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1 hour ago, legodude3069 said:

WHy are people so exited over ninjago? I remember when bionicles where the coolest thing?!? what happended to this generation???

This is a really broad question, but the basic answer is that different things go in and out of fashion over time. The decline of Bionicle's popularity might be linked to a similar decline in the action figure market overall (which was booming around the turn of the millennium but has since receded drastically). Ninjago's success drew a lot from lessons learned from Bionicle's success (such as the power of an in-house intellectual property with co-developed media, or the popularity of elemental powers as a unifying concept for a team of heroes), but also from new concepts like the since-abandoned "spinner game" and the novelty and wide reach of an ongoing TV series.

As for "this generation", they're not so different from past generations. They have their own unique interests and the most successful themes are the ones that can capitalize on them with something completely new and novel.

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Both sets & show have such a broad variety of strong attributes. The sets primarily address young children but also fans of medevil, asian, dragons, sci-fi, mech/gundam, cyberpunk or adventure designs. They are also a much better deal than Ninjago or SW sets (price & minifigures). Lots of new & detailed minifigure prints, molds, designs & features. Just look at this set: http://brickset.com/sets/70737-1/Titan-Mech-Battle

Besides new parts & 6 figures you also got the first Lego Gundam-like mech (instead of the blocky transformerstyle). & in some countries you got 750 parts for just 55€.

The show is also not just some Ninja-action trash. Since two seasons even Feminism is a relevant topic that is dealt in an intelligent, but not elitist way. They created a universe that's so much bigger than any other Lego themes.

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Because it's good? :snicker: I don't know what else to say. It's not really a mystery. If it's lasted this long it must be doing something correctly, right?

To me the answer to that is, it's appealing to everyone. Just like Bionicle, I suppose.

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I like Ninjago for:

1) The Power Rangers like colors, the different ninja hoods and costumes.
2) The catchy song and masterful instrumental background music.
3) Jay's crazy over the top overreactions.
4) Random goofiness like bowl cut Lloyd on the ship training, stepping on some broom or something and it pops up and knocks him down, Jay in Rebooted season episode 1, I think, being weird and Zane kicking him in the butt to "reset" Jay.
5) The solid stories and characters that don't seem like mindless fluff meant for preschool kiddies.
6) The mechs.

I have yet to buy a Ninjago set not counting Lego Dimensions. I kick myself for passing on a closing sale $20 Salvage MEC set only to find it and other sets were wiped out quick.

Edited by BubbaFit45531

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16 hours ago, BubbaFit45531 said:

I have yet to buy a Ninjago set not counting Lego Dimensions. I kick myself for passing on a closing sale $20 Salvage MEC set only to find it and other sets were wiped out quick.

Maybe you should wait for the Ninjago Movie sets. Those will tip EVERYONE over their balance.

Edited by gamejutzu

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For what it's worth, the success of Bionicle greatly informed the development process of many, many subsequent themes, particularly "big bang" themes like Ninjago. If you're really interested in specific details I recommend checking out the book Brick by Brick, which is all about the LEGO Group's financial crisis in the early 2000s and the lessons that helped them recover and eventually become one of the world's leading toy companies. It devotes an entire chapter to Bionicle, which was basically the LEGO Group's only unmitigated success at a time when many of their other themes were failing, and devotes a later chapter to Ninjago, which was one of the company's most recent major successes at the time the book was being written.

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1 hour ago, Aanchir said:

For what it's worth, the success of Bionicle greatly informed the development process of many, many subsequent themes, particularly "big bang" themes like Ninjago. If you're really interested in specific details I recommend checking out the book Brick by Brick, which is all about the LEGO Group's financial crisis in the early 2000s and the lessons that helped them recover and eventually become one of the world's leading toy companies. It devotes an entire chapter to Bionicle, which was basically the LEGO Group's only unmitigated success at a time when many of their other themes were failing, and devotes a later chapter to Ninjago, which was one of the company's most recent major successes at the time the book was being written.

I second this - Brick by Brick is a great read for any fan of LEGO and while I believe Ninjago is mentioned, I'd love an update where it expounds upon its success.

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On 3/6/2017 at 10:08 AM, Lyichir said:

This is a really broad question, but the basic answer is that different things go in and out of fashion over time. The decline of Bionicle's popularity might be linked to a similar decline in the action figure market overall (which was booming around the turn of the millennium but has since receded drastically). Ninjago's success drew a lot from lessons learned from Bionicle's success (such as the power of an in-house intellectual property with co-developed media, or the popularity of elemental powers as a unifying concept for a team of heroes), but also from new concepts like the since-abandoned "spinner game" and the novelty and wide reach of an ongoing TV series.

