I have always been happy that my boys enjoy Legos, what a great toy, and never thought to even investigate any new item that they put out, we even ended up on the mailing list and now receive numerous catalogs.

One day I noticed them role playing with their beloved "bionicles" which I thought to be harmless robots, and heard them saying things that sounded just like they were playing with Pokemon (or close enough.) I immediately asked them (while my skin was crawling) where they were getting all those wild ideas from. "It's right here in the book, Mom!" Come to find out, these Bionicles have quite a story to tell, all spelled out in the Lego magazine in a comic strip format, which my boys had been devouring for weeks.
I was upset to find that I was so careless, I not only let that junk into my home, but encouraged it without even checking it out.

The story speaks of "..The Great Spirit Mata Nui descended from the skies like a burning star." "He walked the world and marveled at its beauty and watched over all living things." But he was followed by "..his brother, The Dark Spirit Makuta. Makuta coveted this world and all that his brother had." The "Dark Spirit" cast a spell that made "Mata Nui" fall asleep, now this world (sometimes referred to as an island) is in "Darkness" and in need of rescue. That is where the Bionicles come in, the have been sent by the "Great Beings" to save the world. And of course, these "mighty heroes" are to be equipped with "six Kanohi Masks of Power." "Each mask grants the wearer new power and wisdom."

The "Great Mask" list:

Miru - The great Mask of Levitation (to float and glide on air)
Hau - The Great Mask of Shielding
Kakama - The Great Mask of Speed
Kaukau - The Great Mask of Water (to breath under water)
Pakari - The Great Mask of Strength
Akaku - The Great Mask of X-Ray Vision

Sound familiar?

More masks are being added to this story, and I have not had enough time to research any further. Just annoyed that I didn't see it coming. My boys could make better use of their time.

What really gets me is that these "Bionicles" do not even require much effort to assemble - Lego is promoting new age role playing along with "dumbing down" what used to be an educational toy! (Now they also have a Harry Potter line!)

Warning to Parents: Do not rely on the past reputation of any toy company, check them out!