One of the great things about kids’ imaginations is their capacity to magically turn one thing into another as part of their play. A big empty cardboard box becomes a spaceship. A group of dolls and stuffed animals becomes the students in a classroom. A cluster of marbles rolling across the carpet becomes a herd of horses, evading the cowpuncher who wants to round them up and train them. In a child’s mind, anything is possible, and transformations can happen any day.
It’s that kind of transformational power in play that Japanese toy companies first tapped into in the early 1980s when they introduced shape-changing robot toys. The Japanese toy lines, called Micro Change and Diaclone, offered robots that could transform into other objects—ordinary vehicles, electronics, or weapons. Looking around the world for new product ideas, the American toy manufacturer Hasbro thought these shape-shifting playthings showed commercial promise for the U.S. market. It purchased the rights to Takara’s toy lines and rebranded them as Transformers. With the insights it had garnered by creating and marketing G.I. Joe, Hasbro sought to make the most of its new assets. In 1984, it introduced Transformers action figures with an elaborate backstory, developed by Marvel Comics, about the mechanical world of Cybertron, a planet decimated by civil war. The conflict of Cybertron spread when its warriors—Transformers—crash landed on Earth. On Earth, the Transformers shifted their shapes—rearranging their parts—to better blend in with the machines of the human world. Transformers searched Earth for fuel—a plotline that echoed the energy crisis of the 1970s. The characters split into two factions: the heroic Autobots—peaceful transport vehicles led by Optimus Prime—facing off against the villainous Megatron and his Decepticons—evil weapons of war. Each of the 21 figures issued in 1984 had its own array of talents and capabilities, like speed, intelligence, strength, and cunning. The details of each character appeared on the Tec Spec Chart and Bio Card packaged with the figures and pointing kids toward plotlines for play.
Successive incarnations of the toy line built and expanded its popularity. The first figures (later known as Generation 1) were followed by (naturally) Generation 2. Eventually, Beast Wars, Robots in Disguise, Armada, Universe, Energon, Alternators, and later lines rejuvenated the franchise and captivated new generations of five-year-olds. Tie-ins to television shows, a 1986 animated movie, new issues of comic books, and electronic games kept the toy line in front of kids even as they pursued other pastimes. Hasbro brokered licensing agreements with non-toy companies to produce a variety of consumer goods bearing Transformer images. Kids took Transformer pencil boxes and lunchboxes to school and wore their Transformer pajamas or t-shirts while playing Transformer board games and putting together Transformer puzzles. In 2002, Hasbro offered retro versions of Generation 1 Transformers, allowing the very first fans of the toys to share their enthusiasm with their own sons. Following in a continuing series of blockbuster Transformers live-action films, the first ever fully CG-animated film, Transformers One was released in September 2024. Naturally there will be movie-related toys tied to the line’s 40th anniversary to keep Transformers as popular as ever.
Transformers enjoy such popularity, in part, because Hasbro has used tried-and-true marketing methods—the multimedia venues for toy-related shows, books, and movies; related consumer products; and new variations and characters regularly added to the line—to keep the toy in front of American kids. But the toys are also popular because they are so suited to the ways kids play. The toy line feeds kids’ imaginations and fantasy play. Though the backstory of Transformers is well known to youngsters who watch television and movies, read comics, and play electronic games, the details of the story are just the starting point of their own narratives of Transformer play. The transforming function of the toy line—a clever gimmick, to be sure—materially suits how kids easily mix up their toys for more imaginative play. In their car and truck forms, Transformers merge easily into play with Hot Wheels, Tonka Trucks, and other vehicles. Transformers in their robotic forms fight fiercely beside the Star Wars’ Stormtroopers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek figures, and other action figures. Kids use toys as they best suit the play underway. When kids change their play, the Transformers can, too. No wonder Transformers were one of the 2024 inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame.