Simba Dickie Group - Revision history

FortressMaxxing: /* The bootleg extravaganza era */

2026-05-08T07:43:34Z

The bootleg extravaganza era

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:43, 8 May 2026
Line 8:		Line 8:
	==Overview==		==Overview==
	====The bootleg extravaganza era====		====The bootleg extravaganza era====
	[[File:Simba Jumpstarters.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|Hey, if Simba Dickie is shameless enough to sell this alongside legitimate Transformers merchandise then you're also shameless enough to ask your crush out!]]		[[File:Simba Jumpstarters.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|Hey, if Simba Dickie is shameless enough to sell this alongside legitimate Transformers merchandise then you're also shameless enough to ask your crush out.]]
	Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy aisles—mostly only in Europe—throughout the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.		Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy aisles—mostly only in Europe—throughout the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.

Doomdorm64: /* Overview */

2026-04-21T14:32:49Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:32, 21 April 2026
Line 9:		Line 9:
	====The bootleg extravaganza era====		====The bootleg extravaganza era====
	[[File:Simba Jumpstarters.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|Hey, if Simba Dickie is shameless enough to sell this alongside legitimate Transformers merchandise then you're also shameless enough to ask your crush out!]]		[[File:Simba Jumpstarters.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|Hey, if Simba Dickie is shameless enough to sell this alongside legitimate Transformers merchandise then you're also shameless enough to ask your crush out!]]
	Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy ~~aisles - mostly~~ only in ~~Europe - throughout~~ the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.		Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy aisles—mostly only in Europe—throughout the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.

	Beginning somewhere in the mid-2000s, one of Simba's longest-spanning toylines is ''Planet Fighter'', a series of cheap rebranded toys often produced by other manufacturers (mostly of the [[China\|Chinese]] variety) with an overarching sci-fi theme. These included laser blasters, [[Lightsaber\|"laser swords"]], a multitude of toy robots and inevitably, by extension, a lot of ''transforming'' toy robots. You could find amongst the latter an oversized version of ''Armada'' [[Megatron (Armada)/toys\|Megatron]] (also released in the United States by Happy Well), oversized versions of the [[Energon Saber]] Mini-Cons, a bizarre four-member combiner made out of ''Armada'' [[Payload (Armada)\|Payload]], [[Runway (Armada)\|Runway]], [[Waterlog (Armada)\|Waterlog]] and [[Ransack (Armada)\|Ransack]], a handful of dinosaur-based transforming robots which share their engineering with ''Beast Wars'' [[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Beast Wars\|Dinobot]] (the same toys that would also be later released by [[Estrela]] in Brazil), multiple ''[[Brave (franchise)\|Brave]]'' knockoffs like individual blister card versions of all three God Max members, grey versions of Battle Bomber and a Happy Well-derived Great Granbird,<ref>Considering the massive amount of Brave knockoffs produced by Happy Well under the ''Galaxy Defender'' label and given the similar grey color scheme, it is actually entirely possible that the Battle Bomber set could have also originated from them - however; given the ambiguity regarding these knockoffs, it might as well be the case that Simba Dickie was the original manufacturer, or that either company just sourced these bootlegs from a third unknown company. So far, no one ''really'' knows for sure: we're just erring on Happy Well as the most prominent manufacturer to have handled these molds at the time.</ref> and many, many, many variants of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, plus possibly countless others whose records have simply been lost to time. Indeed, Simba released so many ''Transformers'' bootlegs during this time that there still isn't a comprehensive list with all of them, just a tentative approximation based on the ones we know to exist.<ref>[https://transformersnotejo.blogspot.com/2025/06/cataloging-simbas-transformers-bootlegs.html An article that attempts to document every Transformers knockoff released by Simba] on transformersnotejo.blogspot.com</ref>		Beginning somewhere in the mid-2000s, one of Simba's longest-spanning toylines is ''Planet Fighter'', a series of cheap rebranded toys often produced by other manufacturers (mostly of the [[China\|Chinese]] variety) with an overarching sci-fi theme. These included laser blasters, [[Lightsaber\|"laser swords"]], a multitude of toy robots and inevitably, by extension, a lot of ''transforming'' toy robots. You could find amongst the latter an oversized version of ''Armada'' [[Megatron (Armada)/toys\|Megatron]] (also released in the United States by Happy Well), oversized versions of the [[Energon Saber]] Mini-Cons, a bizarre four-member combiner made out of ''Armada'' [[Payload (Armada)\|Payload]], [[Runway (Armada)\|Runway]], [[Waterlog (Armada)\|Waterlog]] and [[Ransack (Armada)\|Ransack]], a handful of dinosaur-based transforming robots which share their engineering with ''Beast Wars'' [[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Beast Wars\|Dinobot]] (the same toys that would also be later released by [[Estrela]] in Brazil), multiple ''[[Brave (franchise)\|Brave]]'' knockoffs like individual blister card versions of all three God Max members, grey versions of Battle Bomber and a Happy Well-derived Great Granbird,<ref>Considering the massive amount of Brave knockoffs produced by Happy Well under the ''Galaxy Defender'' label and given the similar grey color scheme, it is actually entirely possible that the Battle Bomber set could have also originated from them - however; given the ambiguity regarding these knockoffs, it might as well be the case that Simba Dickie was the original manufacturer, or that either company just sourced these bootlegs from a third unknown company. So far, no one ''really'' knows for sure: we're just erring on Happy Well as the most prominent manufacturer to have handled these molds at the time.</ref> and many, many, many variants of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, plus possibly countless others whose records have simply been lost to time. Indeed, Simba released so many ''Transformers'' bootlegs during this time that there still isn't a comprehensive list with all of them, just a tentative approximation based on the ones we know to exist.<ref>[https://transformersnotejo.blogspot.com/2025/06/cataloging-simbas-transformers-bootlegs.html An article that attempts to document every Transformers knockoff released by Simba] on transformersnotejo.blogspot.com</ref>
Line 16:		Line 16:
	Eventually, as the 2010s came and Simba Dickie expanded its operations towards acquiring other manufacturers and engaging in legitimate licensing deals with companies like Hasbro, their bootlegs became less prevalent. As of today, Simba Dickie is a reputable multinational toy manufacturer that no longer engages in such dirty practices like bootlegging... ''Mostly''.		Eventually, as the 2010s came and Simba Dickie expanded its operations towards acquiring other manufacturers and engaging in legitimate licensing deals with companies like Hasbro, their bootlegs became less prevalent. As of today, Simba Dickie is a reputable multinational toy manufacturer that no longer engages in such dirty practices like bootlegging... ''Mostly''.

