Transformers: Robots in Demand
In collaboration with Tesco
Since they first were introduced in the 1980s, the Transformers have stood the test of time. Popular with both nostalgic middle aged adults and kids alike, there seems to be something about the toys that have a lasting appeal. So why exactly are they so popular?
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They spark the imagination
A toy is only as good as the imagination behind it, and Transformers toys spark the imagination like no other. It’s not just an action figure, it’s also a car/plane/truck etc. That’s what makes it so fun. You can play with it any way you would like, with multifunctional movable parts that allow kids to stage them any way they would like. They can host epic battles between the Autobots and Decepticons, and let their imagination take them away.
The movies bring it to life
A big boom in the popularity of the transformer toys is due in large part to the success of the toys on the big screen. Now up to four movies, each movie has brought in hundreds of millions domestically. It seems like everyone has seen at least one of the movies. After seeing these huge transformers, well, transform on a huge screen and battle it out with the Decepticons for the fate of the Earth as we know it, what child wouldn’t want to relive that in their home?
There are so many of them
Of course there’s Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, but there are so many more Transformers in the lineup, leading to an endless array of bots and figures. Take dinosaurs, for instance. They’re not exactly the first things that come to mind when you think of bots from outer space, but yet there they were in the most recent Transformers movie; a large T-rex in all it’s mechanical glory. Hasbro has done a great job giving kids all manner of cool and exciting Transformers, and it’s fun to try to collect them all.
At the end of the day, what makes a toy successful is if kids can let their imagination run wild with it. The Transformer movies helped with their recent popularity, but these toys were a hit with kids long before that. They take the basic battle of good versus evil, and expand on it with fun backstories and missions. That’s why people love playing with them, kids and adults alike.
Image by Stephanie Marquez, used under Creative Commons license