As for "this generation", they're not so different from past generations. They have their own unique interests and the most successful themes are the ones that can capitalize on them with something completely new and novel.

But if ninjahgo blocks are better? then why are bionicles bigger! 

I think ive got you threre

On 3/6/2017 at 0:06 PM, Kim-Kwang-Seok said:

Both sets & show have such a broad variety of strong attributes. The sets primarily address young children but also fans of medevil, asian, dragons, sci-fi, mech/gundam, cyberpunk or adventure designs. They are also a much better deal than Ninjago or SW sets (price & minifigures). Lots of new & detailed minifigure prints, molds, designs & features. Just look at this set: http://brickset.com/sets/70737-1/Titan-Mech-Battle

Besides new parts & 6 figures you also got the first Lego Gundam-like mech (instead of the blocky transformerstyle). & in some countries you got 750 parts for just 55€.

The show is also not just some Ninja-action trash. Since two seasons even Feminism is a relevant topic that is dealt in an intelligent, but not elitist way. They created a universe that's so much bigger than any other Lego themes.

I understand my fans are allowed to have differant opinions. 

BUT I DONT WANT THEM IN MY POSTS.

 

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On 3/6/2017 at 8:31 AM, legodude3069 said:

WHy are people so exited over ninjago? I remember when bionicles where the coolest thing?!? what happended to this generation???

Bionicles were never cool man! They were mega lame and broke quickly! OP is totally biased...

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On 3/6/2017 at 0:59 PM, gamejutzu said:

Because it's good? :snicker: I don't know what else to say. It's not really a mystery. If it's lasted this long it must be doing something correctly, right?

To me the answer to that is, it's appealing to everyone. Just like Bionicle, I suppose.

But i think you should consider the following

1) Because it was original

Because Bionicle was not based off another brand, it allowed the creators to put some real imagination into this, you could say things such as Hero Factory are original as well, but Hero Factory is too similar to Bionicle and not as good.

 

2) Because it was cool at the time

In your pre-teen/teen ages now, you might not agree that LEGO is cool, but when Bionicle came out, it so was, kids my age would go out together to the shops and just blow out their money all on Bionicles because it made them look cool playing with them, and i'd have to agree.

 

3) The Video Game was good

I played Bionicle Heroes for Nintendo DS and to be honest with you, it was really good. It was a sort of shooting game where you were against the Piraka in different themed worlds (such as Ice and Lava), and it wasn't that easy but it was certainly fun.

 

Got any more reasons on why you think Bionicle is the best set ever or disagree with me, post below!

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1 hour ago, legodude3069 said:

1) Because it was original. Because Bionicle was not based off another brand, it allowed the creators to put some real imagination into this, you could say things such as Hero Factory are original as well, but Hero Factory is too similar to Bionicle and not as good.

2) Because it was cool at the time. In your pre-teen/teen ages now, you might not agree that LEGO is cool, but when Bionicle came out, it so was, kids my age would go out together to the shops and just blow out their money all on Bionicles because it made them look cool playing with them, and i'd have to agree.

3) The Video Game was good. I played Bionicle Heroes for Nintendo DS and to be honest with you, it was really good. It was a sort of shooting game where you were against the Piraka in different themed worlds (such as Ice and Lava), and it wasn't that easy but it was certainly fun.

1.) Ninjago is original as well, but that doesn't necessarily make it outstandingly good just because of that. What about Lego Star Wars? I personally enjoyed the Clone Wars years.

2.) I suppose ninjas are something everyone can agree are cool. This was the first time Lego's made a dedicated original series on the topic (I don't think Ninja counts). I remember everyone being hyped for Ninjago in 2011, I saw both kids and sometimes adults picking things up around then.

3.) While I personally dislike the Ninjago video games, Ninjago did have a physical game you could play from 2011-2012, which were the spinners. It had an inviting learning curve, and advanced mechanics would be introduced later down the line. To me it was best when you made your own rules, built custom arenas, and used your own weapons. It could get really creative, and it was really popular (I think).

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1) Ninjago is highly original, much like Bionicle was.

2) While liking LEGO as a teen/pre-teen might not have been especially "cool" in Bionicle's heyday (when other LEGO themes were losing focus and relying on increasingly simplified builds), I get a feeling it's a lot more respectable now. A lot of the Ninjago fans I've encountered online either became interested in it as teens or continued liking it as teens.

3) The Bionicle video games were alright, but I don't really feel as though they were ever as popular as other LEGO video games are today. And Ninjago has its own fair share of popular media tie-ins, particularly the TV show and graphic novels.

4) I'm pretty convinced at this point that you're just trolling, and not seeking any sort of serious answers or explanation.

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