Transformers: Robots in Disguise
Cabbage Patch Dolls and Care Bears cornered the “cute and cuddly” market, there was plenty of demand for action and adventure. While Star Wars toys took that battle to outer space, Transformers brought it down to Earth. Transformers were a 1983 adaptation of the Diaclone toys made by Takara Toys in 1980. In 1982 their car-robots, complete with backstories of conflict between the Autobots, led by the hero Optimus Prime and Decepticons, under the control of the evil Megatron. The Autobots were forced to look for new energy sources, as their home planet Cybertron was running out. The search led them to Earth. In 1984, Transformers would move from toy line to TV series. While Transformers became a mega-hit with staying power that lingers to this day, a similar transformable car-robot combination with a backstory, Tonka company’s GoBots, came and went from the cultural lexicon, despite predating Transformers.