LEGO’s Bionicle theme has been among the longest running proprietary themes LEGO’s ever developed. Bionicle started in 2001, where it was one of the most original toys to hit the market during my childhood. I still remember buying the first wave of Toa, with their elemental powers, and avidly reading the comics with sweeping story arcs that accompanied them. The first Bionicle theme lasted until 2009, when it was discontinued in favor of LEGO’s next buildable-action figure theme, Hero Factory. Hero Factory had a successful run for five years, from 2010-2014, but never achieved the acclaim or fandom that surrounded Bionicle. Last year, LEGO returned to Bionicle, and fans could experience the world of the Toa heroes again. All told, over the 12 years Bionicle has been in production, Bricklink records 433 set entries for the theme — a remarkable life for the home-grown theme. However, LEGO has announced that 2016 will be the final year for Bionicle. Read the full press release below.

Here’s LEGO’s official press release:

THE CONCLUSION OF “THE JOURNEY TO ONE” MARKS THE END FOR LEGO® BIONICLE® GENERATION 2

Fans, today we have to share the news with you that we have made the tough decision to discontinue LEGO® BIONICLE® at the end of 2016. NETFLIX has just started streaming the final two episodes of “The Journey to One” the ending of which, will put an end to any speculation about the future of LEGO® BIONICLE®.

With the 2015 relaunch of LEGO® BIONICLE®, we set out to revive a childhood favorite of fans worldwide, and bring it to a new group of children who were too young to have known and played with LEGO® BIONICLE® Generation 1. From your wonderful feedback over the last year, we feel very proud to have performed that task. Currently, the last wave of LEGO® BIONICLE® products is launching in Europe and North America. These products will, however, not reach the shelves in Asia and the Pacific markets.

Next up is the #BIONICLEbuildmakuta Rebrick Contest, starting August 1st, that will give you a chance to compete for some unique prizes. All you have to do is to give us your best shot at the Evil Overlord himself. Through the rest of the year, we will keep sharing artwork and other things that may be of interest to you on LEGO.com/bionicle and facebook.com/LEGOBionicle

On behalf of the LEGO® BIONICLE® team we would like to say that it has been absolutely thrilling to work on a theme that evokes so much interest, dedication and emotion. We would like to thank you for taking in LEGO® BIONICLE® Generation 2 and sharing all your builds, stories, artwork, joy, criticism and praise. By doing so you have not only expanded the universe but also made the amazing BIONICLE® Community even stronger and more amazing. We are confident that you will ensure that BIONICLE® lives on.

The BIONICLE Team