Editing Aaron Archer

{{disambig2|the real-life Hasbro designer|the ''Animated'' supervillain|Angry Archer}}
[[File:Aaron-archer-botcon2005.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Aaron draws a portrait of Batman for fans at BotCon 2005. LEGENDS OF BATMAN!]]
'''Aaron C. Archer''' (born [[August 26]], [[1972]]<ref name="bday">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-general-discussion/187887-happy-birthday-aaron-archer.html TFW2005 thread for Aaron's 36th birthday.]</ref>) is a former high-ranking employee of [[Hasbro]].

Aaron's career was somewhat unusual insofar as he started out as a regular designer and eventually climbed up the corporate ladder.

As a designer, he first worked in Hasbro's [[Kenner]] division in [[1995]] after it was purchased by Hasbro a few years prior, working on toylines such as ''[[Batman]]'', ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' and ''[[Jurassic Park]]'', before being moved to ''Transformers'' during the [[Transmetal 2]] phase of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]''. There, he designed toys like the Transmetal 2 incarnations of [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]], [[Dinobot II|Dinobot]], [[Optimus Minor]], and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]].

In the year [[2000]], the Kenner division was closed down and its product lines were fully merged into Hasbro. Many of the Kenner staff didn't want to relocate to [[Rhode Island]], including the incumbent head of the ''Transformers'' brand, but Aaron was willing to move and, in his words, said "I raised my hand and said 'I'll take ''Transformers'' if you're looking for someone to manage it'". <Ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNgWvNmMJfE Youtube: "The Toy Armada: Transformers Armada Part 1 Behind The Scenes!"] Dec 14, 2021, 08:37 in</ref> Aaron was promoted to lead designer on ''Transformers'', where he played a large role in the planning of ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'', which was released in [[2002]]. He played a similar role in the development of ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'', as well as ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]''. In addition to designing characters and planning out the toylines, Aaron also wrote the story concepts for all three ''[[Unicron Trilogy continuity family|Unicron Trilogy]]'' lines that were eventually <s>made manifest in the lines' cartoon series</s> ignored by the Japanese production companies. In the middle of all of this, in [[2004]], he was further promoted to design director.

In later years, he held titles such as "Snr. Design Director", "Director of Global Design and Development" (for the ''Transformers'' and ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' brands) and, finally, "Vice President of Intellectual Property Development". In [[2013]], he resigned from Hasbro for initially undisclosed reasons.<ref name="aaronquit">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=93321 "Aaron Archer No Longer With Hasbro, Yup"] at the Allspark.</ref> He later confirmed that his main reason was the increasing difficulty of developing "fun" toys while dealing with rising plastic prices and the constant pressure for cost efficiency.<ref name="tfcon2014">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/997302-aaron-archers-statements-toy-design-tfcon-2014-a.html "Aaron Archers statements on toy design at Tfcon 2014"] at TFW2005.</ref> After living for about a year in Morganton, North Carolina, where they operated their own art studio, he and his wife have since moved back to Rhode Island.<ref name="transmissionsinterview">[http://www.transmissionspodcast.com/2014/10/transmissions-episode-70-aaron-archer-interview/ Interview with TransMissions Podcast] on 7 October 2014.</ref>

Aaron is relatively well known in the [[fandom]], partially because he spent several months posting to the boards at [http://www.tfw2005.com/ TFW2005] under the username "'''Orson'''", a name by which fans sometimes still refer to him. This is in turn a reference to [[Orson Welles]], the voice of [[Unicron]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.

He now has a beard. And long hair.  And a long forehead.

==Known design projects==
{{creatorstub|Design credits from Instagram, his podcast, toy and trivia sections across the wiki, etc etc}}
*[[Transformers: Alternators|''Alternators'']]

