Lego's Bionicles: Archival Embassadors?

 

Though this week's Digital History readings focused on new visualizations of historic data, doing research this weekend for my Archives paper I came across a fascinating reading that was too good not to share.

In her introduction to Archivaria 61: Special Section on Archives, Space and Power Joan Swartz makes reference to a rather unconventional archive. Lego's Bionicle brand began in 2001 as a series of action figures however, due to their incredible success, products now include novels, dvds, and video games. Crucial to the narrative of this science fiction are the Great Archives of Metra Nui, a fictional collection of documents and objects relating to the fantastic realm. Any Star Wars fan-boy/girl worth their weight in cheap, plastic light sabers will tell you that this emphasis on archives is far from new. In Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Jedi Temple Archivist Madame Jocasta Nu helps the dashing young Obi Wan find the location of the planet Kamino. Not only do Bionicles borrow heavily from the themes of the original trilogy, but they also use the archivist as a important character in their universe.

In a web galaxy far, far away bionic heroes fight evil super-villains by harnessing the power of the natural elements: so far so predictable, right? The catch is that two of the key heroes, Tehutti and Whenua just so happen to be archivists. According to one Bionicles book, Tehutti:
"[K]nows all the stories about disasters that befell Matoran who rushed into things without thinking. He believes caution, planning, and a knowledge of the past are the most important tools for a hero. Unless, of course, the exhibits in the Archives are threatened – then he takes risks of every kind to protect what he views as the most important place in all of Metru Nui."
Does he believe in the preservation of the past? Definitely. Will he kick some serious bionic butt to ensure his enemies' respecte de fonds? You'd better believe it.

In a rather accurate reflection of the current academic climate there is even a tension between the Onu-Matoran archivists and the academic Toa of Ko-Metru working away in their "knowledge towers". These academics sometimes stay in the towers their whole lives and are described as being loners who are intensely focused on developing their theories. Sound familiar?

Though overly serious analysts might point out that the Archives of Metra Nui more closely resemble a museum given that their holdings include artifacts, tools and creatures, their emphasis remains on preserving and researching the past.

Okay so Lego made a ridiculous profit from of selling a few million nicely packages pieces of plastic at $14.99 a pop and decided to use some of that money to fund an elaborate back story that just so happened to prominently feature archives - so what? The "so-what" is that 45% of American boys between the ages of 6-12 own a Bionicle with a far higher percentage knowing about them. My little brother got a Bionicle every birthday and Christmas for years, he was so fanatical about them. As one of the most popular brands of his generation Bionicles have had an incredible impact on young minds. By presenting their heroes as defenders of historical documents and knowledge of the past more generally, Lego has exposed a large portion of North American youth to the often mysterious world of the archive. This obviously does not mean that every eight-year-old is going to want to be an archivist when they grow up, but by learning about how important the preservation of the past is and being exposed to heroes that champion history as power I believe Bionicles have contributed in their way to expanding historic consciousness.

There also seems to be a real potential for Bionicles to connect these younger generations with the preservation of the past in the real world. Everyone seems concerned with boys struggling in the classroom, so why not tap into something they love? I could see a field-trip to the archives or a museum going much more successfully if the children were framed as heroic protectors and researchers rather than unwilling subjects of an irrelevant institution. As with my earlier discussion on historic internet memes, this subject inevitably brings up important issues of audience and finding balance between entertainment and information. Academics may groan and point out every problematic aspect of having commercial toys become ambassadors of the archive, and they may be right, however, the ridiculous success of Bionicles seems to demonstrate how history can connect with a supposedly alienated generation.
I would love to hear anyone's opinions on whether you think Bionicles are in fact contributing to the historic consciousness.

And lastly, for the sake of visualizing data, here is a wordle generated from Swartz's piece on Bionicles: