“Futuristic convertibles are current toy craze”
November 11, 1984 brings us this article from the Tuscaloosa News in which both Transformers and GoBots are mentioned as:
” . . . cashing in on this year’s hot concept — transmutable action figures that feature a dizzying multitude of familiar plastic and metal objects that convert into exotic robot-like toys.”
My favorite part of the article touches on material I covered in both Each Sold Separately* and Action Figures Not Included* as the article discusses how adding a story, creating characters, and giving kids an entire world instead of simply more toys enriches the entire experience and increases overall sales.
“According to executives of both companies, the transmutable figures didn’t begin selling until legends were concocted, as each firm attempted to divide their product lines into groups of items that became symbols of good and evil — in effect, an updated good guys and bad guys theme repackaged into a hi-tech science-fiction fantasy.”
The article goes on to further reinforce my own conclusions as it goes on to point to Star Wars, and Kenner’s unimaginable success with Star Wars action figures, as a large part of what influenced both Hasbro’s and Tonka’s marketing choices made with the Transformers and GoBots lines.
