Transformers facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Transformers
Franchise logo, 2014–present
Creator	Takara Hasbro
Original work	Transformers
Print publications
Books	Complete list
Comics	Complete list
Films and television
Films	Animated: The Transformers: The Movie Beast Wars II: Lio Convoy's Close Call! Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising Transformers One Live-action: Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Dark of the Moon Age of Extinction The Last Knight Bumblebee Rise of the Beasts
Animated series	Complete list
Games
Video games	Complete list
Audio
Soundtracks	Transformers audio releases
Miscellaneous
Related franchises	Battle Beasts G.I. Joe GoBots

The Transformers are a super popular Japanese-American story world created by toy companies Hasbro (from America) and Takara Tomy (from Japan). It's all about amazing alien robots who can change into different forms, like cars, trucks, planes, or even animals! The main groups are the brave Autobots and the tricky Decepticons, who are always battling each other. This exciting world includes toys, cartoons, comic books, video games, and movies. By 2011, the Transformers stories had earned over $25 billion, making it one of the most successful story worlds ever!

The adventure began in 1984 with the first Transformers toy line. These toys were originally from Japanese lines called Diaclone and Micro Change, but Hasbro brought them to Western countries. The early stories, known as "Generation 1" (or G1), included a cartoon show called The Transformers and a comic book series. Over the years, many new stories and toy lines have appeared, like Beast Wars, where the robots turn into animals, and a big series of live-action movies that started in 2007.

The Transformers universe keeps growing with new cartoons and stories, like Transformers: Animated, the "Aligned Continuity" which tried to connect many stories, and recent shows like Transformers: EarthSpark and the animated movie Transformers One which came out in 2024. Even though another robot toy line called GoBots started separately, it later became part of the Transformers family when Hasbro bought its company. Today, Hasbro owns the Transformers rights in most of the world, and Takara Tomy handles them in Japan.

Discover the World of Transformers
See also

Discover the World of Transformers

The Beginning: Generation 1 (1984–1993)

Classic Transformers franchise logo used until 2014

"Generation 1" is the name given to the first Transformers characters and stories from 1984 to 1993. The idea came from Japanese toy lines where robots could change into vehicles or other everyday items. Hasbro bought these toy ideas and worked with Takara. Marvel Comics helped create the exciting backstories for these transforming robots.

The First Cartoon and Comics

The main story of Generation 1 is about the heroic Optimus Prime and the evil Megatron. Their groups, the Autobots and Decepticons, crash-landed on prehistoric Earth. They woke up in 1985, continuing their war. The Marvel comic series even had guest appearances from other Marvel heroes like Spider-Man.

Transformers Marvel Comics Spider-Man vs. Megatron

Spider-Man battles Megatron on the cover of The Transformers #3.

Around the same time, The Transformers TV series began. It told a similar story but with some differences. The TV show focused on the Autobots searching for new energy. Both the comics and TV show explored how Transformers got their life, with ideas like the Creation Matrix and the ancient Vector Sigma computer.

The Transformers Movie (1986)

In 1986, the cartoon continued with The Transformers: The Movie, set in the year 2005. This film introduced new characters and a huge threat: Unicron, a giant Transformer who eats planets! Optimus Prime was badly hurt, and the Matrix of Leadership passed to Hot Rod, who became Rodimus Prime. Megatron was also changed by Unicron into Galvatron. Rodimus Prime eventually used the Matrix to destroy Unicron.

The story continued in a third season of the TV show. It revealed that the Quintessons created Cybertron as a factory, and their robots rebelled. This led to the creation of the Autobots and Decepticons. Optimus Prime was later brought back to life at the end of the third season. Japanese versions of the show continued the story with new series like The Headmasters.

Transformers: Generation 2 (1993–1995)

After a break, Marvel Comics brought the Transformers back in 1993 with a new comic series called Transformers: Generation 2. This series was made to go along with a new toy line. It explored new ideas about the Transformers' origins and their ongoing war.

Beast Wars and Beast Machines (1996–2000)

Beast Wars started a new chapter in the Transformers story, set 300 years after the "Great War." This time, the new Autobots, called Maximals, led by Optimus Primal, and the new Decepticons, called Predacons, led by Megatron, crash-landed on a prehistoric Earth. To survive the planet's energy, they had to take on animal forms.

Beast Wars Megatron attacks Optimus Prime in a clash of generations.

The show connected to the original G1 universe, with characters discovering the crashed Ark (the original Autobot ship). The story continued in Beast Machines, where the robots returned to Cybertron. Japan also created its own exclusive animated series to expand the Beast Wars universe.

New Comic Adventures (2001–2022)

Dreamwave Comics (2001–2005)

In 2001, Dreamwave Productions started a new series of Transformers comics. These stories mixed ideas from both the Marvel comics and the animated shows. They explored new parts of the Transformers' history, like corruption in the Cybertronian government. Dreamwave eventually went out of business in 2005, leaving some stories unfinished.

