#summer release with a summer release of new legos

[pixlezz]

goes insane /pos

guyz…. nobody freak out but monkie kid promotional poster dropped….

[fqlling4it]

teenager in love | lando norris x popstar! reader

yourusername

liked by landonorris, pietra.pilao and others

yourusername me and the boyfie

view all 23,267 comments

user36 hello????

↳ yourusername hey girl 😁

user31 since when ????

↳ user19 nah that’s what i’m saying because she dropped a breakup song and dipped and comes back with a boyfriend ????

lilymhe why am i just finding out about this ???

↳ yourusername sorry babes, i’ll text you! 💗

user81 mother leaves for a year and a half and comes back with a boyfriend ???

user4 who cares? let me be your boyfie instead

↳ user373 get UP bro

sabrinacarpenter pretty pretty girl

↳ yourusername ahhh love you 💗

landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, maxfewtrell, and others

landonorris aug 24. sun and things ☀️

view all 23,171 comments

user63 woah woah woah

↳ user84 he really though he could just sneak in that second photo and we wouldn’t notice

maxfewtrell great girl you’ve got mate

↳ landonorris she says it was nice to meet you

oscarpiastri seems like you’ve had a great summer

↳ landonorris wonderful break with some time away from you 😂

user71 thirst trapping like it’ll make us ignore that second pic

user4 he has a girlfriend????

alex_albon finally! no more fifth wheeling george and i (lily says hi)

↳ landonorris years in the making! (she says hi back!)

yourusername added to their story!

[story 1: ootd 💗]

[story 2: picnic turned into lego building!]

view story replies

landonorris you didn’t post my finished product ☹️

↳ yourusername it would’ve ruined the softlaunch i fear 💔

landonorris just hardlaunch, problem solved 😁

↳ yourusername after the song releases

landonorris song???

carmenmmundt you two are so cute, it was great having a double date the other day! 💗

↳ yourusername no third wheeling you and george anymore ☺️

carmenmmundt my baby’s all grown up now ☹️💔

user73 is that a mclaren lego set girlie? 🤔

user4 nooooooooooo please just one chance i beg 🙏

lilymhe this is still insane to me

↳ yourusername you literally knew i had a crush on him 😞

lilymhe i thought it was a joke, i would’ve done some matchmaking baby

↳ yourusername god bless your boyfriend (🤮) for getting us together ☺️

sabrinacarpenter girl get your ass in the studio and leave the man

↳ yourusername what if i tell you i wrote a song about him ☺️

sabrinacarpenter hmmm cute, send it my way baby 🥰

yourusername

liked by landonorris, sabrinacarpenter and others

yourusername teenager in love out at midnight! (no official photoshoot this time, enjoy the photos my man took 😁)

view all 18,372 comments

lilymhe hello????

↳ yourusername hi lily!!! 😁

user821 mother may have a boyfriend but at least we get a new song

landonorris so excited to hear it!!

↳ yourusername hope you like it 💗

user832 mother just one lyric please please 🙏

↳ yourusername and you make me feel like i’ll be forever young 😁

user4 gonna pretend this songs about me instead of her man ☺️

↳ user81 bro get UP

landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, yourusername and others

landonorris girlfie’s new song is out, enjoy! (yes, it’s about me 😁) yourusername

view all 19,382 comments

yourusername my boyfie 💗

↳ landonorris my girlfie 💗

sabrinacarpenter that’s my girlfie btw

↳ yourusername love love love you pretty girl 😘

user4 him of all people ???? him????

↳ yourusername pls refrain from being mean to my boyfie, he’s cute and i love him 😁💗

alex_albon next double date when ?

↳ georgerussell63 make that a triple date

↳ landonorris soon soon, asking the girlfie now!

user832 ok they’re kinda cute though

↳ user93 no fr, the way he made a whole post about her new song ???

user81 mama y papa

oscarpiastri no more moping around the garage that she can’t be there 🙏

↳ landonorris i do NOT mope, false allegations

user12 ok but have yall even listened to the lyrics ????

↳ user89 like they’re so cute together ☹️

lilymhe hard launched finally?

↳ landonorris indeed! made me wait until she released MY song 😁

yourusername added to their story!

[story 1: passenger princess life 🙌🙌]

[story 2: little dinner celebration 💗]

[theplantbish]

Helsingin Sanomat Käärijä article (11.10.) translated

Käärijä licks a carrot and makes OF content - It’s not just about clowning, the artist says

Käärijä’s CCC era comes to an end, when he releases a new album in November. On the album he sings about sex, among other things.

At the moment Käärijä is on an European tour. Between summer’s festival gigs and his fall tour he had time to take three weeks off.

Summary box:

Käärijä, Jere Pöyhönen, released a new song called Sex = Money, and makes OF content

OF-account has a couple of hundred of followers, subscription costs 40e per month

Pöyhönen is on an European tour, in Germany his gigs have been nearly sold out

New album People’s Champion comes out on Nov. 1st. It includes a personal song

“I started to sell sex because sex sells.”

Sings Käärijä, Jere Pöyhönen, on his new song Sex = Money. In the song’s promo video Pöyhönen licks a dirty carrot on a balcony. Fans know what the carrot is a reference to. On a video (plant note: it’s a pic HS get your facts right) posted on Käärijä’s OF account, a carrot sticks up from between Pöyhönen’s buttcheeks.

Yes, Käärijä makes OF content.

On the paid adult content site he has a couple of hundred followers. Subscription costs 40e per month.

When asked about his adult content career, he laughs.

“It’s more just a little fun for the fans,” he tells HS on the phone.

Pöyhönen is currently on an European tour. On the four gigs held in Germany the tickets have been nearly sold out, he says. The venues have been theaters and clubs that fit from 700 to 1,500 people.

On the stage Pöyhönen has been speaking rally-English and has been on his element. The audience has been a bit more grown up compared to Finland, he says.

Käärijä gathered a big audience in Hamburg on Oct. 8th

In Finland Käärijä is an Eurovision hero that also kids admire. At all ages gigs he can’t curse and make dirty jokes the same way he does at club gigs.

Pöyhönen hopes that kids won’t find his OF account. That’s why he hasn’t posted about it much on his social media.

The new song that tells about selling sex won’t be left out of all ages gigs. The lyrics of the song will be changed, though, Pöyhönen says.

“Maybe we’ll sing about selling Lego.”

Whether parents play the new song to their kids or not is out of his hands, according to him. As a child he listened to Petri Nygård’s songs.

“And I’m still sane.” x

Pöyhönen talks about OF as a branding tool, that mostly gives him just a bit of extra money.

He created the account with Häärijä last December. At first it worked as a paid advent calendar for the fans. Pöyhönen told in the Urheilucast podcast that they made 40K euros on the first month.

Pöyhönen won’t reveal what he makes with the OF account these days, but evidently he has made more during the year.

“If someone wants to pay for it, that’s nice. But I have completely different sources of income,” Pöyhönen says.

In the videos Käärijä and Häärijä do mildly naughty things to each other. It’s like a dirty Kummeli show. More like soft porn than actual porn, Pöyhönen describes. 

