In 2002, BIONICLE was entering its second year. It had hit the ground running and became more popular than LEGO could have hoped for. It's own comic book series, an online game, a promotional campaign by McDonald's; it had it all. But with its heroes, the six Toa, having fought the Makuta and won, they needed a new enemy.
Enter the Bohrok: mysterious, insectoid beings that appear out of nowhere. Controlled by parasitic brains called krana, the Bohrok seem to have only one goal: to "clean it all." In other words, they were going to destroy every last piece of nature on Mata Nui, and anyone who got in their way. Split between six swarms, each one wielding one of six elements, they were one of the deadliest threats the Toa would ever face.
Description
There is a saying in the BIONICLE universe about the Bohrok: if you wake one, you wake them all. In this case, if you own one, you own them all. Like the Toa Mata, the Bohrok are copies of each other, the only difference being their shields and colors. So, we will be talking about them as a group rather than individual sets.
Released in the first wave of the 2002 BIONICLE sets, the Bohrok are generally made up of about forty pieces. They're not that tall, only coming up to shoulder height of the Toa Mata. What they lack in size, though, they make up in originality.
The Bohrok were among the most creative sets to come out of the BIONICLE line. I think that their introduction was one of the highlights of BIONICLE. There's something about their alien appearance that can draw people in. The short stubby arms and legs, the shields on their "hands," the eyes and fangs on their mouths, and the domed head. It was like nothing ever seen in LEGO before!
The Bohrok had several unique features that made them so appealing. The first is their actual shape. The Bohrok come in ball forms. Thanks to their design, they can transform out of ball mode into attack mode. This design is incredibly convenient, allowing them to get put in storage without taking up too much space while looking cool.
The next feature is the snapping head. The Bohrok use a combination of gears, a lever, and a rubber band to create this. By pushing down the bar, it will cause the Bohrok's head to lunge forward to attack. Put it in the right place, and it will knock the mask off a Toa!
The third and final feature is inside the Bohrok's heads themselves. Unlike most beings in BIONICLE, the Bohrok do not wear masks. Instead, they wear these tiny, rubber things called krana. Unlike masks, the krana are organic, and thus are alive. There are eight krana for each of the Bohrok swarms, and they got packaged at random, so you never knew what you would get.
The cool thing is that, by pressing down on the Bohrok's eyes, their heads would flip open and launch the krana like a catapult. Even cooler, the krana could attach themselves to the face of the Toa. In the universe, this would assimilate the victims into the swarm.
Benefits
The Bohrok's combination of its features is fantastic! The ability to turn from ball to attack form, the snapping head, the krana, everything is incredible. They even have one final feature: the canisters they come in.
Each Bohrok canister comes with a hook that goes on the lid. This lets owners put the Bohrok ball mode and suspend them from inside their canisters as if they are asleep. This simple yet effective form of immersion made the toys all the more real.
Conclusion
Of the sets to come out of Gen 1 BIONICLE, the Bohrok are among the most memorable thanks to their design, features, and appearance. They made be carbon copies of each other, but their role in the story of BIONICLE was one of the highlights of the original sets. I recommend getting at least one of these things online if you haven't already!