Crossovers with G.I. Joe (2003–Present)

Over the years, the Transformers have teamed up with another famous Hasbro property, G.I. Joe. These crossover stories often showed the evil organization COBRA Command finding and reactivating the Transformers. Different comic publishers created their own unique crossover universes, sometimes even sending the characters through time!

IDW Publishing's Reboot (2005–2022)

In 2005, IDW Publishing started a brand new version of the G1 series. This allowed writers to create fresh stories without being tied to past comics. This new universe grew into several ongoing comic series. IDW Publishing stopped publishing Transformers comics in 2022.

Animated Series: Robots in Disguise (2000–2001)

Robots in Disguise was an animated series that first aired in Japan in 2000. In this story, Megatron created new Decepticons from the Predacons on Earth. This series was a stand-alone story, meaning it wasn't connected to other Transformers tales. Some parts of the show were changed for American TV.

The Unicron Trilogy (2002–2006)

The "Unicron Trilogy" is a name for three animated series: Armada, Energon, and Cybertron. These shows were made by both Takara and Hasbro. Armada focused on the Autobots and Decepticons finding powerful Mini-Cons on Earth, which were later revealed to be weapons of Unicron. Energon, set ten years later, continued the fight against Unicron. Cybertron told its own story, though Hasbro tried to connect it to the previous two series.

Live-Action Movies (2007–Present)

Costume characters at Universal Studio Hollywood

In 2007, a big live-action movie was released, directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It starred actors like Shia LaBeouf and featured the voices of Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime and Hugo Weaving as Megatron. The movie was a huge success, earning over $709 million worldwide.

Many sequels followed:

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

In 2018, Bumblebee was released. This film was a prequel, telling a story that happened before the first movie. It received very positive reviews. A sequel to Bumblebee, called Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, came out in 2023.

More Animated Adventures

Transformers: Animated (2007–2010)

Transformers: Animated was a cartoon series that started in 2008. It was set in Detroit in 2050, where robots and humans lived together. The Autobots became superheroes on Earth, battling both evil humans and the Decepticons. Many classic Transformers characters appeared, with some of their original voice actors returning.

The Aligned Universe (2010–2021)

Hasbro tried to connect many different Transformers stories into one big universe called the "Aligned Continuity." This included popular TV shows like Transformers: Prime and Transformers: Rescue Bots, as well as video games like Transformers: War for Cybertron and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. There were also novels that expanded this universe. However, due to different creative ideas, some of these stories ended up having small contradictions.

Prime Wars Trilogy (2016–2018)

From 2016 to 2018, an animated series called the Transformers: Prime Wars Trilogy was released online. It included three parts: Combiner Wars, Titans Return, and Power of the Primes. This series was set 40 years after the Autobot/Decepticon civil war, with the Transformers facing new threats from ancient technology on Cybertron. Famous voice actors like Peter Cullen and Judd Nelson were part of the cast.

Transformers: Cyberverse (2018–2021)

Transformers: Cyberverse was an animated series that premiered in 2018. It told its own unique story by using characters and ideas from many different Transformers continuities, including G1, Beast Era, and the live-action movies. The series concluded in 2021.

War for Cybertron Trilogy (2020–2021)

The Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy is a three-part animated series that was released on Netflix from 2020 to 2021. It told the origin story of the civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons on their home planet, Cybertron. The three parts were called Siege, Earthrise, and Kingdom. In the Kingdom series, Optimus and Megatron crash-landed on Earth and met characters from the older Beast Wars series.

Transformers: BotBots (2022)

Transformers: BotBots is an animated comedy series that was released on Netflix in 2022. It's a fun departure from the usual Autobot vs. Decepticon conflict. The series focuses on tiny robots called BotBots who can transform into everyday objects. It follows a group called the Lost Bots as they try to find their place among the other BotBot tribes.

Transformers: EarthSpark (2022–2025)

Transformers: EarthSpark is an animated television series that debuted in 2022 on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon. This series is special because it prominently features human characters, who had been less common in some recent Transformers shows. It also used a union voice cast for the first time in several years. The series concluded in 2025.

Transformers One (2024)

Transformers One is an animated prequel film that was released in September 2024. The movie tells the origin stories of Optimus Prime and Megatron. It shows their early friendship as Energon miners named Orion Pax and D-16, and how their bond broke, leading them to become the leaders of the Autobots and Decepticons. The film featured a star-studded voice cast including Chris Hemsworth as Orion Pax and Brian Tyree Henry as D-16.

Transformers: Cyberworld (2025–Present)

Transformers: Cyberworld is an ongoing British-American animated web series that debuted on YouTube on July 12, 2025. This series continues to expand the Transformers universe with new adventures.