A question I was pondering one night. It's obvious that the Bay movies have helped escalate the TFs franchise to new heights since their inception in 2007. The movies put TFs back into the wide public consciousness. But what if the Bay movies had never been made? How popular and successful do you think the TFs brand would have been today without them? Perhaps TFs would still have remained a good-selling toyline for Hasbro, but just not on the level that it may be now. Or maybe you think the TFs franchise may have steadily declined? What do you think?

And without the movies, what other new TFs projects and lines do you think Hasbro would have come up with? Maybe TFA would have lasted longer with Hasbro investing more attention and time into it? Or maybe there would have been another rather different take on TFs?

Has the experience of being a TFs fan changed because of the movies as well? Are we a more verbal and excited lot now because of our discussions surrounding the movies? Have we become more critical? Are we now a competitive force against fans of other sci-fi properties?

Discuss what the world of TFs would or could have been like without the movies.

 

Transformers were made into a movie in the first place because they were a popular, well-remembered franchise from the 80s, and throughout the past 25 years. You could argue the brand is riding high right now due to the movies, but even before the movies (armada, energon, cybertron, etc.) the brand was doing pretty well. I think Animated would have also been a lot more successful, as Hasbro would have devoted more resources to that line.

 

Despite what anyone's opinion is of the films, they have undoubtedly made Transformers "relevant again" in the public conscience.

That said, the brand would still probably be popular as ever, but perhaps more like how it obviously was before 2007. Between the Unicron trilogy stuff and the G1 reissues, they were still quite popular. Just not mega, super, popular as they seem to be now.

 

I've always been a fan of G1 Transformers and had only five or so figures. Then the recent Bay movies sparked my interest in collecting even more. Now I've got just over 60 figures. So, I'm sure the movies have either started peoples interests in the original figures, or gave their current interest an extra boost?

 

I think I had a similar experience. After the the whole A/E/C trilogy, my interest in TFs was waning. But then the first movie in '07 was approaching and suddenly my interest in TFs grew again. By the time the first movie was out, I was well and truly back into collecting again.

 

I probably don't think I'd be collecting at all if it weren't for the movies. I'm sure many collectors were inspired to do so after watching them.

As for the general public, it's definitely more in the public mind now than it was before (for better AND worse).

 

Same here. I stopped collecting when Energon came around for some reason (I think it was because I thought the show was so bad compared to my beloved Armada cartoon) and didn't get back into it until I picked up the original Deluxe movie Barricade.

I'm STILL paying for missing out on some great molds from those lost years.

 

If the movies hadn't come out, I wouldn't be here, and probably wouldn't be collecting toys at all. Damn Energon would have put me of TF forever if not for the movie. So, my wallet would be fatter, I'd be cooler, and my room less cluttered.

For everyone else, well, I guess it'd be even lamer to collect toys, and TF would be nearly as relevant. Still popular, but not SUPER MECHA popular.

 

I think they'd still be about 1-2 stories tall.

 

I think movie or no movie Transformers would have reminded relevant with kids. The core concept is like catnip or something for little boys. Little boys love cars and jets, little boys love robots, little boys are driven to know how things work. When you throw all three of those factors together it's a winner for little boys no matter what the fiction is.

Perhaps less relevant with adults. But even then some of us were still collecting things like Cybertron and Classics before there was a live action film so I'd still have all my Classics stuff without a film.

I'm also hard pressed to think of any other toy tie in cartoon that has had more series and on for more years than Transformers. GI Joe, MASK, He-Man, Ninja Turtles, just about all of them had years and years with no cartoon while Transformers kept coming up with new series even if all of them were not the best ever or remember so fondly.

I guess the thing that changed for me with the movies is that it was almost enough to drive me out the hobby. I just don't like the designs and I don't the movie fiction. At times you'd hit this strange attitude from other fans that it was somehow wrong not to like the movie stuff. Or there would be those long dark periods when it seemed like it might only be movie stuff and old repaints forever. It was really just the fun sort of crazy things like Animated or Robot Heroes G1 stuff that got me threw those patches of the movies taking over Transformers.