	You might have expected Simba to try and sweep all their old knockoffs under the rug as they gained more legitimate partners in the toy industry, but surprisingly, they've kept the ''Planet Fighter'' series of toys going throughout the following decades, and although it has been mostly stripped of bootleg figures, they are still to this day manufacturing copies of their [[Jumpstarter]] clones (seemingly having been heavily retooled in-house over the years) and selling them on their own website <ref>[https://www.simbatoys.com/simba_en/categories/kids-games/action-games/pf-space-bot-pro-6-ass-103572535-en.html?wse=1 "PF Space Bot Pro"] on the Simba website</ref> ~~- the~~ same website where you can also buy legitimate Transformers-branded Jada Toys products from!		You might have expected Simba to try and sweep all their old knockoffs under the rug as they gained more legitimate partners in the toy industry, but surprisingly, they've kept the ''Planet Fighter'' series of toys going throughout the following decades, and although it has been mostly stripped of bootleg figures, they are still to this day manufacturing copies of their [[Jumpstarter]] clones (seemingly having been heavily retooled in-house over the years) and selling them on their own website<ref>[https://www.simbatoys.com/simba_en/categories/kids-games/action-games/pf-space-bot-pro-6-ass-103572535-en.html?wse=1 "PF Space Bot Pro"] on the Simba website</ref>—the same website where you can also buy legitimate ''Transformers''-branded Jada Toys products from!

	{{--}}		{{--}}

FortressMaxxing: /* The bootleg extravaganza era */

2026-02-25T16:08:17Z

The bootleg extravaganza era

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:08, 25 February 2026
Line 11:		Line 11:
	Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy aisles - mostly only in Europe - throughout the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.		Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy aisles - mostly only in Europe - throughout the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.

