Fandom - Revision history

Doomdorm64: /* Fans gone official */

2026-03-20T13:36:43Z

Fans gone official

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:36, 20 March 2026
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	* [[Liam Shalloo]]		* [[Liam Shalloo]]
	* [[Pete Sinclair]]		* [[Pete Sinclair]]
			* [[Sixo]]
	* [[Jim Sorenson]]		* [[Jim Sorenson]]
	* [[Chris Tang]] (aka "Ravestrike")		* [[Chris Tang]] (aka "Ravestrike")

Doomdorm64: /* Fans gone official */

2026-02-17T13:34:25Z

Fans gone official

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:34, 17 February 2026
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	{{collist\|4\|		{{collist\|4\|
			* [[Thew Adams]]
	* [[Fumihiko Akiyama]]		* [[Fumihiko Akiyama]]
	* [[Adam Alexander]] (aka "Botch")		* [[Adam Alexander]] (aka "Botch")

S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47 at 14:28, 5 January 2026

2026-01-05T14:28:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:28, 5 January 2026
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	The community of Transformers fans is referred to as a '''fandom'''. While the term technically encompasses any group of kids coming together to talk about Transformers in a sandbox, it is commonly used to refer to the people from college-age and up who participate in the online fandom. The fandom has long played a role in the [[Transformers timeline\|history of the franchise]]. Most notably, [[BotCon]] was their {{w\|Mardi Gras}}, an official convention geared almost totally to adult fans.		The community of Transformers fans is referred to as a '''fandom'''. While the term technically encompasses any group of kids coming together to talk about Transformers in a sandbox, it is commonly used to refer to the people from college-age and up who participate in the online fandom. The fandom has long played a role in the [[Transformers timeline\|history of the franchise]]. Most notably, [[BotCon]] was their {{w\|Mardi Gras}}, an official convention geared almost totally to adult fans.

	In the early days, fans coined the term '''Transfans''' to refer to themselves (along with the occasionally-used female variant '''Transisters'''). However, the term has generally fallen out of vogue over the 21st century, and most today simply refer to themselves as "''Transformers'' fans".		In the early days, fans coined the term '''Transfans''' to refer to themselves (along with the occasionally-used female variant '''Transisters'''). However, the term has generally fallen out of vogue over the 21st century, and most today simply refer to themselves as "'''''Transformers'' fans'''".

	==History==		==History==

S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47: /* References */

2024-08-08T21:59:34Z

References

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:59, 8 August 2024
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	==References==		==References==
	Many references to the fandom have been made in official Transformers fiction.		Many references to the fandom have been made in official ''Transformers'' fiction:

	===Beast Wars===		===Beast Wars===
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	**[[Tengu Sector]]		**[[Tengu Sector]]

	===Universe===		===''Universe'' (2008)===
	* The ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|Universe]]'' Ultra Class [[Onslaught (G1)\|Onslaught]] toy's [[Paint operation\|painted deco]] features a reference to long-time Transformer fan [[User:Monzo\|Monzo]]'s screen-name and birthday. Jealousy sold separately.		* The ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|Universe]]'' Ultra Class [[Onslaught (G1)\|Onslaught]] toy's [[Paint operation\|painted deco]] features a reference to long-time Transformer fan [[User:Monzo\|Monzo]]'s screen-name and birthday. Jealousy sold separately.
	* [[Acid Storm (G1)\|Acid Storm]]'s [[bio]] personality and "Hyperion-3" blasters are also references to Monzo.		* [[Acid Storm (G1)\|Acid Storm]]'s [[bio]] personality and "Hyperion-3" blasters are also references to Monzo.
	* The 2008 [[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys\|Hot Shot]] toy's license plate and [[bio]] made the character's fan-propagated love of "[[JaAm]]" official.		* The 2008 [[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys\|Hot Shot]] toy's license plate and [[bio]] made the character's fan-propagated love of "[[JaAm]]" official.