“We’ve filmed stuff for the account that has made us laugh.”

(there was a pic of the crowd but I don't feel comfortable posting it here. The text under the pic: According to Pöyhönen, the audience at his European gigs is mostly just adults.)

It’s not all just about clowning. OF account and Sex = Money song are an ironic statement on how the world runs around sex too much. As if it was easier to sell sex than music.

Even though Pöyhönen himself says that he objects to marketing music with sex, Käärijä the character does it blindly with everyone else.

“In a way I’m taking a stand without taking a stand.”

Käärijä’s CCC era comes to an official end, when his new album People’s Champion comes out on Nov. 1st.

On the new album we’ll hear the first song fully sung by Käärijä. The topic is personal, Pöyhönen reveals, but won’t comment on the new music more than that.

“There probably won’t be any radical changes,” Pöyhönen says.

Pöyhönen wants to hold onto his underage fans. He sees the all ages gigs as great opportunities to talk about bullying, for example.

“Even before ESC Käärijä character was obscene. I don’t want to change my musical style too much. I make art that looks like me, my own thing.”

[disneytva]

Disney Branded Television Gives Series Order To “Iron Man And His Awesome Friends” Slated For A 2025 Release On Disney Junior and Disney+.

Heroes assemble ❤️💜💚

Disney Jr. has ordered a new animated preschool series Iron Man and his Awesome Friends, the series comes as part of Disney Branded Television and Marvel’s expanded strategy to introduce the iconic Avengers characters and stories to a new generation of fans. The series is currently in production and slated for a summer 2025 premiere on Disney Jr. and Disney+.

Iron Man And His Awesome Friends follows the adventures (and misadventures) of best friends and super geniuses, Tony Stark, Riri Williams and Amadeus Cho as they work together to solve problems both big and small and protect their city. To help them in their Super Hero endeavors, they each have their own Iron Suits that allow them to fly and give them each enhanced super-strength. In addition, Iron Man has a Nano-Shield; Ironheart has a Heartbeat Bubble forcefield to protect people, and Iron Hulk has his strong Iron Boom clap and Iron Hulk Stomp. They work out of their beachfront base, Iron Quarters (IQ), under the supervision of their superpowered android, Vision, and their furry pup, Gamma, who has her very own Iron Pup suit and accompanies the Iron Friends on many of their adventures. The series stars Mason Blomberg (Shameless), Kapri Ladd (Danger Force) and Aidyn Ahn (Kids Say the Darndest Things) as the voices of Tony Stark (Iron Man), Riri Williams (Ironheart) and Amadeus Cho (Iron Hulk), respectively. David Kaye (Transformers) voices the role of Vision, and Fred Tatasciore (Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur) voices Gamma. Additional characters and casting will be announced at a later date. Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends is executive produced by Sean Coyle (Puppy Dog Pals) and Harrison Wilcox (Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends). James Eason-Garcia (Pupstruction) is co-executive producer and story editor, Alex Cichon (Lego Marvel: Spider-Man: Vexed by Venom) is supervising producer; Ashley Rideout (Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends) is producer, and Michael Dowding (Hello Ninja) is supervising director. The series is produced by Disney Jr. and Marvel Studios in association with Atomic Cartoons.

“We’re thrilled to introduce Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends to preschoolers on Disney Jr. and Disney+, expanding their connection to the iconic Marvel universe,” said Ayo Davis, CEO of Disney Branded Television. “Partnering with Brad [Winterbaum] and the Marvel Studios team on this series allows us to bring the incredible legacy of Iron Man to a whole new generation, sparking young imaginations with characters that embody courage, teamwork, and creativity.”

“Iron Man is the character that launched Marvel Studios and will always be especially beloved here as the hero that made the MCU possible.” said Brad Winderbaum, head of Streaming, Television and Animation, Marvel Studios. “That’s why we’re so excited to partner with the incredible team at Disney Branded Television and bring Iron Man to a new audience. Together we are building a series that introduces the most brilliant scientists and inventors in the Marvel Universe as they share in fun armored adventures.”

[matoroblogs]

Building: Bionicle

It’s getting tougher to find the “LEGO®” aisle in toy stores these days. Traditional LEGO construc- tion sets are more often than not hidden behind strangely shaped canisters featuring robotic-looking creatures. Shoppers are more likely to stumble upon this “Bionicle” aisle before ever seeing another LEGO set, for the simple reason that LEGO Bionicle has been the company’s biggest selling product line for the last several years.

But what IS this Bionicle invasion, anyway?

To parents, it tends to be a complete mystery. Robotic warriors from a tropi- cal island or ancient city of legends. A lexicon so complex it has its own diction- ary. A layered story involving collectible disks and masks: Toa and Turaga, Makuta and Rahkshi, Vahki and Matoran. Bohrok and Bohrok-Kal. Video games, shoes, backpacks, and party favors. Even Halloween costumes.

To kids (typically 6-12 year old boys, for whom Bionicle is squarely aimed), Bionicle is a richly populated universe with cool LEGO sets, movies, books, an ever-updating storyline, Bionicle comics shipped with their LEGO Club magazine subscriptions (http://club.LEGO.com), its own official website (http://www.bionicle.com), and popular online resources such as BZPower (http://www.bzpower.com) and Bionicle Sector 01 (http://www.bioniclesector01.com).

Bionicle begins as a story set on the island of Mata Nui (recently expanded to the ancient city-island of Metru Nui) that pits several good guy Toa against bad guy Makuta and his minions. The Toa protect the other inhabit- ants of the islands, the Matoran, from the vicious Rahkshi and Visorak, among other nasties. Each is available as a set.

New and updated construction sets have been released at least twice each year since 2001, when Bionicle was widely introduced. The first six color-coded Toa of Mata Nui -- lava red Tahu, icy white Kopaka, sea blue Gali, stone brown Pohatu, deep black Onua, and forest green Lewa -- were an instant hit, winning awards and shattering sales records. Follow-up releases have also been strong, with updated Toa -- Toa Nuva, Toa Metru, and the latest, Toa

Hordika -- continuing the ongoing story. Of course, the Toa need something to protect, so there have been several rounds of Matoran sets released, the first in 2001 McDon- ald kids meals. Those poor Matoran often need help, from wild Rahi (animals) or Makuta’s Rahkshi “sons” to their own Vahki protector machines run amok.

Driving the story (and not coincidentally, LEGO set sales figures) are sev- eral media, primarily the Bionicle comics from DC and a popular series of books from Scholastic, most authored by Greg Farshtey (who also writes the comic). There have also been two well-received com puter-animated films released directly to video/DVD (“Bionicle:

Mask of Light” and “Bionicle: Legends of Metru Nui”), and a third is in the works. The official Bionicle website likewise provides storyline updates using text and animation, and has also included two immensely popular online games.

When you get into Bionicle, you’re not just buying a construction/action set... you’re entering a universe full of dramatic good-vs-evil action. There’s a lot behind those little canisters on the shelf, just waiting to be discovered.