	Beginning somewhere in the mid-2000s, one of Simba's longest-spanning toylines is ''Planet Fighter'', a series of cheap rebranded toys often produced by other manufacturers (mostly of the [[China\|Chinese]] variety) with an overarching sci-fi theme. These included laser blasters, [[Lightsaber\|"laser swords"]], a multitude of toy robots and inevitably, by extension, a lot of ''transforming'' toy robots. You could find amongst the latter an oversized version of ''Armada'' [[Megatron (Armada)/toys\|Megatron]] (also released in the United States by Happy Well), oversized versions of the [[Energon Saber]] Mini-Cons, a bizarre four-member combiner made out of ''Armada'' [[Payload (Armada)\|Payload]], [[Runway (Armada)\|Runway]], [[Waterlog (Armada)\|Waterlog]] and [[Ransack (Armada)\|Ransack]], a handful of dinosaur-based transforming robots which share their engineering with ''Beast Wars'' [[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Beast Wars\|Dinobot]] (the same toys that would also be later released by [[Estrela]] in Brazil), multiple ''[[Brave (franchise)\|Brave]]'' knockoffs like individual blister card versions of all three God Max members, grey versions of Battle Bomber and a Happy Well-derived Great Granbird,<ref>Considering the massive amount of Brave knockoffs produced by Happy Well under the ''Galaxy Defender'' label and given the similar grey color scheme, it is actually entirely possible that the Battle Bomber set could have also originated from them - however; given the ambiguity regarding these knockoffs, it might as well be the case that Simba Dickie was the original manufacturer, or that either company just sourced these bootlegs from a third unknown company. So far, no one ''really'' knows for sure: we're just erring on Happy Well as the most prominent manufacturer to have handled these molds at the time.</ref> and many, many, many variants of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, plus possibly countless others whose records have simply been lost to time. Indeed, Simba released so many ''Transformers'' bootlegs during this time that there still isn't a comprehensive list with all of them, just a tentative approximation based on the ones we know to exist.<ref>[https://transformersnotejo.blogspot.com/2025/06/cataloging-simbas-transformers-bootlegs.html An article that attempts to document every Transformers knockoff ~~made~~ by Simba] on transformersnotejo.blogspot.com</ref>		Beginning somewhere in the mid-2000s, one of Simba's longest-spanning toylines is ''Planet Fighter'', a series of cheap rebranded toys often produced by other manufacturers (mostly of the [[China\|Chinese]] variety) with an overarching sci-fi theme. These included laser blasters, [[Lightsaber\|"laser swords"]], a multitude of toy robots and inevitably, by extension, a lot of ''transforming'' toy robots. You could find amongst the latter an oversized version of ''Armada'' [[Megatron (Armada)/toys\|Megatron]] (also released in the United States by Happy Well), oversized versions of the [[Energon Saber]] Mini-Cons, a bizarre four-member combiner made out of ''Armada'' [[Payload (Armada)\|Payload]], [[Runway (Armada)\|Runway]], [[Waterlog (Armada)\|Waterlog]] and [[Ransack (Armada)\|Ransack]], a handful of dinosaur-based transforming robots which share their engineering with ''Beast Wars'' [[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Beast Wars\|Dinobot]] (the same toys that would also be later released by [[Estrela]] in Brazil), multiple ''[[Brave (franchise)\|Brave]]'' knockoffs like individual blister card versions of all three God Max members, grey versions of Battle Bomber and a Happy Well-derived Great Granbird,<ref>Considering the massive amount of Brave knockoffs produced by Happy Well under the ''Galaxy Defender'' label and given the similar grey color scheme, it is actually entirely possible that the Battle Bomber set could have also originated from them - however; given the ambiguity regarding these knockoffs, it might as well be the case that Simba Dickie was the original manufacturer, or that either company just sourced these bootlegs from a third unknown company. So far, no one ''really'' knows for sure: we're just erring on Happy Well as the most prominent manufacturer to have handled these molds at the time.</ref> and many, many, many variants of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, plus possibly countless others whose records have simply been lost to time. Indeed, Simba released so many ''Transformers'' bootlegs during this time that there still isn't a comprehensive list with all of them, just a tentative approximation based on the ones we know to exist.<ref>[https://transformersnotejo.blogspot.com/2025/06/cataloging-simbas-transformers-bootlegs.html An article that attempts to document every Transformers knockoff released by Simba] on transformersnotejo.blogspot.com</ref>

	====The legitimate company era====		====The legitimate company era====

Doomdorm64 at 15:22, 25 February 2026

2026-02-25T15:22:46Z

Doomdorm64 at 15:20, 25 February 2026

2026-02-25T15:20:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:20, 25 February 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[Image:SimbaDickie-logo.png\|~~right~~\|300px]]		[[Image:SimbaDickie-logo.png\|thumb\|300px\|If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!]]
	The '''Simba Dickie Group''' is a [[Germany\|German]] toy manufacturer. Originally born as the product of a merger between Simba Toys and Dickie Toys (two relatively small companies which primarily released budget toys), they have since become a major international conglomerate, acquiring many other famous toy companies in the European market like French die-cast model manufacturer [[Majorette]] in 2010, German railway model manufacturer Märklin in 2013, and eventually expanding abroad with the acquisition of American model car manufacturer [[Jada Toys]] in 2019.		The '''Simba Dickie Group''' is a [[Germany\|German]] toy manufacturer. Originally born as the product of a merger between Simba Toys and Dickie Toys (two relatively small companies which primarily released budget toys), they have since become a major international conglomerate, acquiring many other famous toy companies in the European market like French die-cast model manufacturer [[Majorette]] in 2010, German railway model manufacturer Märklin in 2013, and eventually expanding abroad with the acquisition of American model car manufacturer [[Jada Toys]] in 2019.

Doomdorm64 at 22:56, 5 February 2026

2026-02-05T22:56:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:56, 5 February 2026
Line 4:		Line 4:
	Simba Dickie has released various ''Transformers'' merchandise through the Dickie Toys brand, starting with tie-ins to 2015's ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and continuing up to ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (franchise)\|The Last Knight]]'' and ''[[Bumblebee (franchise)\|Bumblebee]]''. Jada Toys began making die-cast vehicles for the franchise in 2017 and have continued doing so since Simba Dickie acquired them in 2019, thus; the group remains affiliated with [[Hasbro]] and the ''Transformers'' brand.		Simba Dickie has released various ''Transformers'' merchandise through the Dickie Toys brand, starting with tie-ins to 2015's ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)\|Robots in Disguise]]'' and continuing up to ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (franchise)\|The Last Knight]]'' and ''[[Bumblebee (franchise)\|Bumblebee]]''. Jada Toys began making die-cast vehicles for the franchise in 2017 and have continued doing so since Simba Dickie acquired them in 2019, thus; the group remains affiliated with [[Hasbro]] and the ''Transformers'' brand.

