I voted for Scourge, but I think my more serious answer is that evolution as a whole saved Transformers. I mean, it wasn't just the movies, it wasn't just Beast Wars, and it wasn't just the collector base. Instead, I think it's got to do with a combination of all of it, as they've all played a role in keeping our fandom relevant & alive.

 

Um, this is how it goes for everything Transformers.

 

I somehow doubt re-issues that are 4 times the price of their modern counterpart and masterpieces are being bought up by parents for their 10 year old kids in mass...

Not to mention the obvious fail of G2...

 

Poll makes no sense to me ... TF fans saved TransFormers by still communicating about the franchise.

 

Transformers has never needed 'saving', esp. from the limited options in the poll. Arguably, Beast Wars, Armada and the Movieverse each gave the franchise a massive popularity boost but it was hardly dying before any of them.

 

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I think its down to many factors. Beastwars kept the bed warm, whilst RID tested the waters to see if the public still wanted Transforming vehicles. the UT was a MASSIVE step backwards, IMO. However, it is without a shadow of a doubt that the movie has turned it into an Uber Mega franchise, and because if the Movie and Animated lines, there has been a quantum leap in toy engineering.

 

What put the franchise back on the map was the bw cartoon.

Bm was a misfire but hasbro.realised a cartoon was crucial.

 

you know what, i am tired of people not giving beast wars the credit deserves, even after countless people explaining it people still ignore it:

FACT:transformers was not doing good around the transition of the 80's to the 90's, hasbro decided after a couple years hiatus in america to try again with g2, G2 did HORRIBLE, so badly that hasbro was inches away from cancelling transformers for good. hasbro recently aquired kenner at this time. Hasbro decided they would have one last shot to try and save transformers by making beast wars. Beast wars was a hit! and transformers were garunteed a strong future!

beast wars is the reason we are here today talking about all the new toys coming out and not looking back at old toys

oh btw, before the movies, armada was one of the best selling trasnformers toy lines of all time, i can't remember if it was g1 or armada was the top seller until 2007, currently, the ROTF toyline is the best selling transformers toy line, too early to get DOTM numbers

RID only happened to give hasbro and takara time to make armada since they chose not to do transtech

 

Despite my loyalty to Scourge I can't deny that it was Beast Wars that truly saved Transformers. (Sorry Kickback)
However as Beast wars is not an option. I vote SCOURGE!!!!

 

Beast Wars. Full stop.

 

When I started getting back into tf a few years back I thought I read that RID was actually like a filler line until Armada that's why most of the line was redecos.

 

yeah, it was the import of car robots so there was time to make armada

 

You want to know what saved transformers? It was TFW 2005 that's what!
...
No?

 

With the movies, A LOT more kids and adults got into or back into Transformers.

 

Absolutely not true. 1985 remains to this day the strongest sales year of Hasbro for Transformers even surpassing the ungodly numbers of 2007 and 2009. It represented over HALF of Hasbro's revenues at the time. Their annual reports show this.

Gross
1984: $100 million (actual)
1985: $333 million (actual) $684 mill.(adj. for inflation)
1986: $214 million (actual)
.
.
.
2007: $430 million
2008: $300-$330 million (estimate)
2009: $592 million

 

Yeah, exactly. Non of the above. I got back into TF when Beast Wars hit. RID almost made me lose interest actually.

 

It's a little dissapointing that such a biased and incomplete poll got this much attention.

What's your favorites colour? A:Cyan, B:Brown, C:Tree.

 

Beast Wars saved Transformers... Then when BM did poorly, they canceled Transtech in mid-development and put RID in as filler until they finished working on Armada, which was the first true joint venture between Hasbro and Takara on a series. Armada (as someone else pointed out) truly saved Transformers and if it wasn't for Armada being successful (contrary to how many people hate it here), Transformers may not be where it is today. Aaron Archer has told this story a few times... I know at one of the two Botcons I went to.

 

BeastWars, followed by a series that almost killed it again-BeastMachines- although I think its the best written cartoon series, it was one of the most horrible toy lines.