To see many more amazing Bionicle-based creations, visit this creative forum on BZPower: http://www.bzpower.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=175513.

Kelly McKiernan is co-owner and administrator of BZPower.com, the largest and busiest Bionicle fan site on the web.

52 BrickJournal • Issue 1, Volume 1 • Summer 2005

source

[sepublic]

It's kinda funny seeing people mourn the original concept for The Lego Ninjago Movie, which involved the ninja traveling back in time to stop the Great Devourer from biting Garmadon, and fighting snake warriors. Because we still kinda got that, in the very same year no less?

Hands of Time is an interesting case in that it's kind of a transitional season, the end of an era; It came out the same year as The Lego Ninjago Movie, and was meant to take up the Winter slot before TLNM showed up for Summer. It was our last season with the traditional designs, and for a while our last season with a Weekend Whip-style remix of intro, before TLNM and led to a soft reboot in the Oni trilogy. The Oni trilogy gave us updated designs based on TLNM's, under the original plan of attracting new fans from THAT continuity over to the main one. I believe it's even jokingly implied within the show that the butterfly effects from the time travel of S7 led to the S8 redesigns! And Legacy kinda contributes to that idea...?

The point is, 2017 was a strange year for Ninjago with a lot of change, even in different writers who temporarily replaced the Hagemans, who eventually did leave for Wildbrain to take over. One could argue Hands of Time was created as a way to pad out time between Day of the Departed and TLNM's releases! And Day of the Departed drew a lot on prior Ninjago entries, so it was like a whole year just waiting for TLNM to premiere before applying it to mainline Ninjago canon.

And I think that applies to Hands of Time, because a lot of it is based on that old TLNM concept I mentioned earlier! Early designs for the snake warriors from the first draft of the film were repurposed for the Vermillion in Hands of Time. It was a story about time travel, and so is Hands of Time. The Great Devourer plays an important role, being the incident the ninja are trying to prevent in TLNM's first draft, and in HoT, the mother of the Vermillion horde.

Obviously there are differences; TLNM's first draft centered around the past as the primary setting of the story, and it was about the heroes trying to undo a past evil. Whereas for HoT, time travel isn't achieved until the last episode, and it's about villains trying to undo past good. But a lot of the concepts were clearly carried over and repurposed, because they were perfectly good concepts drawing on previous ideas mainline Ninjago already explored (snake warriors, the Great Devourer's legacy, time travel).

A few years later we even got the Golden Hour short, which continues the story of HoT just a bit more, and has Wu almost allowing Acronix to unwittingly prevent Garmadon from being bitten by the Great Devourer; The original goal of TLNM's time travel draft. And probably how that draft would've ended, if Lego had rolled with that plot instead.

So while some are insisting TLNM should've been about this original concept, it's ironic to me because we technically still did get that first draft, in the same year as TLNM, right before it! So 2017 really is the year of TLNM, all of it, even Hands of Time. And as I said with Day of the Departed, it also draws upon a lot of past Ninjago events, lore, and concepts, such as the Serpentine War, Elemental Masters, Great Devourer, and Chen alluding to Ray and Maya. Krux was introduced via his alias in Day of the Departed. It kinda feels like a remix, like the Legacy and Core lines we'd later get.

That again gets me back to the idea that it's almost as if Lego was trying to do a final callback/retrospective on classic Ninjago as we knew it, to prepare us for a new era heralded by TLNM, and they used up basically a whole year as they waited for the people working on TLNM to figure things out. Before DotD is Skybound, which is technically retconned, and that makes Possession feel like the last big arc for Ninjago (before TLNM) that brought new, lasting things and wasn't worried about being second fiddle to some other production. It did give us ghosts, the sixteen realms, and establish Nya as a primary ninja. Possession is also the latest in terms of Legacy representation; Skybound, Day of the Departed, and Hands of Time are left out.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

$58m+ weekend estimate for KUNG FU PANDA 4...

That beats the openings of the other two sequels (using KUNG FU PANDA 2's $47m 3-day opening, not its whole Memorial Day weekend take), sits nicely below the $60m opening weekend gross of the first movie. All the way back in 2008, without 3D or DBOX or today's ludicrous ticket prices. Still, impressive!

Really held its own nicely against DUNE: PART TWO's second weekend, too. Packed showtimes yesterday at work, so packed that the other animated family film option - also a Universal movie, MIGRATION - was packed down to the front row as well.

Given how well it was doing, the estimates - some project - might be a little on the low side. If this indeed tops $60m, and maybe even KUNG FU PANDA's opening weekend gross... This will be DreamWorks' first film to top that amount on opening weekend since MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOST WANTED. All the way back in 2012.

As such, it is still the company's biggest domestic opening since HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD in 2019. COVID-19 really cut into some of the Comcast-era DreamWorks movies at the box office, and while theaters have been back for a while, a lot of DreamWorks' output now plays the same long game other animated movies have been playing as of late: Open small, have ludicrous legs. KUNG FU PANDA 4, being part of an iconic series that's over 15 years old now, obviously was poised to open a lot higher than - say - THE BAD GUYS. If DreamWorks fired up another sequel to an old favorite, like MADAGASCAR, I'm sure it'd open similarly.

(Remember when MADAGASCAR 4 was penciled in for a 2018 release over 10 years ago? Pepperidge Farm remembers...)

Also, I won't be surprised if - within a few months or so - KUNG FU PANDA 5 gets etched onto the schedule for a 2027 release.

Elsewhere in Universal and Jack Black animated movie land, it was announced today - MAR10 Day - that the new SUPER MARIO BROS. animated movie is in the works. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic return to the helm, to no one's surprise.

An untitled affair, and described kind of as a new movie and not so much a direct sequel? Well, whatever it is, it's debuting April 3, 2026. Much like the first movie, an early April 2023 release that went on to become one of the highest-grossing animated movies of all-time... So we have a date for that, but not whatever studio Illumination is serving up in 2025. Maybe they'll take that year off? Who knows. We have DESPICABLE ME 4 this coming summer, and then there's a gap in the schedule til this new Mario movie.

Universal's animation schedule so far. Looks like a powerhouse!

7/3/2024 - DESPICABLE ME 4 (Illumination)

9/20/2024 - THE WILD ROBOT (DreamWorks)

1/31/2025 - DOG MAN (DreamWorks)

8/1/2025 - UNTITLED (DreamWorks)

9/26/2025 - UNTITLED (DreamWorks)

4/3/2026 - UNTITLED MARIO MOVIE (Illumination)

9/25/2026 - UNTITLED (unknown at the moment, likely DreamWorks)

Three DreamWorkses in 2025, most of which are likely outsourced to Sony Imageworks, that DOG MAN movie will probably be a Mikros collaboration like CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS was. Fitting, both being based on Dav Pilkey books. I have a feeling we'll get an Illumination in there somewhere, either a summer picture (SECRET LIFE OF PETS 3? Some original movie?) or a near-Christmas SING threequel. That is, if Paramount moves THE SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS from that slot. I don't know at the moment. We also have that third LEGO MOVIE still, that's got its directors, release could be anytime at this point.