As to what Hasbro might have done if there is no movie, well that could have been almost anything. I don't think we would have had such gaps in the Classics style lines so it wouldn't have taken forever to get a Classics style Jazz. Perhaps with the look of the mech designs from anime moving forward like they have we might have seen more of an anime influence to the designs or something.

 

I think UK toy distribution would be even worse than it is already, that Animated would have lasted 4 or 5 years in some form. or not have been as Paul Dini looking as it was in the first place.

The confusion of Mcguffins would be a bit less. and random scanning of transformers own altmodes wouldn't be an issue.

I would hope that also more characters than Megatron Optimus and one or two other would be used in important roles.

Bumblebee would have remained a less important character rather than been seen as 'The Star'.

 

I don't think it'd be too different from how it was before the movies: mainly a niche interest with your random kid liking the latest cartoon on tv.

That said, I certainly wouldn't be here, as what got me into collecting TFs was the Classics line, and that was brought on by the delay of the movie. I'm sure that goes for a number number of others as well.

 

I think Hasbro would've focused more effort on Animated and Classics. They wouldn't have let Animated die so easily. I think the Universe line got a bit of a boost from the first movie, but I they would've done reasonable business without it.

And I think even if the movie hadn't gone ahead at the time it did with Michael Bay, there would've been one sooner or later. It was very fresh at the time, and I think the potential for such a movie was obvious. Whether it would have been better or worse than what we got, I have no idea.

 

No more popular than say what Armada was.

I'm not sure if TF: Animated would have done any better than Armada (even though it's so much better). The point I think is Transformers could only go so far with just toys comics and cartoons.

That being said.... no TF show, toyline, or movie.... will have the same cultural impact as Transformers did in 1984-86. It may not have sold enough toys to tell, but as a brand it will never be more popular as it was then.

 

i completely agree. To me th elive-action movies only placed the Franchise back in the Mainstream consciousness.

true geeks, like me, NEVER forgot the joys of Transformers, GI Joe, Thundercats, Voltron, the Amazing Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men, the Avengers, etc.

Back on topic: for me the movies were kind of like, cool, let's see what they can do with a childhood favorite....

Video game companies always will create games based on movies if they think there's an audience. (Countless Disney movie-themed games come to mind, plus the re-launch of the Prince of Persia and obviously the TF movie-based games).

To me High Moon release is not perfect but a positive step in non-movie liscensed material.

Overall until the latest or possibly last live-action movie is done the Mainstream will be quite aware of TFs.

PS
TFs have a cult following much like Dr Who, Battlestar Galatica and any other sci-fi title.

edit:
I actually love Animated and hadn't watched ANY transformers title since G1.

 

You forget that the Classics line was a direct result of Hasbro needing to push out product because the movie was delayed. No movie, no Classics.

 

I don't think you can give the movie the credit for classics.

That delay is probably why they got the green light to go forward with them, but much like Power-core combiners and other things, the idea originated at Hasbro. Movie or not, sooner or later, something's going to get delayed, so they have to keep things on the backburner, just in case. I think that's why variations on the Classics theme will probably continue on and off for as long as TFs remain popular.

It's something they can keep on the side for those times when their designers have nothing to work on. When working with external studios, there will be periods when everything is either in development or waiting to be approved. Classics are figures they can develop inhouse during those times.

 

Let me put it this way: If we didn't have the Movies, we'd probably still have Animated.

On the other hand, we wouldn't have WfC. Damn, now I'm torn. More Animated, or getting WfC?

 

I think this is well said here. Transformers may have been one of the more popular brands from the 80s, and even was one of the more successful brands from the recent nostalgia boom, but the recent movies have done a LOT for the brand and for Hasbro. The movie profits (specifically the royalties paid and profits made from the movie toys) have allowed Hasbro to do a lot of things that otherwise may not have been done with a smaller annually budget.

 

Man, I started collecting because of the first movie. When I saw protoform prime I was hooked, something about a transforming asteroid really peaked my interest at the time