	They also released a staggering amount of Transformers [[knockoff]]s before starting their collaboration with Hasbro, so oops.		They also released a staggering amount of ''Transformers'' [[knockoff]]s before starting their collaboration with Hasbro, so oops.

	==Overview==		==Overview==

Doomdorm64: /* Notes */

2026-02-05T19:10:05Z

Notes

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:10, 5 February 2026
Line 154:		Line 154:
	==Notes==		==Notes==
	[[File:MicroRobot_Simba.jpg\|thumb\|right\|200px\|"Eeeehh, but is it ''really'' copyright infringement if you just remove the last letter?"]]		[[File:MicroRobot_Simba.jpg\|thumb\|right\|200px\|"Eeeehh, but is it ''really'' copyright infringement if you just remove the last letter?"]]
	*While Simba wasn't as invested in bootlegs during the 90s compared to their later streak of counterfeits during the turn of the millennium, it is interesting that they nonetheless still tried to capitalize on the success of the Transformers franchise multiple times with otherwise legitimate toys, often to legally questionable extents:		*While Simba wasn't as invested in bootlegs during the 90s compared to their later streak of counterfeits during the turn of the millennium, it is interesting that they nonetheless still tried to capitalize on the success of the ''Transformers'' franchise multiple times with otherwise legitimate toys, often to legally questionable extents:
	**For instance, at some point in the early 90s, they released their localization of the MC Toy ''Motorized Robot'' line of small transforming robot toys - also sometimes known as the ''Moto-Bots'', or the ''DynaBots'', or the ''Playbots'', or by any other number of names (they were redistributed by ''a lot'' of different companies during this time) - and, rather than making up some other title for the toyline in the same vein, Simba simply called them "''TRANSFORMER''" toys in large green lettering on their blister cards <ref>[https://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/robot-toys/moto-bot-pages/galaxy-transformer-simba.htm Galaxy Transformer - Simba] on the-liberator.net</ref>. Keep in mind that this was before the internet era with its ease of being able to check what is and isn't an official toy through wikis and fan listings, thus; it is very likely that more than a handful of European kids in the nineties were fooled into thinking these were genuine Transformers toys.		**For instance, at some point in the early 90s, they released their localization of the MC Toy ''Motorized Robot'' line of small transforming robot toys - also sometimes known as the ''Moto-Bots'', or the ''DynaBots'', or the ''Playbots'', or by any other number of names (they were redistributed by ''a lot'' of different companies during this time) - and, rather than making up some other title for the toyline in the same vein, Simba simply called them "''TRANSFORMER''" toys in large green lettering on their blister cards <ref>[https://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/robot-toys/moto-bot-pages/galaxy-transformer-simba.htm Galaxy Transformer - Simba] on the-liberator.net</ref>. Keep in mind that this was before the internet era with its ease of being able to check what is and isn't an official toy through wikis and fan listings, thus; it is very likely that more than a handful of European kids in the nineties were fooled into thinking these were genuine Transformers toys.
	***These were supplemented by localizations of the "Mighty Minis" from the ES Toys ''Formulator Force'' toyline, a series of smaller Micro Machines-sized transforming figures which were pretty obviously made in an attempt to compete with the [[Micromasters]], featuring very similar transformation schemes and even a few chest designs clearly copied from their Hasbro counterparts <ref>[https://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/formulator.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs] on builtstlouis.net</ref>. Simba released them across Europe also again bearing the "''TRANSFORMER''" title, each releasing in packs of four with the added subtitle of "''Micro-Robots''"... All of this while the official Micromasters — also predominantly sold in packs of four — were concurrently available in stores. Again, the fact that these were labelled as "Transformer" toys ''and'' featured very similar designs to the Hasbro figures to boot made them easy pickings for clueless kids and parents alike, so much so that, even decades later, it's not uncommon to find a Simba ''Micro-Robot'' or two shuffled in amongst bulk lots of original Micromaster figures in the European secondary market.		***These were supplemented by localizations of the "Mighty Minis" from the ES Toys ''Formulator Force'' toyline, a series of smaller Micro Machines-sized transforming figures which were pretty obviously made in an attempt to compete with the [[Micromasters]], featuring very similar transformation schemes and even a few chest designs clearly copied from their Hasbro counterparts <ref>[https://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/formulator.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs] on builtstlouis.net</ref>. Simba released them across Europe also again bearing the "''TRANSFORMER''" title, each releasing in packs of four with the added subtitle of "''Micro-Robots''"... All of this while the official Micromasters — also predominantly sold in packs of four — were concurrently available in stores. Again, the fact that these were labelled as "Transformer" toys ''and'' featured very similar designs to the Hasbro figures to boot made them easy pickings for clueless kids and parents alike, so much so that, even decades later, it's not uncommon to find a Simba ''Micro-Robot'' or two shuffled in amongst bulk lots of original Micromaster figures in the European secondary market.