===''Beast Wars''===
[[File:Beast Wars-Transmetal 2 Megatron.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Optimus Minor#Beast Wars|Optimus Minor]]
====''Transmetals 2''====
* [[Dinobot II#Beast Wars|Dinobot]]
* [[Iguanus (BW)#Transmetal2|Iguanus]]
* [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Transmetal2|Megatron]]
{{-}}
===''Armada''===
[[File:Armada-Street-Action-Mini-Con-Team.jpg|thumb]]
;Mini-Con Class
*[[Street Action Mini-Con Team#Armada|Street Action Mini-Con Team]] / [[Perceptor (Armada)#Armada|Perceptor]]
**[[Grindor (Armada)#Armada|Grindor]]
**[[High Wire (Armada)#Armada|High Wire]]
**[[Sureshock (Armada)#Armada|Sureshock]]
* Many, many more [[Mini-Con]]s
{{-}}
[[File:ArmadaScavenger toy.jpg|thumb]]
;Super-Con Class
{{collist|3|
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys#Armada|Hot Shot]] with [[Jolt (Armada)#Armada|Jolt]]
* [[Smokescreen (Armada)#Armada|Smokescreen]] with [[Liftor#Armada|Liftor]]
* [[Thrust (Armada)#Armada|Thrust]] with [[Inferno (Armada)#Armada|Inferno]]
* [[Cyclonus (Armada)#Armada|Cyclonus]] with [[Crumplezone (Armada)#Armada|Crumplezone]]
* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#Super-Con|Optimus Prime]] with [[Over-Run (Armada)#Armada|Over-Run]]
* [[Sideways (Armada)#Armada|Sideways]] with [[Mirror#Armada|Mirror]] ([[Crosswise (Armada)#Armada|Crosswise]] and [[Rook (Armada)#Armada|Rook]])<ref name = "March2019">" #prep for #marchofrobots (daily robot drawing each day in March) I am going to draw my #favorite #transformers that I had a hand in creating circa 1997-2013." --[https://www.instagram.com/p/BuWckrcHeMI/ March of Robots 2019" feature by Aaron Archer on Instagram]</ref>
* [[Demolishor (Armada)#Armada|Demolishor]] with [[Blackout (Armada)#Armada|Blackout]]<ref name = "March2019"/>
* [[Blurr (Armada)#Armada|Blurr]] with [[Incinerator (Armada)#Armada|Incinerator]]<ref name = "March2019"/>
}}
;Max-Con Class
{{collist|3|
* [[Starscream (Armada)/toys#Armada|Starscream]] with [[Swindle (Armada)#Armada|Swindle]]
* [[Skywarp (Armada)#Armada|Skywarp]] with [[Thunderclash (Armada)#Armada|Thunderclash]]<ref>"Armada #deepcut , My seeker Ninja head design, Im not sure how often this head got redecoed over the years but it is one of my personal favorites. a rare example of retool for the armada era. I love the crazy tall fin and cool #minicon" --[https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKW-PZAThc/ Aaron Archer on Instagram]</ref>
* [[Scavenger (Armada)#Armada|Scavenger]] with [[Rollbar (Armada)#Armada|Rollbar]]<ref name = "March2019"/>
* [[Red Alert (Armada)#Armada|Red Alert]] with [[Longarm (Armada)#Armada|Longarm]]<ref name = "March2019"/>
}}
{{-}}
[[File:Superbase ArmadaPrime.jpg|thumb]]
;Giga-Con Class
* [[Megatron (Armada)/toys#Armada|Megatron]] with [[Leader-1 (Armada)#Armada|Leader-1]]
* [[Jetfire (Armada)#Armada|Jetfire]] with [[Comettor (Armada)#Armada|Comettor]]<ref name = "March2019"/>
;Super Base
* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#Armada|Optimus Prime]] with [[Sparkplug (Armada)#Armada|Sparkplug]]
;Supreme
* [[Unicron/toys#Armada|Unicron]] with [[Dead End (Armada)#Armada|Dead End]]
{{-}}

===''Energon''===
[[File:Energon Scorponok toy.jpg|thumb]]
;Energon Class
* [[Battle Ravage#Energon|Battle Ravage]]<ref name = "March2019"/>
* [[Signal Flare (Energon)#Energon|Signal Flare]]
;Combat Class
* [[Cyclonus (Armada)#SnowCat|Snow Cat]]
* [[Sharkticon (Energon)#Energon|Sharkticon]]<ref name = "March2019"/>
;Command Class
* [[Scorponok (Energon)#Energon|Scorponok]] (early concept)
{{-}}

