Microman facts for kids
A scan of the cover of a Microman catalog from 1976.
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| Type | Action figure |
|---|---|
| Inventor(s) | Takara |
| Company | Takara/Takara Tomy |
| Country | Japan |
| Availability | 1974–2007 |
| Materials | Plastic/Die-cast |
Microman (ミクロマン, Mikuroman) is a cool science fiction toy series from Japan. It was made by a company called Takara (now Takara Tomy). The toys were first released from 1974 to 1984. Then, they came back from 1998 to 2007.
The Microman toys are 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) action figures. They also have vehicles, robots, and play sets. What makes them special is their story. The toys are supposed to be "Micros." These are cyborg beings from a planet called "Micro Earth." They pretend to be action figures while they are on Earth.
Contents
What are Microman Toys Like?
The main Microman toys are 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) action figures. They were known for having many moving parts. This was very cool for toys of their size in the 1970s.
The toy line also had vehicles, robots, and other cool stuff. Many Microman toys could connect to each other. They used special 5-millimetre (0.20 in) connectors. This meant you could swap parts between different toys.
Microman's Influence Around the World
Micronauts (1976-1980)
In the late 1970s, an American toy company named Mego got a license for some of Takara’s Microman toys. They released these toys in the United States as the Micronauts. Mego made and sold Micronaut toys from 1976 to 1980. After Mego went out of business, other companies tried to bring the Micronauts back.
Transformers (1984-present)
In 1981, Takara made a new Microman line called New Microman. A few years later, in 1983, they launched a new series within New Microman. This was called Micro Change.
The Micro Change toys looked like everyday items. They could be cassette tapes, microscopes, watches, or even toy guns. But they could transform into robots! These robots helped Microman fight against their enemies, the Acroyears.
In 1984, Hasbro, another big toy company, got the rights to these transforming toys. They combined them with similar transforming toys from Takara's Diaclone toy line. This mix created the super popular Transformers toy line in the United States!
Here is a table showing which Transformers toys came from Microman or Micro Change:
| Transformers (Hasbro) | Microman/Micro Change (Takara) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Affiliation | ID | Name | Variant | Release date |
| Frenzy | Decepticon | MC-01 | Micross | Blue | 1983 |
| Rumble | Decepticon | MC-01 | Micross | Red | 1983 |
| Ravage | Decepticon | MC-02 | Jaguar | 1983 | |
| Laserbeak | Decepticon | MC-03 | Condor | 1983 | |
| Cliffjumper | Autobot | MC-04 | Mini Car Robo | 01 Porsche Turbo 924 | 1983 |
| Bumper | Autobot | MC-04 | Mini Car Robo | 02 Familia 1500 XG | 1983 |
| Bumblebee | Autobot | MC-04 | Mini Car Robo | 03 Volkswagen Beetle | 1983 |
| Gears | Autobot | MC-04 | Mini Car Robo | 04 4WD | 1983 |
| Brawn | Autobot | MC-04 | Mini Car Robo | 05 Jeep | 1983 |
| Windcharger | Autobot | MC-04 | Mini Car Robo | 06 Transam | 1983 |
| Huffer | Autobot | MC-04 | Mini Car Robo | 07 Truck | 1983 |
| Reflector | Decepticon | MC-05 | Camera Robo Microx | 1983 | |
| Soundwave | Decepticon | MC-10 | Cassette Man | 1983 | |
| Megatron | Decepticon | MC-13 | Gun Robo Walther P-38 U.N.C.L.E. | 1983 | |
| Eggbot (Beast Wars) | Decepticon (Predacon) | MC-14 | Metal Man | 1984 | |
| Dark Eggbot (Beast Wars) | Decepticon (Predacon) | MC-14 | Metal Man | 1984 | |
| Pulse (Binocular Transformer) | Decepticon | MC-19 | Binocular Robo Scope Man | 1984 | |
| Perceptor | Autobot | MC-20 | Microscope Robo Micro Scope | 1984 | |
| Blaster | Autobot | MC-21 | Radi-Cassette Robo | 1984 | |
Microman Comics and Cartoons
Microman Kodansha TV Magazine Manga (1978-79)
In 1977, a children's magazine called TV Magazine started publishing a Microman manga. A manga is a Japanese comic book. This one was drawn by Yoshihiro Moritou. These comics were collected into six books from 1978 to 1979.
Microman: The Small Giant Comic BomBom Manga (1998-1999)
From October 1998 to December 1999, a magazine called Comic BomBom published a new Microman manga. This manga was based on Takara’s new Magne Powers and LED Powers Microman toys. It was drawn by Hisashi Matsumoto.
The story was about a school boy who got a package. Inside were five small action figures that came to life! They introduced themselves as Microman from "Micro Earth." They were sent to Earth to help save the planet.
Microman: The Small Giant Studio Pierrot Anime (1999)
An Microman anime (Japanese cartoon) was made by Studio Pierrot. It was based on the toys and the manga by Hisashi Matsumoto. The show ran from January 4, 1999, to December 17, 1999, on TV Tokyo. You could also buy the series on VHS and DVD. A movie based on the TV show was also released in 1999.
Images for kids
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A photo of a Magne Power Microman 001 (Arthur) action figure.
