Unlike previous Lego themes, Bionicle was accompanied by an original story that was told across a multimedia spectrum, including books, comics, games, and animated films.

Their first attempt was the space opera franchise Star Wars, which became an instant success; however, the royalty payments to Lucasfilm marginalized Lego's profits, prompting them to conceive their own story-driven themes.

[3] The concept for Bionicle originated from an idea by co-creator Christian Faber named "Cybots", a line of humanoid action figures with attachable limbs and ball-and-socket joints.

[6] To accompany theme, Lego worked with Swinnerton and the creative agency Advance to create an elaborate story with extensive lore centering on half-organic, half-robotic characters and telling it across a vast multimedia spectrum including comic books, novels, games, films and online content.

[citation needed] The first wave of Bionicle sets were initially launched in December 2000 in Europe and Australasia as a "test market" to predict how well the series would sell in North America.

Collectibles such as weapon ammo and the "Kanohi" masks that certain characters wore were also sold; some became rare and valuable and withheld secret codes that when entered onto the official Bionicle website, provided the user with "Kanoka Points" that enabled them to access exclusive membership material.

Its popularity led to high web traffic on its official website, averaging more than one million page views per month, and further kinds of merchandise such as clothes, toiletries and fast-food restaurant toy collectibles.

The decision was made due to recent low sales and a lack of new consumer interest in the brand, thought to be brought on by its decade-long backstory and extensive lore.

[citation needed] The reboot launched in January 2015 to a mixed reception from toy critics and fans of the original Bionicle franchise, with the playability of the new sets and the inspiration taken from the theme's first wave being praised, but the simplified story and undeveloped characters receiving less positive feedback.

[12] A promotional Lego System set celebrating Bionicle was released in 2023, featuring brick-built versions of the characters of Tahu and Takua, to which the community responded well.

[14][15][16][17] Set in a science fantasy universe featuring a diversity of biomechanical beings, the main story depicts the exploits of the Toa, heroes with elemental powers whose duty is to protect the Matoran, the prime populace of their world, and reawaken their god-like guardian, the Great Spirit Mata Nui, who was forced into a coma by the actions of his antagonist "brother", the Makuta.

A heavy emphasis is placed on the Kanohi masks worn by the Toa, which supplement their elemental powers with abilities such as super-strength, super-speed, levitation and water-breathing.

The culminating third arc (2006–2008) sees a new team of Toa (transformed from Matoran) set out on a quest to find the Mask of Life, an artifact that can save the now-dying Mata Nui.

The entire saga was developed by a team of Lego employees led by Bob Thompson[8] for a multimedia platform spanning animations, comic books, novels, console and online games, short stories, and a series of direct-to-video films.

A reboot of the original story, the revival chronicles the adventures of six elemental Toa heroes who protect the bio-mechanical inhabitants of the mystical island of Okoto from Makuta and his minions.

[citation needed] Initially, the idea of Bionicle faced resistance from company traditionalists as the Lego Group had no experience of marketing a story-based brand of their own.

An increasing number of category manufacturers want to tap into the power of the Bionicle universe, and the key for us now is to manage the excitement to stay true to the brand and the lifestyle of our core consumer".