===''Cybertron''===
[[File:Cybertrontoy hasbro and takara vector primes.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Vector Prime#Cybertron|Vector Prime]] with [[Safeguard (Cybertron)#Cybertron|Safeguard]]
{{-}}
===''Masterpiece''===
[[File:TF-MP-20th-Anniversary-Optimus-Prime.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|20th Anniversary Optimus Prime]]<ref name="transmissionsinterview"/>
{{-}}
===''Transformers'' (2007)===
[[File:TF07-Protoform-Optimus-Prime.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Protoform|Protoform Optimus Prime]]
{{-}}
===''Universe'' (2008)===
[[File:TFU08-toy AcidStorm.jpg|thumb]]
* [[Acid Storm (G1)#Universe (2008)|Acid Storm]] (deco stripe pattern)
{{-}}
===''Generations: Fall of Cybertron''===
{{creatorstub}}

==Orson's World==
[[File:ActionAaron2009.jpg|thumb|200px|Aaron Archer did not actually have a magnificent beard when this internet drama was going on. Perhaps if he had, it could have all been avoided.]]

In early 2002, prior to the official launch of the ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' line, Aaron signed up to the boards of [http://www.tfw2005.com/ TFW2005] (then merged with the late Transfandom.net, later Transfandom.com) under the alias "Orson". After refuting a fan's pompous claims about the alleged properties of some of the ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' toys, the staff verified his identity as a Hasbro designer and created a special sub-forum for him, named "Orson's World". There, he would answer fan questions, but often only giving very vague hints or rejecting a carefully phrased, multi-point question with a blunt "NO." When the 2005 Boards split from Transfandom, "Orson's World" was migrated to the new TFW2005 site with Aaron's approval.

Aaron's stint as "Orson" eventually came to a sudden halt in September 2003, when he was asked by his superiors to refrain from any further posts at TFW2005 and have his "Orson" account as well as his entire posting history deleted. Aaron initially blamed Jack, the owner of [http://www.tformers.com/ TFormers.com], another [[Fandom|fansite]], for sending a "sour grape email" to his PR department.<ref name="grapes">[http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?s=&amp;showtopic=1445&amp;view=findpost&amp;p=24805 Mirrored version of Aaron Archer's farewell message as "Orson".]</ref> Jack initially denied any involvement and threatened legal action for defamation of name, but later endorsed the termination of "Orson's World", without directly claiming responsibility: Allegedly, Aaron, in his "Orson" persona, had been behaving "unprofessionally", had been "rude" towards fans<ref name="tformers">[http://forums.tformers.com/talk/index.php?s=&amp;showtopic=23309&amp;view=findpost&amp;p=420322 Jack's version of the story].</ref> and allegedly secretly supplied TFW2005 with photos of [[prototype]]s, thereby undermining a strict ban on photos of prototypes Hasbro had been enforcing for the better part of 2003. Other suspects blamed by "inside sources" were the staff of other fansites such as [http://www.seibertron.com/ Seibertron.com], [http://www.allspark.com/ The Allspark] (who later went on record several times denying any involvement, even explicitly mourning the loss of "Orson's World") and the owners of the late Transfandom.net/Transfandom.com, the latter of whom had allegedly phoned Hasbro and literally insulted their PR contact.<ref name="tfd">[https://web.archive.org/web/20160322074845/http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/1647228-post82.html Former Transfandom.com staff member telling his side of the story] (archived), [https://web.archive.org/web/20160322074846/http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/1647942-post91.html continued] (archived).</ref>

The true details of the goings-on behind the scenes that had led to the end of "Orson's World" will probably never be revealed in full. Which is probably for the better.