Doomdorm64: /* The bootleg extravaganza era */

2026-02-05T19:09:15Z

The bootleg extravaganza era

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:09, 5 February 2026
Line 11:		Line 11:
	Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy aisles - mostly only in Europe - throughout the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.		Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy aisles - mostly only in Europe - throughout the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.

	Beginning somewhere in the mid-2000s, one of Simba's longest-spanning toylines is ''Planet Fighter'', a series of cheap rebranded toys often produced by other manufacturers (mostly of the [[China\|Chinese]] variety) with an overarching sci-fi theme. These included laser blasters, [[Lightsaber\|"laser swords"]], a multitude of toy robots and inevitably, by extension, a lot of ''transforming'' toy robots. You could find amongst the latter an oversized version of ''Armada'' [[Megatron (Armada)/toys\|Megatron]] (also released in the United States by Happy Well), oversized versions of the [[Energon Saber]] Mini-Cons, a bizarre four-member combiner made out of ''Armada'' [[Payload (Armada)\|Payload]], [[Runway (Armada)\|Runway]], [[Waterlog (Armada)\|Waterlog]] and [[Ransack (Armada)\|Ransack]], a handful of dinosaur-based transforming robots which share their engineering with ''Beast Wars'' [[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Beast Wars\|Dinobot]] (the same toys that would also be later released by [[Estrela]] in Brazil), multiple ''[[Brave]]'' knockoffs like individual blister card versions of all three God Max members, grey versions of Battle Bomber and a Happy Well-derived Great Granbird <ref>Considering the massive amount of Brave knockoffs produced by Happy Well under the ''Galaxy Defender'' label and given the similar grey color scheme, it is actually entirely possible that the Battle Bomber set could have also originated from them - however; given the ambiguity regarding these knockoffs, it might as well be the case that Simba Dickie was the original manufacturer, or that either company just sourced these bootlegs from a third unknown company. So far, no one ''really'' knows for sure: we're just erring on Happy Well as the most prominent manufacturer to have handled these molds at the time.</ref>, and many, many, many variants of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, plus possibly countless others whose records have simply been lost to time. Indeed, Simba released so many Transformers bootlegs during this time that there still isn't a comprehensive list with all of them, just a tentative approximation based on the ones we know to exist. <ref>[https://transformersnotejo.blogspot.com/2025/06/cataloging-simbas-transformers-bootlegs.html An article that attempts to document every Transformers knockoff made by Simba] on transformersnotejo.blogspot.com</ref>		Beginning somewhere in the mid-2000s, one of Simba's longest-spanning toylines is ''Planet Fighter'', a series of cheap rebranded toys often produced by other manufacturers (mostly of the [[China\|Chinese]] variety) with an overarching sci-fi theme. These included laser blasters, [[Lightsaber\|"laser swords"]], a multitude of toy robots and inevitably, by extension, a lot of ''transforming'' toy robots. You could find amongst the latter an oversized version of ''Armada'' [[Megatron (Armada)/toys\|Megatron]] (also released in the United States by Happy Well), oversized versions of the [[Energon Saber]] Mini-Cons, a bizarre four-member combiner made out of ''Armada'' [[Payload (Armada)\|Payload]], [[Runway (Armada)\|Runway]], [[Waterlog (Armada)\|Waterlog]] and [[Ransack (Armada)\|Ransack]], a handful of dinosaur-based transforming robots which share their engineering with ''Beast Wars'' [[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Beast Wars\|Dinobot]] (the same toys that would also be later released by [[Estrela]] in Brazil), multiple ''[[Brave]]'' knockoffs like individual blister card versions of all three God Max members, grey versions of Battle Bomber and a Happy Well-derived Great Granbird,<ref>Considering the massive amount of Brave knockoffs produced by Happy Well under the ''Galaxy Defender'' label and given the similar grey color scheme, it is actually entirely possible that the Battle Bomber set could have also originated from them - however; given the ambiguity regarding these knockoffs, it might as well be the case that Simba Dickie was the original manufacturer, or that either company just sourced these bootlegs from a third unknown company. So far, no one ''really'' knows for sure: we're just erring on Happy Well as the most prominent manufacturer to have handled these molds at the time.</ref> and many, many, many variants of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, plus possibly countless others whose records have simply been lost to time. Indeed, Simba released so many ''Transformers'' bootlegs during this time that there still isn't a comprehensive list with all of them, just a tentative approximation based on the ones we know to exist.<ref>[https://transformersnotejo.blogspot.com/2025/06/cataloging-simbas-transformers-bootlegs.html An article that attempts to document every Transformers knockoff made by Simba] on transformersnotejo.blogspot.com</ref>

