Doctors said the tumor was maybe in the least accessible spot in the body for surgery, so they prescribed Faber daily medication to keep the tumor from growing. A doctor found a benign tumor inside Faber’s pituitary gland that was impeding his sight, a condition called prolactinoma. But shortly after his career began, Faber’s vision began to falter. In 1986, Faber began working for Advance, a Copenhagen-based marketing firm that partners with LEGO. If Faber’s long-time illness dimmed his appetite for play, you wouldn’t know it.

The 54-year-old embodies the unchecked enthusiasm you’d expect from a 28-year veteran of LEGO projects. His youthful smile pairs well with his genial nature, which one might mistake for meekness until he starts talking about his creative projects. Today, Christian Faber looks a bit like a Danish Paul McCartney. They’d pioneer innovations that would transform LEGO and rescue the company from possible doom. Inspired by co-creator Christian Faber’s battle with a tumor at the base of his brain, the toy warriors of Bionicle wouldn’t just conquer their fictional enemies. It’s hard to conceive of now, but at the turn of the millennium, beloved LEGO might have been headed toward a pitiful end.ĭuring this fallow period, one product line stood apart with startling, consistent success: Bionicle, a series of buildable action figures backed by rich worldbuilding and cross-platform promotion. All that misguided development time slashed profitability, and even Star Wars and Harry Potter sales shriveled between movie releases. Some blamed poor strategic choices in the 1990s-Legoland theme parks, forays into digital products-for LEGO’s hemorrhaging.

But unbeknownst to many-even those inside the company-sales were plummeting, and there were only guesses as to why. In 2003, LEGO seemed to be riding high after shrewd licensing deals brought Star Wars and Harry Potter sets to the masses. Courtesy Andre Hurley/The Bionicle Archives

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