	===~~Generation 1 comic books~~===		===Dreamwave Productions and IDW Publishing===
	* Artists [[Joe Ng]] and [[Alex Milne]] have both drawn shout-outs to TFW2005.com into their art.		* Artists [[Joe Ng]] and [[Alex Milne]] have both drawn shout-outs to TFW2005.com into their art.
	* Alex Milne drew [[Hot Shot (Armada)\|Hot Shot]] and [[Ravage (SG)\|''Shattered Glass'' Ravage]] as corpses in his art to make Internet fanboy [[David Willis]] sad.		* Alex Milne drew [[Hot Shot (Armada)\|Hot Shot]] and [[Ravage (SG)\|''Shattered Glass'' Ravage]] as corpses in his art to make Internet fanboy [[David Willis]] sad.
	** He later drew Hot Shot in ''both'' his ''Armada'' and ''Energon'' designs as living background extras in his art to make Willis happy. Go figure.		** He later drew Hot Shot in ''both'' his ''Armada'' and ''Energon'' designs as living background extras in his art to make Willis happy. Go figure.

	===Animated===		===''Animated''===
	* [[Chris Ho\|Animated Personality Vangelus]]		* [[Chris Ho\|Animated Personality Vangelus]]

	===Robots in Disguise 2015===		===''Robots in Disguise'' (2015)===
	* In an example that also involves the preceding ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)\|Prime]]'' cartoon, the [[Robots in Disguise issue 5\|fifth issue]] of the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)\|Robots in Disguise]]'' comic introduced [[Steve (Vehicon)\|Steve]] the [[Vehicon (Prime)\|Vehicon]]. The character's name is a reference to the long-running joke during the run of ''Prime'' amongst the fandom that referred to every unfortunate Vehicon as "Steve".		* In an example that also involves the preceding ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)\|Prime]]'' cartoon, the [[Robots in Disguise issue 5\|fifth issue]] of the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)\|Robots in Disguise]]'' comic introduced [[Steve (Vehicon)\|Steve]] the [[Vehicon (Prime)\|Vehicon]]. The character's name is a reference to the long-running joke during the run of ''Prime'' amongst the fandom that referred to every unfortunate Vehicon as "Steve".

			===''Cyberverse'' (2018)===
			* A "list of signatures" in [[Cybertronian language\|Cybertronian text]] for a petition to "Save the [[Singlehorn]]" in the episode "[[The Immobilizers]]" includes many names such as that of [[Thew Adams]] to thank said real-life social media content creators for supporting the show.

	==Adopted fan terminology==		==Adopted fan terminology==

Danja: /* Early message boards and tensions in the fandom */

2023-07-05T08:37:27Z

Early message boards and tensions in the fandom

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:37, 5 July 2023
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	Some of these early sites, particularly Ben Yee's, also featured message boards, which were used as an alternative to a.t.t. by some fans. While Ben Yee soon closed his board again due to frequent trolling and lack of moderation, another fan named Renaud Lefebvre launched his own site, [http://www.bigbot.com/ Bigbot.com], in 1998, which also featured downloads and a message board, Bottalk.		Some of these early sites, particularly Ben Yee's, also featured message boards, which were used as an alternative to a.t.t. by some fans. While Ben Yee soon closed his board again due to frequent trolling and lack of moderation, another fan named Renaud Lefebvre launched his own site, [http://www.bigbot.com/ Bigbot.com], in 1998, which also featured downloads and a message board, Bottalk.

	Even though Renaud was in contact with ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)\|Beast Machines]]'' showrunner [[Bob Skir]], thus briefly making Bottalk ''the'' primary Transformers discussion hub during that time, his tight-handed way of moderating his board eventually led to mass bannings, coupled with a mass exodus to a newly created board, named The Allspark, in November 1999. Due to the backlash from his moderating style, Lefebvre maintained an isolationist stance for Bottalk for an entire decade, ignoring the existence of other Transformers-related websites ~~(with the occasional content copied and images hotlinked from the official Hasbro website)~~. In return, Bottalk was ignored by the rest of the fandom, yet continued as a small but active board~~. At the time of this writing, Bigbot now directly redirects to Bottalk, which has given up its former isolationist attitude, to little avail~~.		Even though Renaud was in contact with ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)\|Beast Machines]]'' showrunner [[Bob Skir]], thus briefly making Bottalk ''the'' primary Transformers discussion hub during that time, his tight-handed way of moderating his board eventually led to mass bannings, coupled with a mass exodus to a newly created board, named The Allspark, in November 1999. Due to the backlash from his moderating style, Lefebvre maintained an isolationist stance for Bottalk for an entire decade, ignoring the existence of other Transformers-related websites. In return, Bottalk was ignored by the rest of the fandom, yet continued as a small but active board until closing down in July 2023.