	====The legitimate company era====		====The legitimate company era====

FortressMaxxing: /* Notes */

2026-01-17T19:29:06Z

Notes

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:29, 17 January 2026
Line 156:		Line 156:
	*While Simba wasn't as invested in bootlegs during the 90s compared to their later streak of counterfeits during the turn of the millennium, it is interesting that they nonetheless still tried to capitalize on the success of the Transformers franchise multiple times with otherwise legitimate toys, often to legally questionable extents:		*While Simba wasn't as invested in bootlegs during the 90s compared to their later streak of counterfeits during the turn of the millennium, it is interesting that they nonetheless still tried to capitalize on the success of the Transformers franchise multiple times with otherwise legitimate toys, often to legally questionable extents:
	**For instance, at some point in the early 90s, they released their localization of the MC Toy ''Motorized Robot'' line of small transforming robot toys - also sometimes known as the ''Moto-Bots'', or the ''DynaBots'', or the ''Playbots'', or by any other number of names (they were redistributed by ''a lot'' of different companies during this time) - and, rather than making up some other title for the toyline in the same vein, Simba simply called them "''TRANSFORMER''" toys in large green lettering on their blister cards <ref>[https://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/robot-toys/moto-bot-pages/galaxy-transformer-simba.htm Galaxy Transformer - Simba] on the-liberator.net</ref>. Keep in mind that this was before the internet era with its ease of being able to check what is and isn't an official toy through wikis and fan listings, thus; it is very likely that more than a handful of European kids in the nineties were fooled into thinking these were genuine Transformers toys.		**For instance, at some point in the early 90s, they released their localization of the MC Toy ''Motorized Robot'' line of small transforming robot toys - also sometimes known as the ''Moto-Bots'', or the ''DynaBots'', or the ''Playbots'', or by any other number of names (they were redistributed by ''a lot'' of different companies during this time) - and, rather than making up some other title for the toyline in the same vein, Simba simply called them "''TRANSFORMER''" toys in large green lettering on their blister cards <ref>[https://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/robot-toys/moto-bot-pages/galaxy-transformer-simba.htm Galaxy Transformer - Simba] on the-liberator.net</ref>. Keep in mind that this was before the internet era with its ease of being able to check what is and isn't an official toy through wikis and fan listings, thus; it is very likely that more than a handful of European kids in the nineties were fooled into thinking these were genuine Transformers toys.
	***These were supplemented by localizations of the "Mighty Minis" from the ES Toys ''Formulator Force'' toyline, a series of smaller Micro Machines-sized transforming figures which were pretty obviously made in an attempt to compete with the [[Micromasters]], featuring very similar transformation schemes and even a few chest designs clearly copied from their Hasbro counterparts <ref>[https://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/formulator.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs] on builtstlouis.net</ref>. Simba released them across Europe also again bearing the "''TRANSFORMER''" title, each releasing in packs of four with the added subtitle of "''Micro-Robots''"... All of this while the official Micromasters — also ~~often~~ sold in ~~carded~~ packs of four — were concurrently available in stores. Again, the fact that these were labelled as "Transformer" toys ''and'' featured very similar designs to the Hasbro figures to boot made them easy pickings for clueless kids and parents alike, so much so that, even decades later, it's not uncommon to find a Simba ''Micro-Robot'' or two shuffled in amongst bulk lots of original Micromaster figures in the European secondary market.		***These were supplemented by localizations of the "Mighty Minis" from the ES Toys ''Formulator Force'' toyline, a series of smaller Micro Machines-sized transforming figures which were pretty obviously made in an attempt to compete with the [[Micromasters]], featuring very similar transformation schemes and even a few chest designs clearly copied from their Hasbro counterparts <ref>[https://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/formulator.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs] on builtstlouis.net</ref>. Simba released them across Europe also again bearing the "''TRANSFORMER''" title, each releasing in packs of four with the added subtitle of "''Micro-Robots''"... All of this while the official Micromasters — also predominantly sold in packs of four — were concurrently available in stores. Again, the fact that these were labelled as "Transformer" toys ''and'' featured very similar designs to the Hasbro figures to boot made them easy pickings for clueless kids and parents alike, so much so that, even decades later, it's not uncommon to find a Simba ''Micro-Robot'' or two shuffled in amongst bulk lots of original Micromaster figures in the European secondary market.
	**Sometime in the early 2000s, Simba once again returned to borderline-copyright-infringement, releasing a few transforming robot toys under the risqué ''Space Transformer'' name. Among these was the previously-mentioned, presumably Happy Well-manufactured ''Brave'' Great Granbird knockoff, and a grey bootleg of Generation 1 [[Quake (G1)\|Quake]] packed alongside a generic robot, a set also sold by Happy Well in other territories. <ref>[https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176591551635 Ebay listing for the Flywheels bootleg]</ref>		**Sometime in the early 2000s, Simba once again returned to borderline-copyright-infringement, releasing a few transforming robot toys under the risqué ''Space Transformer'' name. Among these was the previously-mentioned, presumably Happy Well-manufactured ''Brave'' Great Granbird knockoff, and a grey bootleg of Generation 1 [[Quake (G1)\|Quake]] packed alongside a generic robot, a set also sold by Happy Well in other territories. <ref>[https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176591551635 Ebay listing for the Flywheels bootleg]</ref>
	*At some point - most likely during the mid-to-late 2000s - Simba also released a couple of Happy Well ''Roadbot'' toys <ref>[https://kidsmall.com.ua/toys/cars-for-kids/3574273-simba-toys-transformer-hammer/ A Hummer H2 ''Roadbot'' with Simba branding] on Ukrainian online toy retailer kidsmall.com.ua</ref>, famously known at the time as the most direct competitors to the ''Transformers [[Transformers: Alternators\|Alternators / Binaltech]]'' toyline. This, combined with all the other previously-mentioned ''Transformers'' and ''Brave'' bootlegs made by Happy Well and sold by Simba, suggests that the two companies likely had very close business relations at one point.		*At some point - most likely during the mid-to-late 2000s - Simba also released a couple of Happy Well ''Roadbot'' toys <ref>[https://kidsmall.com.ua/toys/cars-for-kids/3574273-simba-toys-transformer-hammer/ A Hummer H2 ''Roadbot'' with Simba branding] on Ukrainian online toy retailer kidsmall.com.ua</ref>, famously known at the time as the most direct competitors to the ''Transformers [[Transformers: Alternators\|Alternators / Binaltech]]'' toyline. This, combined with all the other previously-mentioned ''Transformers'' and ''Brave'' bootlegs made by Happy Well and sold by Simba, suggests that the two companies likely had very close business relations at one point.

