Challenge of the GoBots facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Challenge of the GoBots |
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| Directed by | Ray Patterson (Supervising) Arthur Davis (season 2) Oscar Dufau Volus Jones (season 2) Don Lusk (season 2) Carl Urbano (season 1) Rudy Zamora (season 2) Alan Zaslove (season 2) |
| Starring | Lou Richards< Arthur Burghardt Frank Welker Bernard Erhard Bob Holt Marilyn Lightstone Sparky Marcus Leslie Speights Morgan Paull Phil Hartman< B.J. Ward Brock Peters Peter Cullen |
| Composer(s) | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera Joe Taritero Patrick S. Feely |
| Producer(s) | Kay Wright Lois Hanrahan |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions Tonka Corporation Wang Film Productions (aka Cuckoo's Nest Studios) |
| Distributor | LBS Communications Worldvision Enterprises |
| Release | |
| Original network | First-run syndication |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | September 8, 1984 – December 13, 1985 |
Challenge of the GoBots (often called GoBots) is an exciting American animated TV show. It was made by Hanna-Barbera and is based on the Gobots toy line from Tonka. The show first aired on September 8, 1984. It later became part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera and was also shown on the USA Cartoon Express.
Contents
What are GoBots About?
GoBots tells the story of two groups of transforming robots from the planet Gobotron. There are the good guys, called the Guardians, and the bad guys, known as the Renegades.
The Guardians are led by Leader-1. The Renegades are led by Cy-Kill. These robots usually shoot energy blasts from their fists instead of using guns. The female robots in the show, like Crasher, look similar to the male robots but have some unique features.
The show mostly focuses on a few main robots from each side. These include Leader-1, Turbo, and Scooter for the Guardians. For the Renegades, there are Cy-Kill, Cop-Tur, and Crasher. Other characters would appear as "guest stars."
Unlike some other robot shows, GoBots didn't have clear symbols to show which side a robot was on. The only way to tell was that robots or vehicles that looked "monstrous" were usually Renegades.
The GoBots' Origin Story
Thousands of years ago, the planet Gobotron was home to human-like beings called “GoBeings.” A big war started when a group of bad guys, the Renegades, led by the "Master Renegade," fought against the peaceful Guardians.
A Renegade plan accidentally caused a giant asteroid to hit Gobotron. This disaster almost wiped out the GoBeings. But a super-smart scientist, known as the “Last Engineer,” saved his people. He had been experimenting with replacing parts of his own body with robot parts. He then transferred the brains of the GoBeings into large robot bodies, creating the “GoBots.”
These new GoBots could also transform into vehicles after going through a special machine called the Modifier. The Last Engineer planned to leave Gobotron, but the Master Renegade stole his ship and escaped instead. The Last Engineer then put himself into a deep sleep under Gobotron. Above ground, the war between the Guardians and Renegades continued, now with everyone in their new GoBot bodies.
Earth Gets Involved
Later, in the late 20th century, Earth became part of the GoBots' war. Leader-1's Guardians and Cy-Kill's Renegades often battled on our planet.
During one battle, Leader-1's friend Turbo was badly hurt. Leader-1 went to find the legendary Last Engineer to save Turbo. But he accidentally freed the Master Renegade instead! The Master Renegade did fix Turbo to gain the Guardians' trust.
Eventually, the Guardians found the real Last Engineer. He helped them stop the Master Renegade from teaming up with Cy-Kill's Renegades. The Master Renegade later escaped and caused trouble for both sides, even attacking a human colony on New Earth.
Main Characters
Episodes Overview
The Challenge of the GoBots series has a total of 65 episodes, spread across two seasons. Each episode tells a new story about the ongoing conflict between the heroic Guardians and the evil Renegades.
Voice Cast
Many talented actors lent their voices to the GoBots characters:
- Rene Auberjonois - Dr. Braxis
- Candy Brown - A.J. Foster (pilot miniseries)
- Arthur Burghardt - Turbo
- Ken Hudson Campbell - Van Guard
- Philip L. Clarke - Dr. Go, Tork
- Peter Cullen - Pincher, Spoiler, Tank
- Paul Eiding - Scorp
- Bernard Erhard - Cy-Kill
- Dick Gautier - Bugsie, Klaws
- Phil Hartman - Baron Von Joy
- Bob Holt - Cop-Tur, Geeper-Creeper
- Marilyn Lightstone - Crasher, Path Finder
- Sparky Marcus - Nick Burns
- Wayne Mathews - General Lindley
- Gail Matthius - Anya Turgenova
- Morgan Paull - Matt Hunter
- Brock Peters - General Newcastle
- Peter Renaday - Master Renegade
- Lou Richards, Jr. - Leader-1
- Bob Ridgely - BuggyMan
- Leslie Speights - A.J. Foster (regular)
- B.J. Ward - Small Foot
- Kelly Ward - Fitor
- Kirby Ward - Heat Seeker
- Frank Welker - Scooter, Blaster, Rest-Q, Screw Head, Zeemon
Home Video Releases
In the 1980s, some episodes of GoBots were released on VHS and Betamax tapes. Later, the show became available on DVD.
Warner Archive released the original Challenge of the GoBots miniseries on DVD in 2011. They then released Challenge of the GoBots: The Series, Volume 1 in 2014, which included the first 30 episodes. The final volume, Challenge of the GoBots: The Series, Volume 2, with the remaining 30 episodes, came out in 2015. As a bonus, the 1984 TV movie Robo Force: The Revenge of Nazgar was included.
Other GoBots Stories
The TV show also led to an animated movie called GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords. This movie came out in theaters in 1986. Clips from the show were also used in a documentary film called Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. New GoBots stories have also appeared on Transformers Facebook pages and in publications from Fun Publications.
See also
In Spanish: El desafío de los GoBots para niños