	The Allspark eventually encountered internal friction itself—when the community, under a new owner, moved to the new domain [http://www.allspark.com/ Allspark.com] in 2001, several members gained illegitimate control of the Ezboard site and attempted to turn the old board into a ''second'' Allspark community (now also available under [http://www.allspark.net/ Allspark.net]). The .com site remains the much larger of the two Allsparks to this very day, whereas the other board has faded into obscurity.		The Allspark eventually encountered internal friction itself—when the community, under a new owner, moved to the new domain [http://www.allspark.com/ Allspark.com] in 2001, several members gained illegitimate control of the Ezboard site and attempted to turn the old board into a ''second'' Allspark community (now also available under [http://www.allspark.net/ Allspark.net]). The .com site remains the much larger of the two Allsparks to this very day, whereas the other board has faded into obscurity.

Saix: clean up, replaced: ==Footnotes== → ==References==, → {{reflist|2}}, typos fixed: Advisory Board → advisory board

2023-05-18T18:11:56Z

clean up, replaced: ==Footnotes== → ==References==, <references/> → {{reflist|2}}, typos fixed: Advisory Board → advisory board

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:11, 18 May 2023
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	==Fans gone official==		==Fans gone official==
	Many members of the online fandom have gone on to contribute to Transformers in an official capacity. One of the most prolific ones is probably [[Ben Yee\|Benson "Ben" Yee]], who started out as an active fan (under the screenname "Wonko the Sane") and defended the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)\|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] in its early phase at [[alt.toys.transformers]]. Ben was eventually hired to work as a consultant for the show. Later, he was made a member of the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]]'s ~~Advisory Board~~ and has since written officially licensed ''Transformers'' comic book stories for both [[IDW Publishing]] and [[Fun Publications]].		Many members of the online fandom have gone on to contribute to Transformers in an official capacity. One of the most prolific ones is probably [[Ben Yee\|Benson "Ben" Yee]], who started out as an active fan (under the screenname "Wonko the Sane") and defended the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)\|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] in its early phase at [[alt.toys.transformers]]. Ben was eventually hired to work as a consultant for the show. Later, he was made a member of the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]]'s advisory board and has since written officially licensed ''Transformers'' comic book stories for both [[IDW Publishing]] and [[Fun Publications]].

	Another name widely recognized among fan circles is [[Don Figueroa]], who gained early fandom fame for his fan comic ''Macromasters'', which featured original robot designs created by him. Don also created large transformable, scratch-built toys based on his characters. He was later hired by [[Dreamwave Productions]] as a comic book artist and developed the comic series ''[[Transformers: The War Within\|The War Within]]'' together with writer [[Simon Furman]], and also developed pre-Earth designs for every single character that appeared in the comic. Don continued to draw Transformers comics for Dreamwave, IDW Publishing, and Fun Publications and even worked as a toy designer for Hasbro (including some designs for the ''[[Transformers: Classics\|Classics]]'' line and major work on the ''[[Titanium Series]]'' line), but eventually departed from official Transformers work in late 2007... only to return a year later.		Another name widely recognized among fan circles is [[Don Figueroa]], who gained early fandom fame for his fan comic ''Macromasters'', which featured original robot designs created by him. Don also created large transformable, scratch-built toys based on his characters. He was later hired by [[Dreamwave Productions]] as a comic book artist and developed the comic series ''[[Transformers: The War Within\|The War Within]]'' together with writer [[Simon Furman]], and also developed pre-Earth designs for every single character that appeared in the comic. Don continued to draw Transformers comics for Dreamwave, IDW Publishing, and Fun Publications and even worked as a toy designer for Hasbro (including some designs for the ''[[Transformers: Classics\|Classics]]'' line and major work on the ''[[Titanium Series]]'' line), but eventually departed from official Transformers work in late 2007... only to return a year later.
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	and others....		and others....

