What is Transformers?
15 Years of Transformers

Episode Guide
Character Profiles
Top 10

Generation 1 Episodes
Toys: Generation 1
Toys: TF 2000/Car Robots
Titan A.E.

"What's Transformers? What kinda question is that!?"

Yeah, what is Transformers!?

What is Transformers? Transformers is (arguably) the most successful cartoon ever with a continuously popular TV show and toy line for over 15 years. Transformers first aired and released its initial toy line in 1984. What's the catch? Transformers...well, transformed. The show, pitting the good Autobots against the evil Decepticons, featured heroes and villains which transformed from vehicles into robots and back again (depending on the robots descretion, of course), a concept originally conceived by the Japanese toy company Takara. The toy line had the equally amazing ability of transformation. Haltering under the slogans "Robots in Disguise" and "More Than Meets the Eye," the show (assisting in propelling the toy line) and toys hit big, encouraging Hasbro's development of more Transformer toys, expanding the entire line.

The original Transformer series lasted a whole three seasons and a few season four episodes as well as a full length feature film in 1985 before it came to an end in 1987. Although the series didn't last, Hasbro's toy line did, which proceeded to focus on the latest incarnation, Headmasters, which appeared in the Transformer series in Japan at the time. However, the toy line eventually proved that it too was not invincible. Stemming into somewhat lame subgroups, Micro-Masters and Action-Masters. In 1990, Transformers first toy line came to an end. In the early '90s, Hasbro attempted to pick up the pieces of the Transformers with a new toy line, Generation 2, and re-aired original Transformer episodes, now referred to as Generation 1. Unfortuneatly, Generation 2 did not succeed or last as long as planned. Transformers had come to its first major hiatus.

In 1996, Transformers came back in their freshest incarnation show and toy wise: Beast Wars! Beast Wars experimented with a new idea of transforming animals rather than vehicles with a more dynamic CGI 3D animated show by Mainframe. Many die-hard Generation 1 fans originally scoffed at the new idea, but Transformers winning formula eventually succeeded in converting old fans with the new show sporting numerous Generation 1 references. Beast Wars lasted three seasons until it ended in 1999 with the toy line still going strong today.