FortressMaxxing: /* Notes */

2026-01-17T19:27:10Z

Notes

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:27, 17 January 2026
Line 156:		Line 156:
	*While Simba wasn't as invested in bootlegs during the 90s compared to their later streak of counterfeits during the turn of the millennium, it is interesting that they nonetheless still tried to capitalize on the success of the Transformers franchise multiple times with otherwise legitimate toys, often to legally questionable extents:		*While Simba wasn't as invested in bootlegs during the 90s compared to their later streak of counterfeits during the turn of the millennium, it is interesting that they nonetheless still tried to capitalize on the success of the Transformers franchise multiple times with otherwise legitimate toys, often to legally questionable extents:
	**For instance, at some point in the early 90s, they released their localization of the MC Toy ''Motorized Robot'' line of small transforming robot toys - also sometimes known as the ''Moto-Bots'', or the ''DynaBots'', or the ''Playbots'', or by any other number of names (they were redistributed by ''a lot'' of different companies during this time) - and, rather than making up some other title for the toyline in the same vein, Simba simply called them "''TRANSFORMER''" toys in large green lettering on their blister cards <ref>[https://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/robot-toys/moto-bot-pages/galaxy-transformer-simba.htm Galaxy Transformer - Simba] on the-liberator.net</ref>. Keep in mind that this was before the internet era with its ease of being able to check what is and isn't an official toy through wikis and fan listings, thus; it is very likely that more than a handful of European kids in the nineties were fooled into thinking these were genuine Transformers toys.		**For instance, at some point in the early 90s, they released their localization of the MC Toy ''Motorized Robot'' line of small transforming robot toys - also sometimes known as the ''Moto-Bots'', or the ''DynaBots'', or the ''Playbots'', or by any other number of names (they were redistributed by ''a lot'' of different companies during this time) - and, rather than making up some other title for the toyline in the same vein, Simba simply called them "''TRANSFORMER''" toys in large green lettering on their blister cards <ref>[https://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/robot-toys/moto-bot-pages/galaxy-transformer-simba.htm Galaxy Transformer - Simba] on the-liberator.net</ref>. Keep in mind that this was before the internet era with its ease of being able to check what is and isn't an official toy through wikis and fan listings, thus; it is very likely that more than a handful of European kids in the nineties were fooled into thinking these were genuine Transformers toys.
	***These were supplemented by localizations of the "Mighty Minis" from the ES Toys ''Formulator Force'' toyline, a series of smaller Micro Machines-sized transforming figures which were pretty obviously made in an attempt to compete with the [[Micromasters]], featuring very similar transformation schemes and even a few chest designs clearly copied from their Hasbro counterparts <ref>[https://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/formulator.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs] on builtstlouis.net</ref>. Simba released them across Europe also again bearing the "''TRANSFORMER''" title, each releasing in packs of four with the added subtitle of "''Micro-Robots''"... All of this while the official Micromasters were ~~also~~ concurrently available in stores. Again, the fact that these were labelled as "Transformer" toys ''and'' featured very similar designs to the Hasbro figures to boot made them easy pickings for clueless kids and parents alike, so much so that, even decades later, it's not uncommon to find a Simba ''Micro-Robot'' or two shuffled in amongst bulk lots of original Micromaster figures in the European secondary market.		***These were supplemented by localizations of the "Mighty Minis" from the ES Toys ''Formulator Force'' toyline, a series of smaller Micro Machines-sized transforming figures which were pretty obviously made in an attempt to compete with the [[Micromasters]], featuring very similar transformation schemes and even a few chest designs clearly copied from their Hasbro counterparts <ref>[https://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/formulator.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs] on builtstlouis.net</ref>. Simba released them across Europe also again bearing the "''TRANSFORMER''" title, each releasing in packs of four with the added subtitle of "''Micro-Robots''"... All of this while the official Micromasters — also often sold in carded packs of four — were concurrently available in stores. Again, the fact that these were labelled as "Transformer" toys ''and'' featured very similar designs to the Hasbro figures to boot made them easy pickings for clueless kids and parents alike, so much so that, even decades later, it's not uncommon to find a Simba ''Micro-Robot'' or two shuffled in amongst bulk lots of original Micromaster figures in the European secondary market.
