference to Spielberg’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, in which the climax of the film sees a distressed T-Rex wandering around San Diego.
Spider-Man (2002)
Despite Steven Spielberg not being involved with the film, the LEGO Studios theme was used to introduce Spider-Man to the world of LEGO toys (perhaps testing the water for the 2003 official LEGO Spider-man theme). Again, only a few sets were made—Green Goblin (1374) and Action Studio (1376), as well as a third set Action Pack (10075) that included the first two. Green Goblin showed a scene between the movie’s villain and Spider-Man’s friend, Mary Jane—this set did not include any film production crew or even a camera. Action Studio depicted a chase scene in the movie and included a director, camera, and light rigs. The director was the same minifigure who had featured in earlier sets (often assumed to be Steven Spielberg because of the beard, glasses, and baseball cap), despite the fact that the movie was being directed by Sam Raimi. It was sold with a CD, including suitable sound FX for the scene.
Classics (2002)
In addition to the Spider-Man sets, the last four LEGO Studios toys were released in 2002. These “Classic” sets depicted stock scenes from classic horror films. They included: a couple being surprised in their car by a lycanthrope in Werewolf Ambush (1380), a Dracula lookalike being chased from the grave by a garlic-waving gentleman in Vampire Crypt (1381), a crazy scientist trying to control his monster creations in Scary Laboratory (1382), and an Egyptian tomb complete with mummy in Curse of the Pharaoh (1383). All of the sets included landscape backdrops but only two featured film crews. Despite the rising popularity of brickfilms, and the use of stopmotion film technology by TLG in its own advertisements, no new LEGO Studios sets have been released.
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With the development of MINDSTORMS, the LEGO Group was careful not to put all its programmable bricks in one basket. Instead, designers experimented with the possible route robotics could take LEGO products in. The first “programmable brick,” albeit not as advanced as the RCX, was Codepilot and appeared in a 1997 Technic set called Barcode Multi Set (8479). Sold in only this one product, the microprocessor read and stored bar codes, which when scanned caused the Technic vehicle to perform various functions. The same year MINDSTORMS was released, two boxes targeting younger robo-fans branded Technic Cybermaster were also sold. This system’s brick used radio frequencies to communicate with the computer, but despite having a greater range, was more limited technically than its big brother, the RCX. There were also four Spybotics sets released in 2002, which explored the use of a robot spy theme to generate interest in the Technic-based sets. Each remote-controlled robot came with CD-Rom software that contained ten preset missions to complete and the ability to create new missions. While innovative, none of these products provided the functionality and versa
tility of MINDSTORMS, or its educational value.
A MINDSTORMS generation NXT robot on display at the company headquarters in Billund. © Alex Howe
The new NXT Intelligent Brick released in 2006 had more memory, USB, and Bluetooth connectivity (allowing users to instruct their robot from a mobile phone), light, sound, and touch sensors, and a new icon-based programming language “NXT-G.” This was upgraded in 2009 to NXT 2.0, which improved on the robots’ ability to detect colors and light, as well as the programming software. The LEGO Group’s aim was to make robotics so simple that someone could build and program their first working robot in one hour using LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 (recommended age 10+).
German construction toy company Fischertechnik had long been the European leader in educational robotics, with programmable sets available as early as the 1970s. Before LEGO had even considered the RCX brick, Fischertechnik’s kits were being used by engineers to simulate industrial robotics. The early MINDSTORMS sets faced tough competition, especially in Germany, but with Fischertechnik’s higher prices and the LEGO Group’s secure footing in the huge U.S. market, combined with the improved technology of the 2006 NXT system, MINDSTORMS established itself as an effective classroom resource to rival the German brand. Children around the world now compete in local, national, and international competitions to demonstrate their engineering skills such as the FIRST LEGO League, an annual school program where children design MINDSTORMS robots and compete against each other in teams to solve technical and scientific challenges. In eighteen years of competitions, the League has seen some 150,000 students participate from fifty countries around the world. The networking power of the Internet has enabled MINDSTORMS fans to be part of a global community of builders of all ages, competing, sharing ideas, posting online tutorials, and uploading videos of their latest inventions.