	==~~Footnotes~~==		==References==
	~~<references/>~~		{{reflist\|2}}

	[[Category:Fandom\| *]]		[[Category:Fandom\| *]]

S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47: /* Adopted fan terminology */

2022-12-05T21:15:56Z

Adopted fan terminology

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:15, 5 December 2022
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	*[[Titan (group)\|Cityformer]]		*[[Titan (group)\|Cityformer]]
	*''[[Darksyde (BW)\|Darkside]]''		*''[[Darksyde (BW)\|Darkside]]''
			*[[Dinocassette]]
			*[[Energon Saber\|Energon Saber Mini-Con Team]]
	*[[Combiner\|Gestalt]]		*[[Combiner\|Gestalt]]
	*[[Generation 1 continuity family\|Generation 1]]		*[[Generation 1 continuity family\|Generation 1]]
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	*[[Lugnut (Animated)\|Lugnut]]'s "[[Punch of Kill Everything]]"		*[[Lugnut (Animated)\|Lugnut]]'s "[[Punch of Kill Everything]]"
	*[[Mech]] and [[Female Transformer\|femme]]		*[[Mech]] and [[Female Transformer\|femme]]
			*[[Puffer]]
	*[[Rainmaker]]s (The term was actually used by [[Bluestreak (G1)\|Bluestreak]] in "[[Divide and Conquer]]", but only as a colloquial description of their actions. As with "Seekers", repeated fan usage ultimately led to its adoption as an official group name.)		*[[Rainmaker]]s (The term was actually used by [[Bluestreak (G1)\|Bluestreak]] in "[[Divide and Conquer]]", but only as a colloquial description of their actions. As with "Seekers", repeated fan usage ultimately led to its adoption as an official group name.)
	*[[Seeker (body-type)\|Seeker]] (Technically, this one originated in several 1984-85 retailer catalogs and advertisements, but widespread usage within the fandom is what led to its revived official use.)		*[[Seeker (body-type)\|Seeker]] (Technically, this one originated in several 1984-85 retailer catalogs and advertisements, but widespread usage within the fandom is what led to its revived official use.)

S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47 at 21:13, 5 December 2022

2022-12-05T21:13:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:13, 5 December 2022
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	The community of Transformers fans is referred to as a '''fandom'''. While the term technically encompasses any group of kids coming together to talk about Transformers in a sandbox, it is commonly used to refer to the people from college-age and up who participate in the online fandom. The fandom has long played a role in the [[Transformers timeline\|history of the franchise]]. Most notably, [[BotCon]] was their {{w\|Mardi Gras}}, an official convention geared almost totally to adult fans.		The community of Transformers fans is referred to as a '''fandom'''. While the term technically encompasses any group of kids coming together to talk about Transformers in a sandbox, it is commonly used to refer to the people from college-age and up who participate in the online fandom. The fandom has long played a role in the [[Transformers timeline\|history of the franchise]]. Most notably, [[BotCon]] was their {{w\|Mardi Gras}}, an official convention geared almost totally to adult fans.

	In the ~~eary~~ days, fans coined the term '''Transfans''' to refer to themselves (along with the occasionally-used female variant '''Transisters'''). However, the term has generally fallen out of vogue over the ~~years~~, and most today simply refer to themselves as "Transformers fans".		In the early days, fans coined the term '''Transfans''' to refer to themselves (along with the occasionally-used female variant '''Transisters'''). However, the term has generally fallen out of vogue over the 21st century, and most today simply refer to themselves as "''Transformers'' fans".

	==History==		==History==
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	In addition to these considerably large sites, there are countless smaller sites, some of them being mostly collector showcase sites run by individuals, while others have their own message board communities. Fan communities not based in the United States have also emerged in considerable numbers, with sites often concentrating on a single country, or at least a clearly defined area (such as the aforementioned Scandinavian NTFA), many of them also operating in other languages than English.		In addition to these considerably large sites, there are countless smaller sites, some of them being mostly collector showcase sites run by individuals, while others have their own message board communities. Fan communities not based in the United States have also emerged in considerable numbers, with sites often concentrating on a single country, or at least a clearly defined area (such as the aforementioned Scandinavian NTFA), many of them also operating in other languages than English.

	The large boom of Transformers fan sites on the World Wide Web also had an effect on the established Usenet newsgroup alt.toys.transformers. Activity on the group dropped off, leading many of its members to venture beyond its confines and into the message board world. Given the large number of different boards, the preferences of the users, and the enmities that formed between sites, it was no longer really possible to "know everyone," as it was in a.t.t.'s heyday.		The large boom of Transformers fan sites on the World Wide Web also had an effect on the established Usenet newsgroup alt.toys.transformers. Activity on the group dropped off, leading many of its members to venture beyond its confines and into the message board world. Given the large number of different boards, the preferences of the users, and the enmities that formed between sites, it was no longer really possible to "know everyone", as it was in a.t.t.'s heyday.

