To Toa is a fictional character that appeared in the comic strip called “Kingdom”. The Toa characters were created when a fairy told the king that if he rewards the people who help him defeat the bad fellows, then the people will sing songs of happiness and thank the king for his goodness. The king created three Toa to carry out the task, Toa Nuaka, Toa Hidaka and Toa Jooka. They combined their skills and powers to fight the evil spirits and to protect the kingdom.
The Toa characters appeared in numerous comic books throughout the following years, and then in the feature-length animated film “The Tree of Life” in 1998. The cartoon was highly popular in Japan and was later made into a series of cartoons and two movies, The Adventures of Toa and Voyage to the West. The Toa characters have appeared in numerous Hollywood movies, as well, including the Harry Potter films, where they are portrayed as the cute, mischievous “Tin Man”, and as the evil “Void Man”. In all these various appearances the Toa are shown to be clever, creative, and very perceptive, as well as being extremely happy, enthusiastic and helpful to the humans around them.
In the most recent novel “The Tin Man”, by Christopher Golden, the Toa are depicted as a race of beautiful, friendly creatures who live on a desert planet named Dorado. In this book, Toto is hired by Dorothy, an elk hunter, to find and bring back a head of gold to her. When Toto takes a visit from wizard Dorothy, who wishes to learn more about him, Toto takes him to the world of the Toa, where the gods live. This is the first meeting between Toto and the great wizard, and although there is an initial hostility, they begin to form an excellent relationship.
In the second novel, “The Message”, the Toa are shown to be visiting the planet Earth, which is populated by other races, including the Fierce. Toto visits Earth and finds that the entire population wants to worship him as their god. This leads Toto to become frustrated, and he flies away to search for a place where he can worship freely. He ends up in the fabulous kingdom of Oz, where he is revered as a god. This is the beginning of an incredible adventure where Toto helps the human characters overcome their fears and learn to triumph over their problems by following a simple, yet grand mission.
The Toa are shown to have several relationships with other species in their universe including the fairies, the hippos and the Quenta. They are shown to be loving, gentle and patient with these different species. The most famous of their relationships, however, is with the spirited, beautiful Toa named Makupaka. Makupaka realizes the importance of being a Toa and decides to join his tribe when he witnesses the terrible fate that awaits him if he does not follow them. Other supporting characters include the warriors Kupu and Hi five, the trio of Toa temple protectors, and of course, their friend, Toa Nuhi.
The original story of The LEGO Star Wars Birthday Party includes lots of interludes from the original trilogy, such as scenes of the original Star Wars films, as well as new stories set between the eras of the Original trilogy and the New Trilogy. These mini-adventures are especially fun for fans of both the LEGO Star Wars and The Phantom Menace films because they allow children to enjoy the story, while at the same time having their own little parts to play. Because they are based on the original stories, many of the characters in this collection also have connections to some of the featured films.