Transformers Finally Inducted Into The National Toy Hall of Fame in 2024

Inducted 2024

In the early 1980s, Hasbro secured the rights to Japanese toymaker Takara’s Diaclone and Micro Change line of shape-changing robot toys. Hasbro developed the toys for a U.S. audience and in 1984 premiered Transformers with an elaborate backstory about a war between robots developed by Marvel Comics. The characters split into two fractions: the heroic Autobots—peaceful transport vehicles led by Optimus Prime—facing against the villainous Megatron and his Decepticons. Each of the figures issued in 1984 had its own array of talents and capabilities, which appeared on the Tec Spec Chart and Bio Card packaged with each figure.

Successive incarnations of the toy line rejuvenated the franchise and captivated new generations. Tie-ins to television shows, animated movies, comic books, video games, and live-action films kept the brand in front of kids even as they pursued other pastimes. Hasbro brokered licensing agreements with other companies to produce a variety of consumer goods bearing Transformer images. Kids took Transformer pencil boxes and lunchboxes to school and wore their Transformer pajamas or T-shirt while playing Transformer board games and putting together Transformer puzzles. The transforming function of the toy line—a clever gimmick, to be sure—continues to fuel imaginations today.