The Transformer Industry

In 1984, the Transformers made their way onto toy shelves across the nation. There was no telling that this toy would make such an impact on the American society. No one knew that these little "Robots in Disguise" would have their own television series, an animated full-length feature presentation, and countless merchandised products.

The Transformers have lasted as a toy line and as a fantastic story for 15 years. In the early stages of the TFs they were granted a television cartoon series. This series brought the toys to life and chroniclized their journeys to and on the planet Earth. As mentioned previously, the Autobots were lead by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons called Megatron their general. In 1986, the story continued to unfold as the TFs were featured on the Silver Screen. Their movie brought tons of new faces to the on-going battle between Good and Evil.

After the cartoons ran their final season, the toys still flourished and brought many new ideas to the Transformers genre lasting into the late 1980s. The Headmasters, Micromasters, Powermasters and Targetmasters were just some of the many TF concepts. At this time, comic books were the only way that the Transformers series was being told. But alas, the comic book's run closed just as the television series, and the toys soon followed. Then in the early 1990's, the Transformers were reborn with the Generation 2.

And now once again the Transformers are alive and well thanks to the merger of the toy giants Hasbro and Kenner, in the form of the Beast Wars and Beast Machines. During the Beast Wars storyline, the two factions are now the herioc Maximals and the savage Predacons. Optimus Primal has taken control of the Maximals, while Megatron (namesake, not the Decepticon General) is at the reins of the Predacon team. They continue the battle that was waged first by their early ancestors.

Beast Machines happens some time after the Beast Wars. The Beast Wars are over, and the Maximals have returned to Cybertron, but it is not as they left it. Now Megatron contols what seems to be mindless drones of vehicle Transformers called Vehicons. Are they truly sparkless beings or the surviving inhabitants of Cybertron enslaved by the diabolical Megatron? Optimus Primal still guides the fledgling group of Maximals.

Gone are the days of traditional cel animated Transformers cartoons. Thanks to Mainframe Entertainment, creators of the great ReBoot series, the Transformers are alive in jaw-dropping, eye-stunning computer-generated imagery.

The future is uncertain for the Transformers, but as long as the creative juices continue to flow, they will forever thrive and entertain.