Which came first, the cartoon or the toy?  Well in the case of the Transformers, the toy came first.  In 1980, a Japanese toy company named Takara Toys had a line of toy robots that transformed into futuristic vehicles.  They showed off their brand at a toy fair in Tokyo where they caught the eyes of the Hasbro team.  Hasbro was there with their new G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line. 

Hasbro acquired the toy line but wouldn’t release it in the US until a story was built around the toys first. After all, a good story is needed to sell action figures as they learned with G.I. Joe.  They teamed up with some writers at Marvel Comics and the Transformers were born.

The Transformers success has been constant since 1984.  There have been several incarnations of the Transformer cartoons and comics and toy lines.  The toys have remained in constant production since there first release.  And, since the release of the last two Transformer movies, demand for the Transformer toys have skyrocketed, not to mention rumors of a third installment to the movie franchise.

Kids across the world are adding Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee to their Christmas lists and the stores are already noticing the increased demand.  Hopefully Hasbro will be able to keep up with the demand so kids can re-enact their own adventures with these Robots in disguise.

Check out some of the offerings I have listed on this page below.  There are some incredible deals to be made for those that act fast and early.