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TransFormers: The Toys (US)
Ah. Transformer toys. When you strip away everything else from the Transformers legacy - the cartoons, the movies, comic books, the merchandise, you're left with a single solid core. The toys. All of the other stuff was really just an innovative way to sell toys. But these were really cool toys.
The original Transformer toys debuted in the US in 1984. Of course, similar lines had been successful in Japan for years, but America didn't have much in the giant robot department yet. About the only contender at the time was Voltron, and he wasn't really a transformer, more like a combiner. At any rate, kids were soon smitten by these neat little cars and trucks that turned into robots. They were (usually) easy to transform and tended to be made out of quality plastic and metal (that's right - the original toys had metal). Sales soared all across the nation. I know I loved 'em.
The original cartoon launched shortly after the first wave of toys came out, and kids went wild. The cartoon was pretty cool, and it made you want to rush right out and buy the toys. The cartoon became an easy way to introduce kids to new robots coming out. It worked, too. Transformers remain as one of the best-selling toylines ever. Even today, these toys are being re-introduced to a new generation of kids. Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?
   
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