[steampaul]

i've started a little series of weekly posts documenting every MoC i made (digitally) over the last few years:

Week 8: 2021

Bonsai, Contests, Old themes and Pride

brickset had another contest where you could enter mods of 10281 bonsai tree. i made two that i thought would look interesting as more alien trees and one using bionicle kanohi (plus jaller)

there was also a category for that contest where you'd make a custom bonsai. i didn't have to many ideas other than "make small" and "abandoned". i don't really like the way those trees look.

the great cloud gardens was a game that i played a lot during that time, so i decided to make a bonsai-like MoC based on the city levels of the game. i still love this build and i hope that i'll be able to build it irl some time in the future.

these are also more directly based on cloud gardens. they depict the levels where you get the seeds for the Wisteria, the Monstera, the opuntia, the bryophyta and the pothos. (i kinda had to guess the names based on the pixelated names on the cards and the closest names i could find for plants that are similar looking to the ones ingame)

i never posted these anywhere because i wanted to finish making all of the plants before posting them. i never finished.

there was another contest on lego ideas where you could build a new GWP with the theme "space" i originally built it as an Ice Planet style-vehicle, but then i looked more into the lore of Ice Planet and found out that they specialized in Rocket science and something about satellites, i think?

this made me redesign this MoC as a futuron vehicle because that subtheme had a focus on transportation and more civilian activities.

i had the idea to make more modern Rock Raiders MoCs based on interesting modern Construction vehicles, i think i kinda overdid it with the amount of colours present on these MoCs, but i'll probably revisit this idea some time in the future.

another ideas contest. this time for a summer themed GWP. i based this on some north sea beach memories i made as a kid. i really like the sunny atmosphere i created with this MoC.

i also played narita boy that year and wanted to make a MoC based on that amazing game, but this never went anywhere. this was also the first (and probably last) time i've used PartDesigner to make a custom part (the sword) and some cutom prints.

LEGO released the Everyone is Awesome set in June 2021, so ideas had an activity to post some Pride Month inspired Creations. i originally made the Stand For the Flag(s) build that i made several variations of and now turned into a .gif, but i didn't post it because i really disliked the colours i used and couldn't think of better ones. instead i posted the Building Bridges MoC. i stimm like it and i think it would make a nice desk decorations similar to the EiA set.

anyone remember Atlantis? i had the idea to build some place to hold all eight Treasure Keys that where released in both waves of that theme. i think the theming is a bit off with this MoC, but i still kinda like the colours i used in it.

first week last week next week

[thereasonsimbroke]

The Summer Game Fest showcase featured almost two hours of new game trailers. The event offered a comprehensive preview for those who missed the livestream.

Some highlights included #LEGO Horizon Adventures, a unique isometric experience combining Horizon and LEGO, set for release in winter 2024. No More Room In Hell 2, a co-op zombie shooter, is scheduled for an October 2024 release via Early Access. Sonic and Shadow are set to race through levels at top speed again in Sonic x Shadow Generations, set for an October 2024 arrival.

Additionally, there were mentions of #HarryPotter Quidditch Champions, expected on September 3rd, and #StarWars Outlaws, which promised an exciting gameplay reveal. Fans of various genres can look forward to titles like Civilization VII, Black Myth: Wukong, and Batman: Arkham Shadow, each showcasing their unique appeal.

[thepeoplesmovies]

You're Gonna Need A bigger Block With Lego Jaws Set!

When every great franchise adapted in some shape or form by Lego, it’s time to be very afraid of water!  Lego finally release Jaws set, Da-Dum, Da-Dum, Da-Dum… Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment  have joined forces with LEGO to create this Ideas set.  The new 1497-piece LEGO set based on the 1975 summer blockbuster JAWS was designed by a LEGO fan and features characters Martin Brody,…

[kylekozmikdeluxo]

Those Two Times BIONICLE and TOTAL DRAMA Came to My Rescue

#longpost likely incoming...

Some things have a weird significance in my life, whether it's stuff I genuinely enjoy or stuff I could just take or leave...

But, I just remembered something...

I was looking through some older videos of mine, and came across a few I did in the pit of the miserable summer that was mid-2020. And while watching these old videos to see what kind of editing I did, I was hit with intense flashbacks... Flashbacks that reminded me how confusing and scary those times were for me, amidst the pandemic and life seemingly not about to get better. Add to that, a lot of nationwide happenings, and seeing people around me devolve into parroting all the worst misinformation about the then-current political climate.

I had some other things going on at the time, too, that ranged from disheartening to outright terrifying... I'd say July/early August 2020 was where I had some serious anxiety attacks...

Conversely, I was uncorking a version of me that I kinda had suppressed through high school, and really dialed down during my weird snobby pseudo-adult college years. So, I was letting a wild unchained side of myself flourish again circa May-August 2020. I was writing and drawing and creating some wiiiiild stuff, stuff I hadn't genuinely enjoyed creating in a looooong while. I think a lot of this was due to not having to worry about a work schedule and other commitments, I was home all the time! So, I had all the time in the world to let my creativity flow like a dam had been burst.

And then meanwhile, all this unrest was going on, COVID was not lessening because people kept spreading it, misinfo was everywhere, TFG is king!!! The 2020 presidential election looming, threats of violence and voter suppression from the right- which eventually plateaued with the 1/6 attempted insurrection... And then there was something else that I won't specify, but something that was emotionally draining me and terrifying the fuck out of me around this time... To the point where I was worried I'd associate my weird wacko creative autistic side of myself with this very thing, and suppress it again out of fear... Reject it outright, even! But luckily, I closed off the problem and continued onward, I continued to write and draw the stuff I love to make...

But by mid-August of 2020, it was like I had made it out of a trip through some kind of hell. Battered and smashed, to borrow from the opening monologue of MAD MAX 2...

And around this time, I guess because I was in the mood for them or I was feeling kind of warm and cozy inside... I revisited two things I dig...

BIONICLE and TOTAL DRAMA...

Weirdly enough, I turned to both of those franchises when it came to bad periods in my life...

BIONICLE and I go way back. As in, when this very Lego line was first introduced in North America in the summer of 2001. My love affair with BIONICLE was a bit on and off afterwards. It was my whole jam throughout 2001, all the way into the fall/winter. (I got tons of Bonkle sets for my birthday and for Christmas.) Into early 2002 as well, I was writing fanfiction even. I was like "When I'm older, I'll make animated movies, and a BIONICLE movie will be one of them!" And I was writing that theoretical movie for some time!

(I still would LOVE to make animated movies, but right now, I'm putting my focus on making comics and graphic novels.)

Then I kinda put BIONICLE aside, and then got back into it, somewhat, in late 2002. When the Toa Nuva sets came out... I remember buying the new Gali Nuva set on my first-ever trip to New York City, got it at the FAO Schwartz!

