Answer: Though there are a number of features common among action figures, there is no clear definition of what is an action figure, so there are a number of types of figures that fall into a gray area. Bionicle is in this gray area.

Within action figure collecting circles the issue of Bionicle and other buildable LEGO figures such as Hero Factory gets brought to attention from time to time. Should these buildable figures be classified as action figures, or are they in a different category altogether? These types of figures fall into a very gray area, and I don’t really think there is a “yes” or “no” answer to this question, but I’ll dive into some of the reasons why some feel Bionicle sets should or shouldn’t be classified as action figures. For the sake of brevity, I’m going to focus on Bionicle specifically; however, this post can apply to other buildable figures such as Hero Factory sets as well.

What Defines An Action Figure?

Once assembled, many Bionicle figures (especially after 2002) have much in common with traditional action figures. They can be posed, used to simulate combat and other actions and they are designed to utilize accessories such as projectiles and other weapons. Does that mean they can definitively be classified as action figures. I think we need an explicit definition of what exactly is an action figure first. That being said, getting an explicit definition for what constitutes an action figure is not as simple as it sounds.

Going back to the origin of action figures, the actual term itself was first used by Hasbro back in 1964 to describe G.I. Joe figures. Hasbro needed to market what were essentially dolls to boys. The term “doll” being attached to these figures might have proven to be ineffective from a marketing standpoint since many boys simply did not want to play with dolls since they were thought of as girls toys. To market their G.I. Joe figures to boys, Hasbro dropped the term “doll” completely and branded them as action figures. The term caught on and, today, nearly all posable figures of characters from movies, video games, and so on are classified as action figures.

Not every representation of a character from a movie, TV show, or video game is an action figure though. Figurines can be representations of characters from media, however, they lack articulation and, therefore, they lack the capabilities to do any action and are in a fixed pose. Figurines are not action figures and there is no debate over whether they are or are not because they cannot be posed.

So it seems that we can deduce, based on this, that an action figure must have points of articulation—they cannot be immobile. It must be posable. So does that mean Barbie dolls are action figures? Most action figure enthusiasts would probably say no, but in all seriousness, there really isn’t anything of significance that makes Barbie dolls different than your typical Star Wars figure. Is it the fact that Barbie dolls are marketed to girls whereas Star Wars “dolls” are marketed to boys?

I don’t know the answers to these questions, and there might not even be answers. The point of this brief search to find what makes something an action figure is to show that its difficult to define. I’ll throw one more example out there: Bandai Gundam model kits. When fully assembled, these kits can easily be mistaken for traditional action figures, and many action figure enthusiasts accept them as action figures. Should they be classified as action figures? I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone really does.

The Building Aspect

The most obvious difference between a Bionicle and a Transformers figure, Marvel figure, and just about every other action figure is the fact that Bionicles must be built. This is a major part of the user’s experience with Bionicles and other LEGO products that is not part of the traditional experience with action figures. Generally, for action figures, once the figure is unboxed it can be played with, posed, displayed, etc. This isn’t the case for Bionicle. A pile of parts must be assembled before anything can be done with it. And while its true that some action figures do require assembly—the Marvel Legends BAF figures for instance—building the figure isn’t an important part of the experience and isn’t really treated the same way building a LEGO set is.

Once the building is complete, however, Bionicles have much more in common with traditional action figures than with a typical LEGO City set or a LEGO version of the Death Star. After assembly, Bionicle sets can be posed, played with, and displayed much like you would do with traditional action figures. Even though they look much more like the skeleton of an action figure, all the functionality of an action figure in the traditional sense is there.

How To Define Bionicle?

In light of all this, how do we define Bionicles? Are they action figures, or aren’t they? At the end of the day, this is subjective. On one hand, Bionicles are more like model kits or traditional LEGO sets—the building element isn’t exactly common among most action figures. Bionicles also look very different than standard action figures, being more skeletal and less solid looking. Among a collection of Star Wars, Marvel, Overwatch, Bionicle, and Transformers figures, the Bionicle figures are going to stand out as the different ones—from a visual standpoint, they just look different. All that being said, all the functionality of your typical action figure is there with most Bionicle sets after they have been built. So what do you do with all this? Its up to you. Some choose to categorize Bionicles as “Buildable Figures”, “Constraction Sets”, or even “Buildable Action Figures”. To others, they are just action figures.

Some might say whether or not Bionicle sets are action figures depends on how you use them. When I was a kid, I played with my Bionicles much the same way I would with my Transformers. They would have social interactions and inevitably go to war with each other. War with Bionicles usually involved more decapitations, but, overall, it was the same experience. This is why I, personally, have always considered Bionicles to be both LEGO sets and action figures. For those who were more interested in building the sets, combining them, and experimenting with different part combinations, the term “action figure” may not be appropriate. Bionicle falls into a gray area, and, in the end, whether or not they are action figures is up to you. Just don’t be surprised if you’re lectured about how “Bionicles aren’t action figures” after posting about them on r/ActionFigures.

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