Random set of the day: Bonezai
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 2115 Bonezai, released in 2011. It's one of 43 Ninjago sets produced that year. It contains 21 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$9.99/£7.49.
It's owned by 2142 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
Help me come to life! If you like the set I've chosen for you today, please pledge your support for me on LEGO Ideas so I have a chance of becoming an official LEGO set!
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31 comments on this article
Lol, I literally just pulled this out of a drawer a few days ago, to the reaction of "Oh, I still have this?"
Weird to think that Ninjago got it's start when I was still a kid and in it's target audience. Now I'm in my twenties, and it's still running strong!
Ugh, what a terrible pun, but that's in line with Ninjago.
Can we get some lore on this dude?
He comes with a pick-axe, which I guess is useful if he was going to dig himself up?
Man, I don't know if Spinjitzu was Lego's first "collect and battle" gimmick but it was easily the best
And golly, ten years is a long time
@MCLegoboy said:
"Ugh, what a terrible pun, but that's in line with Ninjago.
Can we get some lore on this dude?"
not that much lore as far as i know, he's really just a clone footsoilder
he doesn't even get a name in the show.
Any particular reason they don't run this first season of Ninjago on Netflix or the other streaming services? Were the skeletons just too much for the little kids back then, compared to snake-men and four-armed evil nemesis-es?
Bonezai is the Skulkin vehicle designer/mechanic. He isn't very aggressive unless you breathe on his vehicles wrong.
Please don’t tell me this is the missing Anna from yesterday...
All these years later
@oldfan said:
"Any particular reason they don't run this first season of Ninjago on Netflix or the other streaming services? Were the skeletons just too much for the little kids back then, compared to snake-men and four-armed evil nemesis-es?"
The pain I feel knowing that this isn’t on Netflix or anywhere but I foolishly sold my Ninjago DVD for $2 at a yard sale when I was twelve... why must you remind me
(I think you can rent it on Amazon maybe)
@Your_Future_President said:
"Please don’t tell me this is the missing Anna from yesterday..."
Nah, this is what My Dad did to himself to escape the authorities.
And now you know why his eyes always looked so unnerving...
@oldfan said:
"Any particular reason they don't run this first season of Ninjago on Netflix or the other streaming services? Were the skeletons just too much for the little kids back then, compared to snake-men and four-armed evil nemesis-es?"
The Skeletons didn't get a full season, they got the pilot episodes. The bad guys in season one are the Serpentine, hence the name Rise of the Serpentine. The Skulkin do make a few appearances a little later in the show, though. Hope that helps.
I was never into the spinners.
@fakespacesquid:
*coughKanohicough*
Also, *coughThrowbotDiscscough*, but those really weren't that great.
@PurpleDave said:
" @fakespacesquid:
*coughKanohicough*
Also, *coughThrowbotDiscscough*, but those really weren't that great."
These were fully-fledged, though, trading cards and everything. So many mechanics for kids to ignore while they're just spinning the dudes
There actually is tons of lore on Ninjago characters. The show only scratches the surface. According to the 2011 Ninjago Official Guide, Bonezai designed and built the vehicles of the skeleton army. Of course, in Season 2 it is revealed that Dr. Julien was forced to design them. That doesn't make the earlier lore invalid, though. Julien, being held captive on an island, likely didn't build the vehicles, so Bonezai still likely did build them back in the Underworld from Julien's blueprints. Additionally, the guide is presented as Wu's perspective, as a "training guide" for the reader to "learn to be a ninja". Wu was unaware of Julien's resurrection, and it's not revealed if even Garmadon knew, as he is seen interacting with Samukai in the flashbacks, which perhaps took place before Garmadon was banished to the Underworld. As Samukai knew Garmadon was untrustworthy, he likely kept Julien's revival a close secret, and credited Bonezai as the designer as well as the constructor of the vehicles.
Anyway, the OG 2011 Ninjago seemed to take place in feudal Japan. Along with the use of the classic masks and samurai helmet (the latter used by Garmadon before being replaced next year) it was the closest we ever got to a revival of the Castle Ninja subtheme. The skeletons' vehicles and technology, after all, came from another dimension. Kai's blacksmith shop and village in the first episode really seem anachronistic after the time period was clarified as modern day in 2012. The introduction of vehicles for the Ninja and Ninjago City in the first numbered season were very jarring for me. The pilot seemed to be setting up an escapist theme of the traditional culture of Bushido honorably triumphing over heartless machines from hell. Even so, the animated series had modern-day blink-and-you'll miss it moments, like Kai's toothbrush and Wu meeting Jay atop a skyscraper. And in the official guide, it is said that Jay equipped the Lighting Dragon with amplifiers to make his roar louder.