Then I put the franchise aside, again... and then turned to it once more in late 2003... That was when... The first MOVIE came out. The direct-to-video Miramax release BIONICLE: MASK OF LIGHT... Plus, the arrival of many new sets: Takanuva, the Toa of Light. The Rahkshi. Plus, beasts like the Gukko bird and Pewku the crab. I bought the blue Rahkshi back then, and played around with the mini-CD that came with it. Back when PCs having a CD-ROM (!) drive was a big must... So, I was all about Bonkle again!

And in late 2003, I needed it... Because I was dealing with middle school pains (it was my first year), my paternal grandfather slowly dying after a stroke, various bullshit, and me just not being myself and having a lot of personal problems to work through. The franchise took a break after MASK OF LIGHT, and it later made its big return with the all-new prequel storyline set in a whole new location. That was in late 2004. Naturally, I was ready to go all-in: New movie, new characters, new sets, everything. But I'm getting ahead of myself here... BIONICLE, during the MASK OF LIGHT era, was like a warm blanket I could to turn to in late 2003. A special interest I could sink myself in. I was writing stories back then, too, so it naturally appealed to me with its colorful array of characters and its rich worldbuilding and lore. It's why all those BIONICLE Lore memes bring me so much joy. Other people were engulfed in this stuff, too!

Eventually, BIONICLE was off my radar by about late 2005 or so, as my brain drifted to other special interests.

So, enter 2008... I had finished sophomore year of high school in June 2008, an absolutely horrid semester for a multitude of reasons that I went over in other posts (particularly my 2-part post on my weird history with the MADAGASCAR movies), but... The short version? I was 15, depressed, feeling like I was the worst person, I was absolutely shook by a friendship turned sour and going on cutthroat message boards as my unrefined autistic self, I didn't have one of my close friends around to help me feel better about things, and my maternal grandfather was slowly dying after a disastrous hospital visit, I was getting wind that I wasn't straight and that horrified me... Yes, late 2007 going into early 2008 freakin' suuuuuucked.

(15 years later, the present... I'm openly queer. Please don't read that above sentence as me being upset that I'm not straight. I was back then because I was 15 and homophobia was rampant in its own peculiar way in 2008.)

And by summer 2008, there was a streak in me of sorts. That I aggressively wanted for things to get better, but the bad chemistry in my brain wasn't letting me- until I snapped out of it. (It also helped that this bummer mood was pissing off others around me, and some of them have HAD IT, and they sure let me know!) And by the end of August 2008... All those horrible, hateful, bad feelings... Were gone...

Yes folks, I remember when these things specifically happened... That's how my autistic analytical photographic memory works, for better or for worse...

So, around that time, a particular Canadian animated TV series had come to Cartoon Network in the United States... TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND.

Now, when I caught wind of this show, I was like... "Total Drama? DRAMA? What has Cartoon Network come too???"

I had kinda given up on Cartoon Network sometime in mid-2007, a little after their president at the time - Jim Samples - got fired for the AQUA TEEN movie scare involving LED lights of the Mooninites hung around Boston that were thought to be bombs placed by terrorists throughout the city. (Yes, this actually happened. The W. Bush/immediate post-9/11 era was a weeeeeird time.)

Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, Cartoon Network after Samples left. I was uninterested by then, and kinda stupidly nostalgic for what the network was prior to 2006/07. I was definitely more into [adult swim] by then, for sure! But, once in a while I'd pop on CN in early 2008 and see things like... SKUNK FU? MR. MEN? JOHNNY TEST, I think? When I wanted to see reruns of, say, ED EDD N' EDDY or even something like FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS. Keep in mind, this was during sick days... And CN mornings during sick home from school days were... Also weird... Heck, I think one of the things I randomly watched on CN during a sick day was that CGI GARFIELD movie where he and Odie go to the real world. When you're 15, depressed, bored, and whatnot, you end up watching unlikely shit.

Again, I went off track... It's what I do, sorry. I'm a tangenter, for sure. I probably lost you, if I did, I apologize! Anyways... So, I see these listings for this "Total Drama" show and I'm like... This is what it's come to, huh?

I had caught glimpses of it, and thought... What are these characters? They're all terrible stereotypes! Ironic, coming from an actual 15-year-old at the time... But then, for whatever reason, I put it on... It was the episode "X-treme Torture". The one where Heather's top gets ripped off by the tree branch, and they show her blurred breasts...

And I was like, "Wait? This is on CARTOON NETWORK and not ADULT SWIM???" I had also seen that it was rated TV-PG, rare for a CN show back in the day. I was used to their stuff being either TV-G or TV-Y7 (sometimes with an FV)... So, it was a surprise to me, and I was intrigued. What 15-year-old wouldn't be? So I watched more of it, and found myself quite enjoying it for its fun characters, weird humor, and... Well, I also had crushes on several of the contestants back then, too, haha. In true form, my favorite was probably Gwen, the goth girl. Yeah, I'm one of those sadsacks who always had a cliched love for goth gals. Loved goth gals then, and I love goth women now. It didn't begin with Gwen, for sure, but she was a major part of it all no less.

So, yeah, I really dug TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND. I even looked up uploads of the original Canadian version on YouTube at the time, to see all the cuss words we didn't get in the stinky states. (The butchering of Lindsay going off on Heather in 'That's Off The Chain' is a work of censorship that astounds me - in all the wrong ways - to this day.) I largely kept this love for the show secret, and eventually I kinda forgot about it over time. I didn't really check out TOTAL DRAMA ACTION much when it was airing in spring 2009-ish, the rest passed me by. I briefly checked out ALL-STARS for a bit. There's a new season that's been out... Only in Italy, apparently. "Short Run in Peru", haha.

But in mid-to-late 2008, I was all-in on TOTAL DRAMA...

And, I got back into BIONICLE around the fall of 2008! I didn't follow any of the new stuff, I strictly stuck to the 2001-2004 era BIONICLE stuff. Mata Nui era and early Metru Nui era. I rewatched the first two movies, and I had a blast. It was fun to dig out my old sets. (Which are now in my studio.)

...

So then, fast-forward... August 2020... Coincidentally...

For whatever reason, I decided to revisit TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND... And BIONICLE...

When I revisited TOTAL DRAMA, I was struck by just how genuinely funny and entertaining it was, how sharp the voice acting is (Christian Potenza in particular, like he's having a ball as Chris McLean), and I even found something to appreciate in its often-criticized art style. Its slow pace, the reality show format, how it parodies the genre and also embraces its most entertaining elements (making for what is perhaps the *best* reality show? Leave it to animation to make a genre I generally dislike into something enjoyable), the summer island vibes, its looseness... Like, there's something kinda cozy about it. Later seasons are a little faster and a little more hectic, I feel.

And when I was re-watching TDI, along with the cheesy direct-to-DVD BIONICLE movies, all felt right in the world circa August-September 2020ish. In a sort-of weird, maybe not nostalgic way, but in a cozy and comfortable way. One is a good vibes show, the other is a cool lore-packed action-adventure with colorful robots. They're both big hits with me, that's for sure.

Maybe I'll pop the lid off of both pretty soon... It's August 2023, and life's been rough for me once more... I moved out earlier this year, I'm trying to find a really good job (my work situation right now is kinda mixed), anti-LGBTQIA+ shit continuously brings me down as I grapple with being openly queer and having to deal with a good chunk of my family being very conservative, I have rent to pay now, and groceries too, and it's ahhhhhhh!

