The Transformers is a line of mecha toys produced by Japanese company Takara and American toy company Hasbro. Initially a line of transforming mecha toys rebranded from Takara's Diaclone and Micro Change toy lines, it spawned the Transformers media franchise.
Unicron is a fictional villain from the Transformers media franchise. Designed by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie and has since reappeared in Transformers: Armada, Transformers: Energon, Transformers: Cybertron, Transformers: Prime, Transformers: The Last Knight and Atari's 2004 Transformers video game. Unicron is a prodigiously large robot whose scale reaches planetary proportions, and he is also able to transform into a giant planet. Unicron's origin has expanded over the years from simply being a large robot to being a god of chaos who devours realities. He often employs the help of Decepticons in his work, and in some stories is considered part of the origin of the Decepticon forces.
Grimlock is the name of several fictional robot characters in the Transformers robot franchise. He is usually portrayed as the leader of the Dinobots, a subfaction of Autobots who can transform into metal dinosaurs. In 2007, USA Today polled people as to which Transformer they want to appear in the second installment in the Transformers film series; Grimlock came in tied for second with Devastator.
Transformers is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, such as vehicles and animals. The franchise encompasses toys, animation, comic books, video games and films. As of 2011, it generated more than ¥2 trillion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
Ultra Magnus is a fictional character from the various Transformers storylines in the Transformers franchise, generally appearing as a chief lieutenant of Optimus Prime.
Arcee is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers franchise. They are female Autobots, usually pink or blue in color. Being the most famous of the Female Autobots, she has made more appearances and has had several more incarnations than any other female Transformer. Originally she turned into a car, however, later incarnations have turned into motorcycles. Arcee's design, alternate mode, and personality vary depending on continuity. Usually colored pink and white, she has also been depicted as a blue-colored character, and Botcon storyline saw her reformatted into a Maximal spider.
Soundwave is a fictional character appearing in various Transformers continuities within the Transformers franchise. His most well-known disguise is that of a micro cassette recorder. Throughout most of his incarnations, he is an underlying loyal lieutenant of the Decepticon leader Megatron. He is commonly depicted as Megatron's communications officer and, in some interpretations, only speaks when mocking the Autobots.
Jazz is a fictional robot character from the Transformers franchise. He is usually portrayed as a music-loving robot that speaks using African-American Vernacular English. In certain continuities he is shown as being Optimus Prime's good friend and right-hand man.
Shōji Kawamori is a Japanese anime creator and producer, screenwriter, visual artist, and mecha designer. He is best known for creating the Macross mecha anime franchise and the Diaclone toyline, which were in turn the basis for the Robotech and Transformers franchises, respectively. He is also known for creating The Vision of Escaflowne anime series. He pioneered several innovative concepts in his works, such as transforming mecha and virtual idols. His work has had a significant impact on popular culture, both in Japan and internationally.
Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers franchise. He is almost always depicted as an Autobot with flight capabilities and a jet or space shuttle as an alternate mode. In some continuities he is a former Decepticon.
BotCon, briefly known as "The Official Transformers Collectors' Convention", was an annual convention for Transformers fans and collectors. BotCon has been held annually since 1994. BotCon is a syllabic abbreviation for "Robot Convention" but also refers to "Autobot" and "Decepticon", the protagonist and antagonist robot factions in the many continuities in the Transformers franchise.
GoBots is a line of transforming robot toys produced by Tonka from 1983 to 1987, similar to Hasbro's Transformers. Although initially a separate and competing line of toys, Tonka's Gobots became the intellectual property of Hasbro after their buyout of Tonka in 1991. Subsequently, the universe depicted in the animated series Challenge of the GoBots and follow-up film GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords was established as an alternate universe within the Transformers multiverse. While Hasbro now owns the fictional side of the property, the actual toys and their likenesses were only licensed from Bandai in the 1980s, were not covered by the Tonka acquisition, and are not available for Hasbro use.
Sideswipe is a fictional robot character in the Transformers franchise. Because of trademark restrictions, toys of the character are sometimes marketed as Side Swipe.
Transformers: Prime Wars Trilogy is a toyline and transmedia series that is part of the Transformers franchise by Hasbro.
Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy is a Flash animated children's television series on Discovery Family. It is based on toy manufacturer Hasbro's Transformers franchise and a sequel of Transformers: Rescue Bots, sharing the name with the Rescue Bots season three episode called "Rescue Bots Academy". The first two episodes were previewed on December 8, 2018. The series officially premiered on January 5, 2019. The voice cast of Rescue Bots does not reprise their roles, with existing characters being recast with New York-based voice actors.
Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy is a toyline and transmedia series that is part of the Transformers franchise by Hasbro announced in February 2018.
Chip and Potato is an animated children's television series created by Billy Macqueen, Catherine Williams, and Maddy Darrall. The series is co-produced by WildBrain Studios and Darrall Macqueen.
Transformers: EarthSpark is an upcoming American computer-animated television series based on the Transformers franchise by Hasbro. Its executive producers are Nicole Dubuc and Ant Ward. The series is owned and distributed by Hasbro, and it was co-developed by Hasbro's Entertainment One and Nickelodeon, with animation services provided by ICON Creative Studio. The first season will consist of 26 episodes. It is set to debut on Paramount+ on November 11, 2022.