==Convention appearances==
{{collist|3|
*[[BotCon 2002]]
*[[OTFCC 2003]]
*[[OTFCC 2004]]
*[[BotCon 2005]]
*[[BotCon 2006]]
*[[BotCon 2007]]
*[[BotCon 2008]]
*[[BotCon 2009]]
*[[BotCon 2010]]
*[[San Diego Comic-Con]] [[2010]]
*[[BotCon 2011]]
*[[BotCon 2012]]
*[[Cybertron Con 2012]]
*[[BotCon 2016]]
}}
==Fiction==
===''Lil' Jerry''===
Aaron Archer and [[Lil' Jerry]] answered fans' questions at BotCon 2005. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 6|Lil' Jerry's Big BotCon Adventure}}

==Notes==
[[File:Archerbot-04.jpg|right|180px|thumb|"Do you want ants? Because that's how you get ants."]]
* Aaron is a very, ''very'' bad speller. Reportedly, he was even known for this within Hasbro. The fact that he managed to rise that far up in the company's hierarchy despite his shortcomings in the writing field can be considered a testament to his skill, dedication, and effort in the areas in which he excels.
* Aaron's favorite Transformer toy during the original run was [[Perceptor (G1)#Toys|Perceptor]]. However, he felt Perceptor never got enough screen/panel time, which he attributes to the fact Perceptor turned into a difficult-to-utilize alternate form.<ref name="triple">''[[Triple Changer: From Toy To Comic To Screen]]'', [[Shout! Factory]] ''Transformers'' Season 1 DVD featurette</ref>
* His favorite Transformer that he designed is [[Vector Prime]].<ref>{{instagram|mine too|https://www.instagram.com/p/Bubcs5Kn9dr/c/17978356441205690/r/17907536086292250/|Aaron Archer|2019|05|03}}</ref>
* His favorite weapon concept is ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)| Armada]]'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]]'s transforming wing/sword.<ref>{{instagram|The Wing-sword is my all time Favorite weapon concept.....|https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu4zDnkneab/|Aaron Archer|2019|03|12}}</ref>
* ''Armada'' Optimus Prime was the only Optimus design by Aaron Archer, as his style wasn't suited to heroic characters.<ref>{{instagram|This was my only OP design, my style is geared toward villains. Most of the heroic characters all migrated to Eric @ericjsiebenaler after Armada. This OP was Built around the self transforming feature, so I didnt have the option of classic window chest design. I like the boxer feel to the armada leader and the bendy prime toys.|https://www.instagram.com/p/BvPVOZRnU2P/|Aaron Archer|2019|03|20}}</ref>
* The ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' Snow Job figure was the first toy Archer bought with his own money, and this, together with the Snow Cat vehicle, formed the inspiration for ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' [[Snow Cat (Energon)|Snow Cat]].<ref>{{instagram|In my opinion #Energon #snowcat is the most personally indulgent design I ever put into the line. #unicrontrilogy My first true Hasbro toy love was #80s #gijoe, the first #toy I ever bought with my own money was #snowjob. I did and still do love specialty vehicles like the #snowcat, one of my favs from those days. So fast forward 20 years, sitting in my office looking for inspiration and I decided to do one of my childhood favs...as a #decepticon . and right down to the defrosted canopy wipeblade. #powertrip|https://www.instagram.com/p/CEmHPMHAZAV/|Aaron Archer|2020|09|01}}</ref>
* When the ''Energon'' '''Piranhacons''' (who would eventually become the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]]) were first introduced in a Hasbro panel at [[OTFCC 2004]], [[Skalor]] was labelled "Archerbot" after Aaron as a joke, as Skalor's name had not yet cleared Hasbro Legal.
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Protoform|Protoform Optimus Prime]] was designed by Archer in a single day in 2006, and was the last toy he personally worked on. He prefers [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#TLK-Protoform|the redeco from ''The Last Knight'']].<ref>{{instagram|Because of a late change in the #transformersmovie line, I had to design this toy in one day back in 2006. It was the last transformers toy I hands-on worked on. It is not a strong design so i was surprised to see a redeco at #toysrus yesterday. The color choices on this one are WAY better than the original.|https://www.instagram.com/p/BYQfgk0nipz/|Aaron Archer|2017|08|26}}</ref>
*[[Longarm (Movie)|Movie Longarm]] has an ''Orson's Towing'' logo on his door panels, a somewhat obscure nod to Archer.
* Aaron's name and likeness are the basis for the ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' character [[Angry Archer]]. He was unaware of the character until fairly late in production, but went along with the idea when the Cartoon Network team agreed to give him a "robot arm" to fit into the future setting more and made him left handed (Archer is left handed).
*The Archers used a Japanese convention exclusive [[Transformers (2007 toyline)|Movie]] [[Arcee (Movie)#PinkArcee|Arcee]] and one-of-a-kind variants of Movie [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Voyager Class toys|Voyager Optimus Prime]] and [[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|''Armada'']] [[Sparkplug (Armada)#Armada|Sparkplug]] as cake toppers at their wedding. [[Rik Alvarez]] officiated.<ref>[http://www.transformersclub.com/TFCCwedding.cfm Announcement of the Archers' wedding] (complete with ''Transformers'' cake toppers) published at the official [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] website</ref>
* At the [[BotCon 2008]] Hasbro panel, Archer revealed that he was unable to find the [[Walmart|Wal-Mart]]-[[exclusive]] [[Starscream (G1)/toys#MasterpieceUS|''Masterpiece'' Starscream]] at Wal-Mart retail stores. He was forced to purchase one off [[eBay]].
* Archer was featured on Shout! Factory's G1 Bonus Features "Triple Changer: From Toy to Comic to Screen", "The Combiner: Forming the Transformers Animated Series" and "The Autobots, the Decepticons & the Fans". He was also featured on Shout! Factory's Beast Wars Bonus Features "Maximize! Creating A New Breed Of Transformer" and "Remembering the Spark".
* At his [[BotCon 2016]] panel, he claimed to have designed more Jar Jar toys than anyone else.
* He continues to draw updated versions of ''[[Unicron Trilogy continuity family|Unicron Trilogy]]'' characters (usually from ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'') and often uploads pictures of them to his Instagram account, sometimes with a little bit of background information as to where the inspirations for the designs originally came from.