Maybe August is made for TOTAL DRAMA and BIONICLE...

Isn't it weird how life repeats certain verses and choruses?

[bluenpinkcastle]

LEGO and Gender Play Roles

(this is a VERY long post) I saw an article today on social media by Tips & Bricks about LEGO gendered play. The article focused on a little bit of research done by the LEGO Group about how girls and boys play. (Tips & Bricks was also kind enough to make sure to mention not everyone falls into those gender binary constructs but that the research done only includes those two groups). articles (there's a third article about LEGO and gender and play that's not on their website yet): https://www.tipsandbricks.co.uk/post/1960-discussion-lego-gender-1-marketing https://www.tipsandbricks.co.uk/post/1975-discussion-lego-gender-2-colours I have a LOT of thoughts about this topic. I'm going to start with some observations of my own, as a 40+ year old woman who has been building LEGO castles most of my life. I'm a member of several LEGO online social media groups. One of which is the Brick Knights Alliance. As of this post (03 October 2023), there 44.5k members within this group. I think it's pretty safe to say that most of the posts I see and most of the comments are men. Another group is the Ladies' LEGO Lounge, with 21.4k members. The last group is the Women's Brick Initiative Members with 907.

Somewhere in early May 2022, I heard rumors about the new LEGO castle supposed to be released in the summer of 2022. I remember being SO. EXCITED. about this. I instantly posted to the group, hoping that others would be just as excited to talk about the new castle. Instead, I found myself besieged by trolls. I can't find the post anymore which means either I deleted it so I wouldn't have to see people's horrible comments anymore or the admins deleted it as a "confrontational" post. But I keenly remember the disgust from some of the men over the LEGO Group bowing to "woke libtards" and how women couldn't be warriors, knights, or most definitely not queens. It was a really rough and unpleasant series of comments. On 18 June 2022, I posted about the first officially revealed pictures for set 10305: the Lion Knights' Castle, set to arrive on shelves 01 August 2022. My caption was simple and 416 people within the group liked or loved my post and seven people commented with their own versions of excitement. On 31 October 2022, I posted a picture of some of the knights I intended to populate with my Pink Castle Defense at BrickCon 2023. I used four of the bright light blue "Avatar" horses and put wings on them to be Pegasi. Most of the torsos for my warriors were the pink crown knights from the Collectible Minifigure series 24, but a few were other medium blue knights. 114 people liked or loved that post. One of the 14 comments said the blue pegasi were Avatar animals, not horses. And it's that kind of lack of imagination which just makes me sad most of the time. And now we're caught up with mostly present day. On 08 September 2023, I posted a picture of my Pink Castle Defense as it was displayed at BrickCon 2023 in Bellevue, Washington. The Pink Castle Defense is simply the Lion Knights' Castle made out of mostly dark pink LEGO with other bright colors. I posted this exact same picture in three different online social media places. My caption read: "BrickCon 2023 in Bellevue, Washington! It's been about eight months of ordering parts, digging for parts, and generally working to build this, but it was absolutely worth it! This is the LEGO 10305 Lion Knights' Castle built in dark pink on a butter yellow moat, with an all-women army defending the castle against the invading skeletons. This is my first ever LEGO display." The Brick Knights Alliance: 41 like/love/wow and two comments, which said: "Finally. No ugly gray. Where's Evilyn and Skeletor?" and "Are the skeletons male?" The Ladies LEGO Lounge: 50 like/love and 40 comments, all extremely supportive. As an example, the Lion Knights' Castle (10305) from August 2022 featured a warrior queen and half the minifigures had lipstick (clearing showing they are women). HALF of the knights and warriors in the castle are women! I was extremely excited about this. But then I witnessed a significant number of men in the castle groups complaining about this. Then I had to witness the castle's LEGO queen get murdered violently in most of the castle fandoms so that "A Proper Ruler" (read: male king) could reclaim his rightful throne. The latest Tips & Bricks gender discussion topic involved the different LEGO play for girls and boys. One of the comments even stated how there's so much research done on the way girls play but no one ever talks about how boys play, which tends to continue to put the responsibility on girls and women. In my own experience, I have noticed that most of the males in the LEGO spaces I occupy are constantly putting their castles at war with the other factions, while the women are definitely focused on the story and the details of world-building. But really. How much of the way genders play is caused by the very marketing which enforces the societal norms of how genders play?

[jedipoodoo]

I have a question, might be slightly stupid tho

where did you find the picture for ur background thingie? and is there anything tbb related with star wars legos? just curious :D

It's not stupid at all! It's fun to talk about this stuff, and I love the LEGOs so much.

So this past summer, Star Wars released a LEGO Summer holiday special with Finn and the sequel crew, where they animated stories from throughout Star Wars about how people had fun and relaxed on vacation (it's a huge advertisement for Disney's new 'immersive' and Uber expensive star wars hotel but it was really cute!)

Separately, they also released a short about the Bad Batch having fun at a lake, also to advertise their new set for Cad Bane's ship (which comes with our first ever Omega minifig!) that's where I got the screenshot from.

LEGO and Star Wars did a similar thing for their Halloween special last year, advertising all their new LEGO sets to show the Mandalorian with Boba Fett and Fennec Shand goofing off for Halloween. They advertised the Bad Batch Marauder set by showing the Bad Batch collecting pumpkins and delivering them to little kids. That's where I get my byline, because in that short, a kid kicks Crosshair's leg when he shoots the kids pumpkin.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did! Happy Holidays!

[mahou-furbies]

Mahou wrap up 2022 survey results

Here are the results of the recent questionnaire for your Mahou 2022!

Best character:

irma w.i.t.c.h.

Myamu

Lemon Kokoa

sunday spade wild cardz

Luchia Nanami

Mew Lettuce

Cure Whip! (i rewatched KiraKira! So not really 2022? If from 2022 only, I loved Kuroe)

Cure Precious/Yui Nagomi

nanami kiryuu

Fuwa Kokone

Sayaka miki (I watched side story this year so it technically counts even though she’s my favorite magical girl ever)

Yui Nagomi/Cure Precious, Ichigo Momomiya/Mew Ichigo

Best character design:

Cure YumYum

Cure Yum Yum

Cure coral

cure flora

Cure Finale

Kome-Kome

The Hirogaru Sky silhouettes. I just know the full designs are gonna be ballin'

This is a hard one, all of the Primagi designs are tied.

kumi kumi from mgrp white is minecraft

Infinite Iroha (Magia Record)

I just love seeing designs in general

the way utena uses the transformations for symbolism and what not is super cool design by itself goes to cure summer shes great

Mew Lettuce's and Mew Zakuro's 2022 designs

Best work:

Tokyo Mew Mew New

Tokyo Mew Mew New!

care bear stars

Magilumiere

Healer Girl

....does witch hat atelier count as a mg since it's witches or it it too fantasy world to be one? either way it slaps

Ultra Maniac

Delicious Party PreCure has its moments but it's not my fav season or anything. I wish I had time for more anime this year, but unfortunately I've been working overtime.

