Well there is more female presence. That doesnt mean there is less stereotype, often the opposite is true.

 

I guess I don't really care either way. Nothing Hasbro has done in the last ten years or so has even been on my radar. I collect Takara MPs pretty much exclusively, and even then, only G1 stuff. So when a release is a "waste" in my mind like BW stuff, I just ignore it. Just like I ignore the Hasbro lines and Hasbro kid lines. This would just be something else I ignore, so if it doesn't end up affecting me in any way.....why not?

 

Yeah I kinda feel the same way about it being insulting. I stated in my other post that when I was a little girl, I didn't like Elita-One or Arcee probably because they were pink (not to mention they didn't really have a role in the G1 cartoon, other than being a SO, IIRC). In a way, that alone was (and is) insulting to kids. Kinda like "Oh... here, this one's a female character and she's pink, so you're supposed to like her and want to be like her" kind of thing. Being a girl, that's what we have for you. I didn't want to be like Elita or Arcee, I liked Ironhide. He didn't sit at home keeping the energon warm--he went out and fought Decepticons! He was courageous, loyal and knew his way around a blaster.

So, yes, the fandom needs stronger female characters. And by stronger I don't mean physical strength either. There's more than one way for a character to be strong. So while being is "bruiser" can be fun/entertaining/awesome, adding in depth of character and intelligence, etc., is the way to go. If writers/creators do that, I feel there would be no need to create "pink" characters.

Kids know what they like, and like what they like--and they're not dumb. IMHO, they usually don't see the gender/color thing like adults do--I feel that's something adults teach them.

 

There is a transformers line for girls. It's called Transformers.

This idea that all girls stuff needs to be pink and purple needs to stop.

The idea that girls like dolls and boys like cars needs to stop.

All of these "innate" preferences are the result of immense social pressure that start when they're just infants.

I buy my toddler girl Rescue Bots and let her handle my transformers. We watch Rescue Bots, Voltron and Justice League on Netflix. She loves all that stuff. AND she plays with dolls too.

 

or how about we stop being sexist and let girls like whatever they want

 

I'd be down for more fembots

 

I'm all for Transformers representation in the girls toy section, but I am curious about what they would consist of.

I mentioned earlier that girls have Legos too.
Boys legos have sets for farming, emergency services, sci-fi, technic, some war stuff. A lot of war / combat stuff.

Girls have lego sets for castles, amusement parks, shopping centers... you know: happier themes.

So I'd be curious about what girl Transformers would consist of.

Maybe Transformers for travel. Sports cars that don't have to fight Decepticons. Or busses or planes... maybe more optimistic figures that are more interested in transportation of humans than war and collateral damage.

 

Setting my distaste for the everyday misuse of the word 'theory' aside, action-figures are a subset of dolls. This is a fact.

I did. She loved it. But then she's always enjoyed Transformers.

Anyway, it does my heart good to see so many people have responded to this thread by pointing out that there's no need for a sub-line of "girly" Transformers, and that we need less forced gender-identity bullcrap, not more. Do we need more female-identifying Transformers in the toyline? Absolutely, and there's already quite a few characters out there that already exist whom they could use, and a whole universe of new characters that can be created.

 

A show about transformers that is not centered around war, relationships or melodrama, now that would be interesting. Hmmm...

 

I dunno where you are getting this 'show' stuff from- the topic is about toys.
Or the no 'relationships' or 'melodrama' stuff for that matter.

Rescue Bots is a transformers show that doesn't deal with war.

So I dunno where your post is coming from

 

I was thinking how i really should start watching Rescue Bots. Because what you said about a show without war made me think: by far the greatest amount of fiction is centered around conflict, relationships or melodrama.
Rescuebots is a TF show that doesnt centre around any of these things.
Offcourse many modern kidshows dont centre around these things. Maybe the world might become a little better if grown up shows took a few more cues from shows for toddlers.

