2024 marks a major milestone for the Transformers franchise as the iconic property celebrates its 40th anniversary since it first debuted on toy shelves in April 1984. This week, Hasbro announced that it will be celebrating the anniversary with various products, new pieces of entertainment, and much more.
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Drawing inspiration from the property’s 1984 origins, Hasbro will be launching an exciting array of products, promotions, experiences, and content throughout the year in celebration of the anniversary. This will allow fans to discover where the franchise first began.
HASBRO ANNOUNCES 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FOR TRANSFORMERS FRANCHISE
The franchise became a massive hit when it made its worldwide debut in 1984, featuring revolutionary figures that could transform from robot to vehicle and back. It was bolstered by a comic book series published by Marvel Comics and an action-packed animated series that’s still beloved to this day. The original series produced such beloved, iconic characters as Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, Starscream, and more.
Today, the franchise continues to produce new robots and heroes to join the franchise and illustrate its core ability to change and adapt to new environments, along with offering a variety of ways to play for a new generation of fans. Speaking on the anniversary, Alyse D’Antuono, Vice President, Global Franchise Strategy & Management, Action Brands, Hasbro, stated the following:
“Beloved since its inception in 1984, TRANSFORMERS has evolved from an innovative toy line into a powerhouse franchise embraced by millions of fans around the world. The past four decades continuously delivered a … More Than Meets The Eye experience for fans by introducing new toys and games, as well as thrilling storytelling in animated shows, comics, blockbuster films and much more. As we build the next chapter in the TRANSFORMERS universe, we look forward to celebrating one legacy for another 40 years.”
– Alyse D’Antuono, Vice President, Global Franchise Strategy & Management, Action Brands, Hasbro
Meanwhile, veteran voice-over actor and the original voice of Megatron, Frank Welker had this to say on the big anniversary:
“When you have a franchise that goes 40 years in this business, it’s pretty remarkable to watch the franchise just build and build and build it is amazing to watch.” Added fellow voice cast member and original voice of Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen, “I’ve always had the feeling this was going to go a long time.”
– Megatron voice actor Frank Welker
Hasbro Pulse already recently revealed the next HasLab project, which is for the Transformers: Legacy toy line and based on the 2001 Transformers: Robots in Disguise anime series. Fans can now back the Omega Prime set for HasLab until March 14, 2024, at 11:59 PM EST. The new HasLab set is now funded to be produced, surpassing the initial backing gold of 10,000 backers!
The HasLab campaign now has two more thresholds to reach at 13,000 and 16,000 backers. At 13,000 backers, the Matrix Blade accessory will be unlocked. At 16,000 backers, the set will then include the global space bridge accessory. These additional accessories will only be made available to backers who pre-order the set before the deadline. It’s priced at $249.99 and available to back at Hasbro Pulse. You can view some images of the new HasLab campaign in the gallery below.
With the anniversary celebration, Hasbro also plans to release over 40 distinct Hasbro anniversary figures across the year-long celebration. Each product packaging will also be branded with the 40th-anniversary logo, including the recently revealed Transformers Generations Comic Edition Shockwave and Grimlock figures. Next month, Hasbro will kick off the anniversary with a Hasbro Pulse Fanstream and weekly fan-focused content.
Hasbro is also celebrating the 40th anniversary in the form of various licenses with multiple brand partners throughout the year. In terms of music, there will be a new anniversary vinyl music album, Hasbro presents Transformers: Music from the Original Animated Series, this will feature music from the original 1980s animated series and all three seasons. This includes over 45 minutes of music with bonus tracks and a mixture of remastered orchestral and ’80s-inspired synth tracks from the original tapes by composer Rob Walsh. The album will also be available digitally for the first time across all digital music platforms. Pre-orders for the album will begin on July 26.
JLab will also release new headphones such as the JLab JBuds Lux ANC Headphones for the Transformers 40th Anniversary collection! They will also include the wireless earbuds and the JLab JBuds ANC 3 model. You can check out those new headphones in Autobot or Decepticon colors below:
Mad Engine will be releasing a new line of t-shirts for the franchise’s 40th anniversary. Meanwhile, RSVLTS will have a new collection as well that’s in the works in celebration of the anniversary. Besides new figures from Hasbro, new merchandise will also be coming up for the anniversary from brand partners such as Robosen, Jada Toys, Super7, Funko, New Zealand Mint, threezero, and FiGPiN later this year.
Skybound Entertainment will also be publishing new comic books and graphic novel collections for the franchise later in 2024. As part of the new shared Energon Universe from creator Robert Kirkman, Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Void Rivals all come together for a record-breaking industry sales record event. A new compendium series collecting the iconic Marvel Comics series of Transformers is also due out later this fall!
Dynamite Entertainment will also release a new set of premium trading cards, nearly 200 in total. The card will feature fan-favorite characters from the Generation 1 era, featuring classic art styles from an international array of top artists and Hasbro’s design archives. More information and details about the trading card plans will be revealed soon.
And just in time for the 40th anniversary will be the upcoming CG-animated feature, Transformers One. This is the first-ever fully CG-animated theatrical movie for the franchise, and it’s due out later this September. The second season of the hit animated series, Transformers: Earthspark, also arrives on Paramount+ later this year.
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Last but not least, Season 11 of the hit reality competition show, The Masked Singer, will debut a special Transformers-themed episode later this Spring on FOX.
What do you think of the news? Are you a Transformers fan? Are you excited about celebrating the franchise’s 40th anniversary? What anniversary products or lines are you most excited about? Let us know your thoughts about the news on our social media channels.
SOURCE: Hasbro
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