Why is transformers a rip off of gobots?
Does anyone know?
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From my own blog at Myspace:
"For a little back story to the uninitiated, transforming robot toys were nothing new in Japan of the late 70's / early 80's. The two biggest lines consisting of Takara's Diaclone line and Bandai's Machine Robo line. The former would be purchased by American toy giant Hasbro and created in conjunction with Marvel comics, while Tonka purchased the rights and molds of the latter, creating the Go-Bots.
Transformers, I feel, gained in popularity largely due to the back-story that was crafted for it by Marvel comics, particularly under the hand of Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter, who had breathed new life into Hasbro's GI Joe line years earlier along with veteran writer Larry Hama. I am quite sure though that all of you will be surprised to learn that, not only did Go-Bots actually OUTSELL Transformers initially, they arrived in stores nearly an entire year before Transformers. Had they had Marvel's particular talent in story creation, things may have well turned out differently for the "Mighty Robots, Mighty Vehicles." "
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I was a child of the 80s who grew up with GOBOTS and
TRANSFORMERS! I actually remember GOBOTS bursting on
the scene before TRANSFORMERS.
It was a couple of weeks before my 10th birthday back
in August 15,1984. My mom was asking me what I wanted
for my birthday.As I was giving out ideas of what I
wanted,my dad suggested "those little robots that
changed into cars,airplanes,and trucks" as he called
them. I knew he was talking about GOBOTS because I had
never seen a TRANSFORMERS cartoon or commercial until
later that year.
Yes,GOBOTS were much cheaper than TRANSFORMERS,but I
liked them just as much and thought they were awesome
in their own way. GOBOTS obviously were hugely popular
back in the day because I remember most department
stores were always out of stock,yet TRANSFORMERS were
still in stock!
As for GOBOTS being the "K-Mart version of the
TRANSFORMERS" as Jason Lee's character said in CLERKS II,
that honor(or dishonor)goes to ZYBOTS(remember them?)!
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Even when I was a kid, I preferred Transformers, though I had some Gobots too. The reason for it was simple, as far as the toys went- the transformations for the Gobots were simpler and not as much fun. Pull out the arms, pull out the legs, flip the head over, and that's it, in many cases. Whereas with Transformers (save guys like Bumblebee and Windcharger), the transformations were more intricate.
shareI'm going to have to agree with the other posters. I'm in Los Angeles and I remember having a nice sized collection of Gobots for about a year, when my friends just started mentioning Transformers. I remember my friend coming over to my house with Optimus Prime, and I don't think I even looked at my Gobots after that.
I think Transformers did better because they were much LARGER and more detailed. Gobots really had no distingushing features and were cheaply made. Gobots were nothing more than suped up hotwheels.
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Sorry Transformers came out in 84.
The Doctor never loses.
Bart, what are you talking about? You say those figures are wrong, yet you don't say why - just that you THINK they're wrong, therefore, they are?
I remember very, very clearly that Gobots hit America first and were very popular for a little while. It was only LATER that Transformers hit the scene and became such an incredible sensation.
That's a little harsh. GoBots were kind of fun, there are far worse toys and cartoons around these days and there certainly were certainly far worse toys/cartoons at the time.
sharetry looking at OP,s profile.
Actually I remember seeing a Gobots toy commercial much earlier than that, probably about 1983 or so, with a man dressed from head to toe in black and playing with his toys.
"They appear to be mighty robots but you change them into mighty vehicles, Gobots and Super Gobots each sold seperately."
"Gobots, Gobots, Gobots, Gobots, Gobots Mighty robots mighty vehicles Gobots."
"Gobots and Super Gobots, Destroyer, Cy-Kill, and Leader-1 each sold seperately from Tonka."
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=aGb7o0TCiIE
"Tombstones don't talk back."
--Leland Blaine Chapman 07/07/04
Gobots came before Transformers.
At least that's how it was in New England.
I was in the 4th Grade when Gobots became available in stores. It wasn't until the tail end of the 4th Grade or the 5th Grade when Transformers became available.
Again - what doomed Gobots was a simple matter of supply and demand. Gobots wasn't able to keep up with the demand, to the point where you had parents fighting with each other as new shipments arrived.
Transformers arrived on the scene and was able to keep up with demand - so it ended up stealing the Gobots' fire. (In addition, it had a comic book and superior animated series to help propel it forward.)
EDIT:
To whoever is saying Gobots was 1985 and Transformers 1986, that sounds about right. I think Gobots may have come out in the fall of 1984 - I remember a friend showing me one on the schoolbus, and it was still dark going home at night.
I don't think Marvel would've helped the Gobots, their robot and vehicle modes were no where near as cool as the G1 Transformers were. Transformers was more popular because they were leaps and bounds cooler then Gobots. I like both but Transformers is hands down way cooler. Speaking to your back-story that Marvel crafted for Transformers, I sure wish I'd get to see that on the big screen one day. I'm already wanting a reboot done complete G1 story wise. Michael Bay can suck a fat one.
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