==External links==
*[https://archermonster.com/ Aaron Archer's professional website]
*[https://www.instagram.com/archermonster_creative/ Aaron Archer on Instagram]
*[https://twitter.com/archermonster Aaron Archer on Twitter]
*[https://www.facebook.com/archermonsterart Aaron Archer on Facebook]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL-HHHcnrMk8hS7IbYz_gcA The Toy Armada with Aaron Archer], Archer's podcast


===Interviews===
[[Image:ArcherinterviewArmadayearbook.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Proof that Archer is fluent in Japanese?]]
*March 2003—[https://tformers.com/matrix/interviews/archer.html TFormers] (at the [https://tformers.com/1116 Hasbro Collectors Event])
*July 2007—[http://web.archive.org/web/20070710020958/http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=362808&Category=20&fromSearch=yes&subCategoryID=0 CantonRep.com] (archived)
*2007—[http://web.archive.org/web/20070930003802/http://www.fieldsedge.com/Transformers.html FieldsEdge.com] (archive)
*July 2012—[https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/twincast-podcast-episode-51-bruticus/25481/ Seibertron] ([https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/sdcc-2012-coverage-interview-with-hasbros-aaron-archer-and-jerry-jivoin/25465/ transcript]) (with [[Jerry Jivoin]])
*July 2014—[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b39MtQvdsEs TFcon Toronto]
*July 2014—[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0mxP_ykuro Vangelus]
*October 2014—[https://www.transmissionspodcast.com/2014/10/transmissions-episode-70-aaron-archer-interview TransMissions]
*October 2014—[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYq7ujMTOBk Transformers For Your Listening Pleasure] (with [[Rik Alvarez]])
*March 2020—[https://www.firstcomicsnews.com/interview-with-hasbro-legend-and-comic-book-artist-aaron-archer/ First Comics News]
*March 2020—[https://www.tfradio.net/2020/03/30/aaron-archer-interview/ Radio Free Cybertron]
*December 2021—The Toy Armada ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNgWvNmMJfE ''Armada'' Part 1], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j7kdLZv8Ck ''Armada'' Part 2])
*June 2022—[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnwx7GolUgs Transformers Slag Podcast]
*June 2022—The Toy Armada ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E54sqYe2cPE ''Alternators'' Part 1])

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, Aaron}}
[[Category:Beast Era designers]]
[[Category:Convention guests]]
[[Category:Hasbro designers]]
[[Category:Lead designers]]
[[Category:Movie designers]]
[[Category:Masterpiece designers]]
[[Category:Unicron Trilogy designers]]
[[Category:Universe (2008) designers]]