Can I say Glitter and Guilt? Because there's published webcomic pages now

utena is the best show ive watched in a long time i love picking it apart and even tough its super dark and hard to watch the visuals and everything is amazing i love the movie the most its so surreal and dreamy this is all entirely expected bc i love twin peaks and theyre a very similar niche

I really really liked Madoka side story, but I watched yuki yuna and was really pleasantly surprised by it!

Free comment field for gushing about something that didn’t fit the other topics:

uhh watch lego monkie kid its like a magical girl show but about a boy

Keeping it to series i more or less saw this 2022 but i really wanna praise waccha primagi tho its more of an idol series than magical girl the magic is every present in the show and i love the great myamu sama the ending moved me to tears.

saint tail remaster bless discotek

Obsessed with the Shugo Chara Wonderland merch that released earlier this year.

Was fascinated how some of the dress up collection dresses made a comeback in the DeliPre series. For example when Kokone was shown wearing Rikka's blue gown.

Watching Vampire in the Garden (a non mahou show) has given me ideas for making a magical girl OC with clothes based on Imperial Russia. You can never have too many OCs!

all the merch and new content for the early-mid 2000's shows and manga has got me really excited! like, of course we got the Tokyo Mew Mew reboot, but there's been new merch and art for Shugo Chara, Mermaid Melody has that sequal series being released, and even Saint Tail has gotten some stuff. It makes me hopeful that other manga besides Mew Mew will also get the same love and attention!

power of friendship is the shit and somehow mg shows make it not cheesy but good good

The Mascots and Recipepes in Delicious Party Precure are so cute!! I also liked the addition of Rosemary and BlackPepper/Takumi.

Hmmm I really liked some magical girl webcomics I was reading, like Cloudy Wondrous and Captian Jellyfish

I love Takumi from DeliPaPre, he's such a dork and its very endearing how he tries to be a cool Tuxedo Mask type but sometimes forgets his Cool Guy persona bc "omg its yui" lol

Complaint time!

Gushing Over Magical Girls should be good. i like the designs but too horny for the age of everyone

Mew Mint's henshin was a major downgrade from the original

The adaptation of Magia Record was such a disappointment! It undid the happy ending of the game and killed of several characters for shock value!

I finally got around to watching all of Day Break Illusion and GOD it started out really cool and interesting, but than it decided to just get BAD bad a bit after the half way mark. Lots of missed potential.

WHY CAN'T WE GET ANY MAHOU MOBILE GAMES IN ENGLISH EVERY TIME I SEE GAME CHARACTERS ON MGOTD I WANT THEM BUT THEY'RE ALWAYS DISCONTINUED OR SOMETHING Also Miraculous Ladybug is a trainwreck

i watched a lot of older and darker mg shows this year and i really dont like the saturation of designs that exist now also there arent newer medium dark shows that ive heard its either for kids or everyone dies i like both but not as the only option

How easily I fall out of a Precure season. Delicious Party I think is the furthest I've ever gotten

yuis lack of a personality in delipre

The 4th cures design and general costume of delipre didnt really live up to the food theme.

Honestly I really hate how delicious party precure is pushing stress eating as a good thing.

Delicious Party Precure seemed to have TOO many themes at the same time and didn't feel as cohesive as other teams to me.

Hmm I tried watching some of the later entries in precure (tropical rouge and delipre) and I simply couldn’t get into any of them :/ I also tried watching flip flappers again and simply couldn’t get through it again -_- it was uncomfortable to watch

Mahou plans and hopes for 2023:

That the new precure series will be aesthetic af

I'm always excited for the next Precure!

im hoping this years precure has an angel theme and there will be more cyber inspired designs in general i find them fun and good for diversity also ive started the sailor moon anime i read the manga when i was a little kid but ive never watched it

To like the new season of precure and for Magilumere to keep going

Super excited for Hirogaru Sky!! And Mew New season 2

I hope the new precure season uses the duo formula again, and a more pastel color palette. Also looking forward to the new Sailor Moon movie!

I hope the next precure season is better than DeliParty, and I also hope for a Primagi season 2! Just more new original stories would be nice.

lesbians

new original series.

I'm really looking forward to Mahou Shoujo Magical Foghters and In/Spectre season 2!! Gonna watch those weekly!

Learn to take things off the backburner

God I wish I could design magical girls

Hopefully I’ll be able to get my current project going (webcomic)

More magical girl stuff in general, and less fighting among fans over ships and the grimdark vs. standard genres

Thanks to everyone who took part!

Raffle winners have been contacted. I’ll wait... let’s say a week in case people are busy doing something else over the holidays than browsing tumblr, and if there’s no response I’ll pick a different winner.

[matoroblogs]

STORY LURES KIDS TO NEW LEGO LINE\ THE TOYMAKER HOPES AN UNFOLDING STORY WILL LURE BOYS TO BIONICLE TOYS.

BY KRISSAH WILLIAMS The Washington Post Oct 28, 2001

Late last year, five Danish toy designers began to weave a tale of good and evil, creating the kind of heroes and bad guys that American boys love. They used the standard formula: exotic names, special powers, an unknown land.

They added easy-to-build action figures, trading cards, T-shirts, comic books and a soundtrack, as well as Internet, computer and video games. All to tell the story of Lego's Bionicle, which they hope will be the next cool toy line. Their plan is to create a popular story that reveals itself slowly, adding characters to keep the kids coming back for more, with toys cheap enough that parents keep buying.Bionicles also are the featured boys' toys in McDonalds Happy Meals through Sept. 27.

The toymaker is spending $15 million to get the word out about Bionicle, making it the biggest U.S. toy launch ever for the determinedly traditional 67-year-old company known for its classic plastic bricks.

Like much of the toy industry, Lego is financially ailing as more American boys ignore traditional toys in favor of video and computer games and television. Lego, the third-largest toy company in the United States behind Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc., lost money in 1998 and again last year, its only losses in decades. The company has watched revenue stall at about $1 billion.

To attract the been-there, done-that generation of American boys, Lego's designers and marketers are trying their darnedest to be cool, even aloof, almost teasing kids to get their attention.

In December, the first bit of information about Bionicle (from ``biological' and ``chronicle') was revealed on the company's Web site: ``Once a paradise, Mata Nui has become a place of darkness and fear, ruled by the deadly Makuta. Now six mighty heroes, the Toa, have come to gather the masks of power and challenge the Makuta. Explore the island ... learn the legends ... and begin to solve the mystery of Bionicle.'

It stopped there. But Lego's marketers hoped youngsters would be salivating for more.

About once a month, new chapters are added to the Web site, along with information about characters and the special masks. This summer, Lego mailed 1 million free comic books to Lego club members, giving details not available on the Web site.

In May and June, the Toa (hero) and Turaga (villager) building toys were released in the United States. The futuristic-looking figures stand about 7 inches tall and are assembled from plastic pieces that snap together Lego-style. The figures cost $2.99 to $6.99, although more-complex remote-control-operated figures will be priced as high as $69.99.