	The situation remains the same today, only more so, as the [[live-action film series]] has turned a perennially strong franchise into a runaway powerhouse, attracting countless fans young and old, new and nostalgic, across the globe.		The situation remains the same today, only more so, as the [[live-action film series]] has turned a perennially strong franchise into a runaway powerhouse, attracting countless fans young and old, new and nostalgic, across the globe.

Cyberlink420 at 14:31, 27 April 2022

2022-04-27T14:31:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:31, 27 April 2022
Line 4:		Line 4:
	The community of Transformers fans is referred to as a '''fandom'''. While the term technically encompasses any group of kids coming together to talk about Transformers in a sandbox, it is commonly used to refer to the people from college-age and up who participate in the online fandom. The fandom has long played a role in the [[Transformers timeline\|history of the franchise]]. Most notably, [[BotCon]] was their {{w\|Mardi Gras}}, an official convention geared almost totally to adult fans.		The community of Transformers fans is referred to as a '''fandom'''. While the term technically encompasses any group of kids coming together to talk about Transformers in a sandbox, it is commonly used to refer to the people from college-age and up who participate in the online fandom. The fandom has long played a role in the [[Transformers timeline\|history of the franchise]]. Most notably, [[BotCon]] was their {{w\|Mardi Gras}}, an official convention geared almost totally to adult fans.

	~~Individually~~, ~~or as a group, Transformers~~ fans ~~can be referred to as~~ '''Transfans'''~~. Female fans sometimes~~ refer to themselves as '''Transisters'''.		In the eary days, fans coined the term '''Transfans''' to refer to themselves (along with the occasionally-used female variant '''Transisters'''). However, the term has generally fallen out of vogue over the years, and most today simply refer to themselves as "Transformers fans".

	==History==		==History==

M Sipher: /* Fans gone official */

2020-09-15T23:44:06Z

Fans gone official

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:44, 15 September 2020
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	Other fans who have done official work for Hasbro, Takara, comic book companies, or other third party licensees include:		Other fans who have done official work for Hasbro, Takara, comic book companies, or other third party licensees include:

	{{collist\|2\|		{{collist\|4\|
	* [[Fumihiko Akiyama]]		* [[Fumihiko Akiyama]]
	* [[Adam Alexander]] (aka "Botch")		* [[Adam Alexander]] (aka "Botch")

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:15, 5 December 2022
Line 135:		Line 135:
	*[[Titan (group)\|Cityformer]]		*[[Titan (group)\|Cityformer]]
	*''[[Darksyde (BW)\|Darkside]]''		*''[[Darksyde (BW)\|Darkside]]''
			*[[Dinocassette]]
			*[[Energon Saber\|Energon Saber Mini-Con Team]]
	*[[Combiner\|Gestalt]]		*[[Combiner\|Gestalt]]
	*[[Generation 1 continuity family\|Generation 1]]		*[[Generation 1 continuity family\|Generation 1]]
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	*[[Lugnut (Animated)\|Lugnut]]'s "[[Punch of Kill Everything]]"		*[[Lugnut (Animated)\|Lugnut]]'s "[[Punch of Kill Everything]]"
	*[[Mech]] and [[Female Transformer\|femme]]		*[[Mech]] and [[Female Transformer\|femme]]
			*[[Puffer]]
	*[[Rainmaker]]s (The term was actually used by [[Bluestreak (G1)\|Bluestreak]] in "[[Divide and Conquer]]", but only as a colloquial description of their actions. As with "Seekers", repeated fan usage ultimately led to its adoption as an official group name.)		*[[Rainmaker]]s (The term was actually used by [[Bluestreak (G1)\|Bluestreak]] in "[[Divide and Conquer]]", but only as a colloquial description of their actions. As with "Seekers", repeated fan usage ultimately led to its adoption as an official group name.)
	*[[Seeker (body-type)\|Seeker]] (Technically, this one originated in several 1984-85 retailer catalogs and advertisements, but widespread usage within the fandom is what led to its revived official use.)		*[[Seeker (body-type)\|Seeker]] (Technically, this one originated in several 1984-85 retailer catalogs and advertisements, but widespread usage within the fandom is what led to its revived official use.)