It's a great time to be a Transformers fan, but it really seems like that's for the adult / long-time fans.

We have a WFC Trilogy that is delivering all the G1 and Beast Wars you could want. This appeals to the kids of the 80s and 90s. It has a companion Netflix series which is clearly aimed at an older demographic.

We have a Studio Series that has been giving us high quality Bayverse. This appeals to those who enjoyed the live action movies, the first of which released 14 years ago now.

And then there's Cyberverse which has kind of a barebones toyline supporting a cartoon that airs in a no man's land timeslot.

So... how do kids get into Transformers nowadays? I guess the answer is Cyberverse, but from what I can tell that series is not making all that much of a splash, and I couldn't even tell you when/where the show airs, except for all the episodes releasing for free on YouTube?

When I was growing up, there was always some combination of toyline + media that was the primary driver of the franchise. Beast Wars was the Transformers of the mid 90s. Unicron Trilogy and each of its toylines were the Transformers of the early to mid 2000's. These were all perfectly accessible for kids, they were all their own versions of the franchise, and the series aired in normal timeslots. The movie obviously blew things up in a big way and each one had a huge accompanying toyline.

But now I question how a typical kid becomes a fan of the franchise. What draws them in? Might this change with the movies seemingly starting from a fresh slate?

 

Since I turn 20 in less than a month, I probably no longer qualify as "a typical kid"; I was 6 when the first live-action movie debuted (though I wouldn't watch it until I was 14 or so) and started watching Animated, the show that was airing at the time, when I was 6 or 7 years old.

But what really got me into the franchise was the fact that my dad had watched the original cartoon in the 1980s when he was a kid. He introduced me to the G1 cast, and thus, G1 is ultimately the series I have the most fondness and nostalgia for (though Animated is, unsurprisingly, a close second). I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of kids get into the franchise because of their parents or older siblings, who have fondness for earlier Transformers shows and show them to their kids.

 

Ehhh... kinda?

I think it's more for the fans that only want to see their favourite things again.

Like I'm a huge Beast Wars fan. I'm thrilled that it's back, with new toys and reissues, but I'd trade it all for a brand new series that was good and felt fresh and original.

The last ten or so years of my collecting has become an endless cycle of acquiring the same few characters or old characters I never had. I can't point to more than a handful of irrelevant new names in my collection as characters whom did not exist before 2011. (and even then it's heavily supported by movie characters)

I guess you could say that.

Though it's more aimed at older people with a vague memory of the old series, but not any sort of real attachment or knowledge of it, and upon any sort of scrutiny devolves into soulless, meandering garbage.

Good question.

TF media is kind of the worst it's been in years. Cyberverse is targeted at a much younger crowd that tonally precludes older children with its style and insufferable talking down with its writing and voice acting. WFC is a miserable mess that fails as both a story and a commercial. The comics are boring and not for kids. And there's no movie to speak of, and what ones(?) are coming are seeming increasingly disjointed and lack any sort of desired vision.

The best way for kids to get into TFs now would be to stumble upon an older show like BW, TFA or Prime, something that actually has a demographic. Transformers today feels utterly directionless and unapproachable, leaning too hard on its own established iconography to support its premise. None of the series feel like they truly stand alone, relying largely on traits of characters and concepts you already know, or are expected to know. WFC is a great example of how the entire backbone of the conflict is something merely alluded to have happened off-screen, rather than actually showing it as part of its own story. Crucial plot elements are paid lip service, but very little actually takes place in the present that feels substantial, and it makes it feel like even if you have been watching the show from the start, you're still out of the loop.

 

Yeah, this is what I was trying to get at. I was just a tad too young for Beast Wars so my first proper Transformers series was Armada. And you need absolutely zero outside knowledge of Transformers to understand Armada. Everything you need to know about what happens there is in the show. If you knew Transformers beforehand? Cool, Optimus Prime might look familiar to you, you might have heard the words Autobot and Decepticon before, but if not, no problem, it is all there for you. A movie is obviously shorter form than a TV series but the first movie laid everything out for you too.

Most Transformers series since feel like you need to have working knowledge to get the most out of it.

 

Going to have to wait for the movies to come out to get the new batch of kids. IIRC its a cycle. Hasbro gets a batch of kids, grows and matures the brand with them for the next 3-5 years until they lose them all. Then they reboot, return to kiddie and go in for the next batch. lather, rinse, repeat.

The fans help them as they mature. We are mighty and give them enough money for them to cater directly to us. But our money never matches the movie toy money.

