Transformers

The Transformers was originally a line of toys designed and produced by the toy companies Takara (in Japan) and Hasbro (in the United States). Initially reusing previously-released toys from the Japanese toylines Diaclone and Microman, Hasbro issued the toys under the name Transformers in the U.S. in 1984. The premise behind the Transformers toy line is that an individual toy's parts can be shifted about to change it from a vehicle, a device, or an animal, to a robot action figure and back again. The taglines "More Than Meets The Eye" and "Robots In Disguise" reflect this ability.

The Transformers toy line is typically divided into two main factions: the heroic Autobots and their opponents, the evil Decepticons (known in Japan as the Cybertrons and Destrons, respectively). Transformers toys were sold at a number of price points, and various Transformers series utilize unique play features.

The Transformers toy line was developed by Hasbro after they met up with Takara representatives at the 1983 Toy Fair trade show in New York and proposed to combine and re-brand Takara's Diaclone and Micro Change toy lines into the Transformers for release in the United States. Thus began a long and successful collaboration between Takara and Hasbro on toy development for the Transformers line, a collaboration which has grown increasingly close. Currently, Hasbro does the vast majority of the concept work and character creation, while Takara continues to control the actual manufacture of the toys. Hasbro markets and sells the toys internationally, while Takara sells them in the Japanese market.

Most Transformers come with 'technical specifications' which detail the individual Transformer’s characteristics. Older Transformers come with Robot Points which could be redeemed for special Transformers which were not sold in stores, such as the Omnibots or the Decepticon triplets known as Reflector, a character who featured heavily in the early installments of the cartoon, despite not being easily available as toys.

There have also been a number of spin-offs based on the toys including a Marvel comic book series, an animated cartoon produced by Claster Television, a television production company that Hasbro organized for this and similar purposes, that began transmissions in 1984, and a feature-length film. The original series program was followed by a number of spin-offs with varying levels of popularity. A live-action movie directed by Michael Bay opened in the U.S. on July 2, 2007.