 

Why gender-fy Transformers? I buy my daughter and my niece Transformers, and they LOVE them as is! It doesn't have to be pink and pretty for a girl to enjoy.

 

It has an episode that's literally Hitchcock's The Birds but with flying lobsters (right down to a recreation of the phone booth scene), a woman who has been stuck under the sea for three decades to the point she fears ever coming back to the surface because she knows the world is too different from what she knew it as, possibly the greatest human bad guy in the last decade of the franchise (Tim Curry is his VA, he's actually competent, and the entire S1 ending two-parter is pretty much 1984 with a sepia tone filter because the bad guy wins in an alt. timeline and sends an army of transforming robot tanks to kill the kids, but the resolution doesn't take him out of the picture whatsoever), and unquestionably the best subversion of obvious toy product placement ever.

And you say Rescue Bots isn't centered around relationships and I say you're dead wrong. It's the dynamic of trying to work as a team as well as the theme of family bonds that drives the development of the characters. The more low-key tone of the show actually allows its more simplistic nature and writing to shine really well as far as the first season goes. It actually is shades of what made Animated work - how many times did they actually fight Deceptions in that first season? For Rescue Bots, just sub out 'Decepticon' with 'MorBots'.

 

I been doin a little bit o thinkin.. the I Robot movie showed a society where households had their own robots. Servants? Additional members of family? Imagine if those transformed for whatever reason- like personal transportation or aiding the disabled.

Surely there are stories that could come out of that.

 

I didn't answer the poll because while I'm against the idea, it's not for the reason listed. Like others here, I let my daughter (4 years old) handle some TFs. She got and RiD Bumblebee for Christmas per her request. She tends to play with the male robots, mostly Autobots. Generations Springer is her favorite. Probably because he's more like a knight with his sword. She ignores Arcee, Windblade, and Chromia. This is not the case with my GI Joes, where her interest in playing with either gender is currently even. Probably because she tends to play in couples. She used to only use Scarlett and Lady Jaye. Later, she started using male joes as princes for her Disney dolls.
Also, she loves the modern Fortress Maximus and Devastator. She likes watching the G1 series with me. Likes Optimus and Grimlock. She also watched RiD and Rescue Bots. I don't think a feminine line would attract her more. It may attract other girls, but I am not a fan of the "separate but equal" ideology.

 

WORD.

My daughter is the same. if she sees ANY female TF she goes nuts. Windblade and Arcee are her favs.
A girl TF SHOW, and toyline would possibly work.

What would it be called? Of course TF something..but it would have to have a girl tie in.

 

Fine, but I'll still buy 'em.

Edit: I am now imagining modern molds like TR Powermaster Optimus Prime, Generations Springer, or CW Superion in pastel/pink color schemes. I'd buy them and love them.

 

I grew up preferring Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformers, Godzilla and other scifi toys to barbies and other toys considered "girly". I had a gold colored canopy bed that I pretended to be a space ship. I had my father repaint my first bicycle from pink to red and pretended it was a fire truck. I was also kind of the Wheeljack of my siblings, playing with science sets and having things go sideways.
Oh sure, I also had my stuffed animals and Disney collectibles, but I always gravitated towards scifi. My favorites were always Transformers, TMNT and Star Wars.
While I think having more femme bots would be a good thing, I don't agree with making them "girly". I would love to see strong willed, badass femme Bots ( like Chromia, Elita, Moonracer, Arcee, etc that are more along the lines of Prime Arcee and RiD Windblade and not their G1 counterparts).

 

Re: This thread:

I fucking hate the 21st Century.

Come on, Armageddon!

...a large asteroid? Plague?

 

I think what you should probably hate is the 20th century, considering that's what this whole "Gender seperation" concept has it's roots in. Most of the pushback against the idea in this thread has probably come from "Millenials" (although technically almost everyone here could probably be considered one, I'm referring more to the end born/raised in the 90's and early 2000's.)