Now, information has been revealed about the bad guys, called Rahi, and other twists and turns are promised.

The Bionicle launch is based on the viral marketing strategy, which is the rage among manufacturers hoping to appeal to fad-prone American children and teens. Viral marketing works to create a buzz one customer at a time rather than relying on mass advertisements such as television commercials.

Lego's idea: Interest one kid in the Bionicle story, and that child will tell another and another. To find those kids, Lego sent out six sport-utility vehicles, each painted with one of the superheroes.

``In early June, 50 kids came up to the truck; just a few knew about Bionicle,' Gillespie said. ``Now, they are pulling up to places and kids are jumping in to tell the other kids about it.'

Seven-year-old Lucas McCoy, who has dropped Pokemon cards in favor of Bionicle, rambles on whimsically about the story line, the music and Mata Nui-Lego's online game, where players see from the perspective of Toa (the heroes) and try to save the island.

Taking a break from play with his Toa figures, Lucas, who lives in Bedford, Texas, talks nonstop for 20 minutes, pausing only to breathe. ``It was the time before time, when the world was new. There was this bad spirit that sent a spell on Mata Nui to sleep ... and I think their most greatest fear is sleep. It made these infected masks, and Makuta is the stone - well, I think Makuta is like a dinosaur.'

The characters' weapons (tools, in Lego's lingo), which include a pitchfork and a spear, don't seem to bother the parents.

Lucas's mom, Maria McCoy, said she and her husband play with their son and can ``see his little mind working.' His focus is on building, not violence, she said. ``It brings out his imaginative self.'

On the other hand, the Bionicle tie-in with a broad range of products can increase the pester pressure from kids, parents say. For instance, to see the paradise island before the darkness descended upon it, kids need the Nintendo Game Boy's Bionicle game, which sells for $39.99. To access screen savers and pictures on the Bionicle Web site, kids need to buy the Bionicle characters and access the codes on the toy canisters.

McCoy said she has kept a lid on Lucas's desire to buy all the products by insisting he use his allowance. ``He gets an allowance, and he can buy what he wants with it. I tell him, 'If you save your money, you can get the more pricey things,' ' McCoy said.

Traffic on Web sites and at toys stores indicates boys, teenage guys and longtime Lego fans are the biggest buyers of Bionicle. Lego officials say sales have surpassed their expectations, but they decline to release figures.

The toy's official Web site had almost 2 million hits in July. Bionicle fans also have responded to the company's create-your-own-site contest. Yahoo lists thousands of sites mentioning the toy line.

But Lego's leap away from its classic plastic brick sets hasn't won everybody over.

Spencer Tibbs, 12, of Warrenton, Va., said he can be more creative with older Lego sets, which he uses to build his own creations, such as a replica of his mom's office. He doesn't like sets that require directions.

``I should be more into that stuff (Bionicle), but I like the older stuff,' he said.

For Lego, the big question is: Are more American boys like Lucas McCoy or Spencer Tibbs?

[denimbex1986]

'Barbenheimer day is finally almost here. The most anticipated A-list showdown since 50 Cent vs. Kanye West in 2007 has fueled double feature ticket sales, earned support from other summer stars, and fueled an entire cottage industry of tweets, memes, and custom merch. But the question hanging over the dual blockbusters has been a simple one—are they actually good movies?

Barbie, in particular, has kept its actual plot details under extremely tight wraps, even as Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, and Ryan Gosling have been on an elite charm offensive on the promo circuit. Oppenheimer, obviously draws from historical events and the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus, but Christopher Nolan has shown with Dunkirk and the Nikola Tesla character in The Prestige that he’s willing to put his distinct Nolanian spin on historical facts and figures.

With release day fast approaching, critical reactions to the two movies have begun to roll out—and the good news is they’ve been massively positive. Barbie got the inside lane by lifting its review embargo the evening of July 18, as opposed to midday on the 19th for Oppenheimer. Greta Gerwig’s big swing has hailed at as an ambitious, madcap movie with Indiewire praising the writing, production design, and the…Kens? “All Barbies delight, but the Kens, appropriately enough, launch a real sneak attack, especially Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Michael Cera nearly makes off with the whole thing as the singular sidekick Allan,” wrote Kate Erbland. Variety highlighted the movie’s “high-concept” nature and its ability to grapple with issues related to harmful, unattainable beauty standards. “Gerwig has made the kind of family film she surely wishes had been available to her when she was a girl, sneaking a message (several of them, really) inside Barbie’s hollow hourglass figure,” Peter Debruge said.

Writing for RogerEbert.com, Christy Lemire said the juxtaposition between the “real world” and a seeming utopia is reminiscent of The Truman Show or The Lego Movie, but that Gerwig’s direction brings a distinct perspective to the film. Lemire praised the work of Robbie and the way her Barbie character deepens as the film progresses.

Not everyone was sold on Barbie though: Richard Lawson, reviewing for Vanity Fair, wrote that there “are a few laugh-out-loud gags in the film, but just as many jokes clunk around like cheap plastic. The script is so strenuously wacky that it runs the movie ragged pretty quickly.” Meanwhile for Vulture, critic Allison Willmore argued that just because the film features a beloved auteur gamely taking on corporate IP, its success shouldn’t be graded on a curve: “There’s a streak of defensiveness to Barbie, as though it’s trying to anticipate and acknowledge any critiques lodged against it before they’re made, which renders it emotionally inert despite the efforts at wackiness.”

Oppenheimer praise has been a bit more effusive so far. One viewer who couldn’t care less about embargoes is Academy Award winner Paul Schrader, who wrote a glowing review of the movie on his Facebook page. “The best, most important film of this century. If you see one film in cinemas this year it should be Oppenheimer. I’m not a Nolan groupie but this one blows the doors off the hinges,” he said. (Schrader co-wrote Raging Bull and Taxi Driver, and has directed incredible films like First Reformed, so his reverence certainly carries weight.)

The Hollywood Reporter noted that the movie is more calculated and contemplative than high-octane action thriller. “Perhaps the most surprising element of this audacious epic is that the scramble for atomic armament ends up secondary to the scathing depiction of political gamesmanship,” David Rooney wrote. In a review for RogerEbert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz said that what matters most in Oppenheimer is “the human face,” praising Nolan’s use of intimate close-ups on not only Cillian Murphy, but also supporting characters like Emily Blunt and Matt Damon. (Zoller Seitz also notes that the actual effects of the atomic bomb being dropped in Japan are “talked about but never shown,” noting potential backlash from audiences who wanted the decision as an act of war to be reckoned with more explicitly.)

As Keith Phipps wrote, pitting the two movies against each other is ultimately the wrong conversation to be having, fun though it may be. Both seem to be deeply original, ambiguous works from within the Hollywood system, the kinds of things we just don’t get enough of anymore. Besides, the box office battle seems to be over before it ever started, with Barbie projected to eclipse Oppenheimer on opening weekend —but if anyone has ruled the summer with a commanding consistency for the last decade, it’s Christopher Nolan.'