>>7539857I recall people talking about it like it was common knowledge back in the pre-cancellation BZP days, but can't find a source. Could be a fandom-wide case of the Mandela effect, but for what it's worth, Aanchir touches on the matter in this Eurobricks thread, and she normally has her shit together when it comes to Lego history and background info:
eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/100339-would-the-08-figures-have-been-different-if-they-were-the-mahri/Says '08 would have continued the Inika/Mahri arc before the Nuva returned the following year, but he (back then she was a he) also thought the '08 Toa toys were always designed to be the Nuva because storyline plans changed before the set design process began.
But there was also a German documentary that went into detail on the 2008 set lineup, and it showed some of the Toa in different colors, such as a blue Tahu, which could mean they didn't have particular characters in mind when designing the individual figures. It also showed focus groups influencing set design, and I doubt the kids in the groups even knew who or what the Toa Nuva were. I don't think the longer German version of the show was archived, but we do have the shorter Russian version, with a typical Bonkle-hater Systemfag as the show host.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYhQ6WtPE1M>>7539875Note the part where I said mask, not the characters. Out of their two year storyline prominence, they spent almost a year and a half not even using said masks, which made it easier to misremember some of their names, especially if they sounded almost the same as other names. As opposed to the Mata/Nuva, whose masks were prominently showcased and named for three years, making them easier to remember.
