How old are your kids, and what do you do to help share the hobby with them? My son didn't have a chance. He was one month old at Botcon 2008, and got an Autobot symbol onesie signed by everyone there. Now he's 2 1/2, and while I do get him his own Transformers (he can transform Legends Bumblebee with no problem, and he loves the Power Bots and Devastator RPM track), the bulk are still mostly mine. However one of the best parts I never expected was when I buy new ones for me, he sits up on the couch and leans on me, wanting me to open the package so he can check it out, too. He LOVES it when we get a new Transformer. I let him hold it or play with the vehicle for a bit, and then he hands it to me to transform it into robot mode. Then he holds that for a bit, and hands it back to change again. Eventually he's upset that I have to put it on the shelf, but occasionally he'll have me pick him up so he can pick out one for me to get down. For some reason he really likes Botcon Pyro...
Little kids like bright colors. And on top of that the mold is sturdy and not so hard to transform. You're kid picked a good toy.
My sons are 8 and 11 now, the older one loved TF since he was 3 or 4 and that's actually how I got into TFs. We've shared all TFs except for my Binaltechs. Though he is very fussy with toys and I am the one who has to be careful when handling his toys. Sadly he is growing out of TFs except for Animated and some movie toys. Even though growing up in "nothing but TFs" environment, the younger son never really got into TFs (might be because we gave him Armada Sideswipe as his first TF when he was 2). He is a hardcore Star Wars fan.
I have a 12yo daughter who only cares about youtube and korean pop music and a 11 month old son that plays with cardboard boxes. No one cares about my transformers but me lol. I did give my son one of my transformers to play with once and he proceeded to rip it apart and throw the body parts on the floor. He prefers playing with car keys.
I have a 16 month old boy, and one on the way. So far, he has played with the RPM's. He really likes the hot wheels like transformers. As when he gets older, I am unsure of what I will do in the future. We'll see.
I have 2 kids, a 3-yr old daughter who loves dinosaurs so I let her play with my Animated Dinobots and my son is almost 2 and loves cars so I got him some RPMs and he loves playing with my classics or animated figs in car mode only.
I got Softimus Prime and Slumblebee for my kids before I even had any. Now they are among my son's stuffed toys. He will play with them sometimes, but doesn't understand yet that they transform (he's only 16 months). My brother-in-law bought the large Prime and Bumblebee RPMs for him. My son has lots of fun pushing those around and repeatedly pressing the button for the voices and other sound effects. I have another son due this October. I can't wait until my kids are old enough for me to give them real Transformers to play with. I got plenty of TFs, GI Joes, and LEGO for both of them.
Cut off the internet and tv. The only cartoon allowed is the 98 G1 episodes. When the kid asks, tell him spongebob is evil and he is safer not watching. don't bring the kid to toy stores, have him choose from old G1 toy catelogues and get him those. There, your very own G1 cult! Indoctrination starts from a young age!
I have a 2 year old daughter...her first toy was Softimus Prime. I would watch some of the cartoons (G1, Animated) and the movies with her. One of her first words was Bumblebee... she enjoys playing with RPMs, Robot Heroes, Fort Max, WFC Bumblebee, and some of the movie toys. She'll integrate them into play with her Sesame Street dolls and My Little Ponies from time to time...but she's more interested in the Transformers by and large. They do more...it's more fun to open a new one with her around. Her mother has tried to introduce her to other things...but she goes back to TFs after a while. And building blocks...or tearing apart and reassembling the RPM track set. Thankfully I left the batteries out. She can transform G1 Prime, most of the G1 minibots, some of the legends, and she can go one way (car to 'bot) with some of the simpler deluxes.
Lord, wasn't too long since I met my wife and son then moved in that he got his taste of Transformers. I had my old G2 Bumblebee sitting on top of a box and he came in(was about 3 I think) and messed with it and I showed him what it was. He just went bug eyed and has had to have every Bumblebee since then. Hes kinda falled off the Transformers wagon a bit, but hes gonna like what he likes but he still enjoys getting the occasional one to fiddle with.
My five year old and 2 year old sons love Transformers, but I also push them into the Marvel and DC universes. And they love Monster Jam. We watch G1, Beast Wars, and Animated together, and bits of the two movies that I deem acceptable. They have most of the 2007 Cyber slammers series and all of the Beast Wars Robot Heroes (it's funny when my oldest says that no one at school knows what Beast Wars are) plus some other random stuff from Animated (including all of the McDonalds figures). But they know NOT TO TOUCH DADDY'S SHELVES OF TRANSFORMERS. It's hard on them sometimes, but they know better. When I get a new figure, I try to hide it from them so they don't cry that they didn't get anything. But if they are good, I try to include them by having them with me through the process of opening the figure, transforming him, and then putting him on the shelf. I have a third kid on the way. A girl. I'm not sure what the hell I'm going to do...
Ha! So did we! And the Optimus Prime potato head. I picked up Hubcap yesterday, and Alex was holding him as a car... next thing we know he's holding him up in robot mode. He can't get him back as a car, but I was so proud of him.
My 4 year old daughter is huge into transformers. She wasn't at all, until she watche the 86 movie, and then she became obsessed. She watched the movie every night before bed for months, and still does about once a week. All her cartoons are pretty shallow emotionally, so it was kind of a revelation for her like it was for me as a kid. She cried when prime died so I did have to remind her that they are robots and come back to life later. She likes the g1 show, masterforce, victory and animated. She hates all the other shows, like her pops. She wants all the female transformers, so I collect those for her but her favorite is animated Elita 1. So I have to have Jarrod make me a custom toy for her. The strangest thing for me is she asks me to play transformers with her everyday. I thought I would love it to get the chance to play with toys again but I suck at it and it bores me to death. I love spending the time with my daughter and cherish it, but I've lost that kid playing thing. Some of that has to be because she doesn't play transformers like a boy, there is no blowing stuff up and fighting, it's all on an emotional level for her. Long conversations between prime and elita or megatron. it's great
I don't have any kids of my own, and my girlfriend gave her kids up for adoption about 11 years ago (VERY long story, but believe me when I say it was for the right reasons) ... her eldest (now 18) is into Transformers - I gave him some of mine for Christmas this past year, and I sure hope to be able to continue this shared interest. I only just got to meet him back in December, and I hope that this remains a way to bond with him.