Is this the first ever Ninjago Random set of the day?
@TillyTheCat:
Actually...yes. Yes, it is. The only other Ninjago set to appear as the RSotD was 2111, which was "randomly" picked from a significantly reduced pool (possibly just the one set) after Huw rigged the deck to pick a Ninjago set on January 14th, the 10th anniversary of the series premiere for the animated show. This, then, is the first one that's a fair pick.
Man, my brothers and I loved the spinners when they came out! I didn’t get this particular set, but I got him in the battle arena from that year (7520).
I'm conflicted, he has red eyes but also a cute smile... Is he nice or evil?
Here we go with some lore!
Ninjago has many different afterlives, but one of the earliest to appear in the show was the Underworld. Those who die in a way that is embarrassing or they cannot come to terms with become Skulkin, near immortal skeletons within a massive cavern of floating rocks.
Shortly before the Ninjago show began Garmadon was cast into the underworld where he defeated the Skulkin king, Samukai, and took over as ruler of the Underworld. Under Garmadon's lead the Skulkin spread throughout Ninjago in search of the four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu, kidnapping Kai's sister Nya in the process.
Bonezai was a high ranking general in the Skulkin's ice faction, but he had little impact on the official Ninjago story. In fact, Nuckal and Kruncha are the only Skulkin to canonically preform Spinjitzu and that was on accident, making this spinner just a for-fun thing for kids to play with. If I remember correctly he also appeared as a boss fight in LEGO Universe (RIP.) He's also the only named Skulkin with no headgear, causing him to blend into the crowd more than his kin.
@Lego_lord said:
"I'm conflicted, he has red eyes but also a cute smile... Is he nice or evil?"
Nice and evil of course....like rabbits with red eyes and cute smiles.
Unique: None
Rare:
3841 pickaxe in pearl gold x1
92547 6x6 turntable with blue skulls print in dark bluish gray & black x1
@TillyTheCat said:
"Is this the first ever Ninjago Random set of the day?"
Same question here.
@Yooha said:
" @TillyTheCat said:
"Is this the first ever Ninjago Random set of the day?"
Same question here."
Already answered by @PurpleDave. Please see above.
@Norikins Lego Ninjago Magazine did a comic story some time ago in which, if I recall correctly, Garmadon discusses Julien with a Skulkin, if not Samukai himself.
@GSR_MataNui to my knowledge, the only confirmed “afterlives” were the now destroyed Cursed Realm and the Departed Realm. So far as any official media has stated, I believe the Skulkin are merely skeletal beings, not undead.
Hopefully as the algorithm selects a set up to 10 years ago we will see a lot more Ninjago from 2011, especially the fantastic dragons and temples. No interest in spinners as needed at least half a dozen of them (or friends who were interested and brought their own) before you could actually have enough cards for a decent game which seemed not the most worthwhile Ninjago spend at the time.
@Mr__Thrawn said:
" @oldfan said:
"Any particular reason they don't run this first season of Ninjago on Netflix or the other streaming services? Were the skeletons just too much for the little kids back then, compared to snake-men and four-armed evil nemesis-es?"
The pain I feel knowing that this isn’t on Netflix or anywhere but I foolishly sold my Ninjago DVD for $2 at a yard sale when I was twelve... why must you remind me
(I think you can rent it on Amazon maybe)"
I'm pretty sure it's free if you have prime
@ambr:
The issue with the spinners, and any equivalent products that followed, is that they were very much aware that minifigs move sets, so a lot of these had exclusive minifigs. Sometimes a group of matched ninja would be split between regular sets and these spinner-type sets, so if you wanted all of the ninja in Outfit Z, you were basically forced to buy some. Once you had some, you would be more likely to try out the game, and if you liked it, you’d be more likely to buy more of the spinner-type sets (both for the game you’d just tried, and for whatever they roll out next). Once they had people interested, maybe they’d take minifigs that you’d already bought regular sets to get, and bundle them in new spinner-type sets, so you had to rebuy the minifigs if you wanted access to them in the game.
Regardless of your personal experience or thoughts, this strategy absolutely worked. The spinner game was, as I originally suspected ten years ago, horribly flawed, since the “better” spinner was more likely to lose, but those things really did sell. Heck, I never tried the game, but I bought several just because it was as cheap as buying the loose minifig off Bricklink, especially once you factor in shipping.
And here, I didn't even realise there was a game involved: I just thought they were spinners just for the sake of spinners, because spinners are fun when you're a kid!
Mind you, Ninjago's appearance pretty much coincided with the start of my dark age, so I never really paid more than the most cursory attention to it at the time; it's no surprise I missed a lot of the details!
This was my first Ninjago set I ever got!
Were those cards part of a game? If so, where can I find the rules for the game?