 

I remember transforming my TR Blurr in front of my young nephew and he immediately 
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As a kid what got me into TF was the 2007 movie(my first contact with the franchise ever)and a few G1 episodes i bought for cheap(my second contact with TF)those being MTMTE Part 1 and S.O.S Dinobots, loved them as a kid and instantly wanted the figures .

 

I guess it’s either cyberverse/WFC/the movies. Nowadays a lot of kids (at least most of the kids that I know) usually go on YouTube or use Netflix instead cable TV, also the movies bring in a lot fans, it got me and a bunch of people into the franchise.

 

Cyberverse I guess. We've got two youth aimed shows coming out soon. One pre-school based on BotBots the other for the more traditional market of like around 6-12.

 

I don't like to think about it this way, but TF is starting to shape into one of those franchises where it's an "all the cool stuff happened years ago" kind of thing. The movies, video games, shows, and comics really felt like they peaked a decade ago in popularity rather than anything recent.

If anything, it's less based on newcomers coming into the franchise these days and more like a video game that constantly gets a remaster to appeal to the centric longtime fans. I don't know how to word it otherwise especially for the kids.

 

i know that what i'm gonna wrote will be controversial but this is an american company so it follow the mainstream way of thinking of the middle age western man that "cartoon are for kids" and so toys so the main running show is cyberverse aimed as kids (around the same age of pokemon) circa 10 year old and then we have wfc trilogy for a much older audience mostly those with enough cash to fuel the toyline . if a young teen want to watch a transformer show i think it's only real choice is wfc yet again much depend on personal preferences.
A totally different reasoning must be done for the asian audience especially japanese.

 

Cyberverse? Maybe Rescue Bots Academy? Perhaps the toys? They still re-run the movies sometimes, surely one of those things must get some kids interested.

 

My nephew is two and loves the Rescue Bots. Whether that keeps him into Transformers, it's hard to say.

 

I'd guess maybe Rescue Bots/Rescue Bots Acadamy or Cyberverse, especially since the latter is very accessible on YouTube and is a pretty good standalone show. Both have plenty of adult fans, too.

 

I don't have a concrete answer, but I think the key to getting a new audience is going to involve shaking things up to a degree that longtime fans may not like, rather than trying to push yet another version of Aligned/Evergreen that's 10% different than the last attempt. The new Nickelodeon series might be going down that road, but who knows at this point.

 

I think there's quite a few kids that get introduced to TF by parents or older siblings. Transformers make a lot of toys, and toys often get handed down through generations.

 

At this point, there's so many different TF series available that any one of them could serve as an entry point. Sure TFP, for instance, is aimed at older viewers, but there's no reason why a younger viewer couldn't enjoy it as well. Same with other series too.

 

Under 6 - Rescue Bots
6+ - Cyberverse
10+ - ...Cyberverse (okay, War For Cybertron, maybe)

But seriously, Cyberverse beats out War For Cybertron by a mile.

 

Back in my day (which was 07'), I got into Transformers during the hype of the movies. I liked the designs, characters, but didn't watch them through fully. At some point me and my older brother watched the complete G1 cartoon and played War for Cybertron, so I always had am attachment to the original cartoon characters.

I assume kids nowadays will get into the franchise with the new Nickelodeon show coming next year or the new movie that is also launching around the same time. In my opinion Transformers toys are at their peak now (QC issues aside.) Kids might prefer the cooler and edgier movie characters, but I think there will be kids interested in the G1 Generations characters also. Cyberverse, Recuse Bots Academy and Bumblebee are the latest piece of TF media, so new fans have a lot to go through. Streaming services like Tubi has almost every TF series, and I believe there are kids out there who would want to watch the old G1, Beast Wars, RiD 2001, Animated, etc. So if you wanna introduce a kid do it now.

 

I would say that it would start with the kid first watching or hearing about a Transformers movie. After that, the kid then starts exploring the other/older parts of Transformers media. They would gain exposure to the current and past lines, causing them to gain interest and collect Transformers.

 

Cartoon-Currently its Cyberverse. We're due to get a Botbots cartoon as well.

Toywise-It depends on what age group you're talking about.

Rescue Bots is still kickin around for the younger set. They're sturdy. I know this because one of my little cousins is a 2 1/2 year-old wrecking machine. He hasn't destroyed his yet. *knocks on wood*

Kingdom,Cyberverse and Headmasters for the older, less destructive kids.

My daughter says she's done with TF. Though she might pick up toys that looks cool sometimes.

How do you get a kid into TF? Show em some cartoons and see if they wanna play with your toys.

If they like it, cool. You may have kickstarted a new love of Transformers.

If they don't, just leave it be. Every kid has their own interests.