	**Sometime in the early 2000s, Simba once again returned to borderline-copyright-infringement, releasing a few transforming robot toys under the risqué ''Space Transformer'' name. Among these was the previously-mentioned, presumably Happy Well-manufactured ''Brave'' Great Granbird knockoff, and a grey bootleg of Generation 1 [[Quake (G1)\|Quake]] packed alongside a generic robot, a set also sold by Happy Well in other territories. <ref>[https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176591551635 Ebay listing for the Flywheels bootleg]</ref>		**Sometime in the early 2000s, Simba once again returned to borderline-copyright-infringement, releasing a few transforming robot toys under the risqué ''Space Transformer'' name. Among these was the previously-mentioned, presumably Happy Well-manufactured ''Brave'' Great Granbird knockoff, and a grey bootleg of Generation 1 [[Quake (G1)\|Quake]] packed alongside a generic robot, a set also sold by Happy Well in other territories. <ref>[https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176591551635 Ebay listing for the Flywheels bootleg]</ref>
	*At some point - most likely during the mid-to-late 2000s - Simba also released a couple of Happy Well ''Roadbot'' toys <ref>[https://kidsmall.com.ua/toys/cars-for-kids/3574273-simba-toys-transformer-hammer/ A Hummer H2 ''Roadbot'' with Simba branding] on Ukrainian online toy retailer kidsmall.com.ua</ref>, famously known at the time as the most direct competitors to the ''Transformers [[Transformers: Alternators\|Alternators / Binaltech]]'' toyline. This, combined with all the other previously-mentioned ''Transformers'' and ''Brave'' bootlegs made by Happy Well and sold by Simba, suggests that the two companies likely had very close business relations at one point.		*At some point - most likely during the mid-to-late 2000s - Simba also released a couple of Happy Well ''Roadbot'' toys <ref>[https://kidsmall.com.ua/toys/cars-for-kids/3574273-simba-toys-transformer-hammer/ A Hummer H2 ''Roadbot'' with Simba branding] on Ukrainian online toy retailer kidsmall.com.ua</ref>, famously known at the time as the most direct competitors to the ''Transformers [[Transformers: Alternators\|Alternators / Binaltech]]'' toyline. This, combined with all the other previously-mentioned ''Transformers'' and ''Brave'' bootlegs made by Happy Well and sold by Simba, suggests that the two companies likely had very close business relations at one point.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:22, 25 February 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[~~Image~~:SimbaDickie-logo.png\|thumb\|300px\|If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!]]		[[File:SimbaDickie-logo.png\|thumb\|300px\|If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!]]
	The '''Simba Dickie Group''' is a [[Germany\|German]] toy manufacturer. Originally born as the product of a merger between Simba Toys and Dickie Toys (two relatively small companies which primarily released budget toys), they have since become a major international conglomerate, acquiring many other famous toy companies in the European market like French die-cast model manufacturer [[Majorette]] in 2010, German railway model manufacturer Märklin in 2013, and eventually expanding abroad with the acquisition of American model car manufacturer [[Jada Toys]] in 2019.		The '''Simba Dickie Group''' is a [[Germany\|German]] toy manufacturer. Originally born as the product of a merger between Simba Toys and Dickie Toys (two relatively small companies which primarily released budget toys), they have since become a major international conglomerate, acquiring many other famous toy companies in the European market like French die-cast model manufacturer [[Majorette]] in 2010, German railway model manufacturer Märklin in 2013, and eventually expanding abroad with the acquisition of American model car manufacturer [[Jada Toys]] in 2019.

Line 8:		Line 8:
	==Overview==		==Overview==
	====The bootleg extravaganza era====		====The bootleg extravaganza era====
	[[~~Image~~:~~Simba_Jumpstarters~~.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|Hey, if Simba Dickie is shameless enough to sell this alongside legitimate Transformers merchandise then you're also shameless enough to ask your crush out!]]		[[File:Simba Jumpstarters.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|Hey, if Simba Dickie is shameless enough to sell this alongside legitimate Transformers merchandise then you're also shameless enough to ask your crush out!]]
	Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy aisles - mostly only in Europe - throughout the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.		Simba Toys was first founded in 1982, whereas Dickie Toys had already existed as far back as the 1970s. They merged in 1993 but have continued releasing products labelled under the separate "Simba Toys" and "Dickie Toys" logos since, with Dickie's catalogue primarily focusing on play-oriented toy vehicles while Simba serves as a more general all-purposes toy brand. The joint company was comparatively small up until their mass streak of progressively bigger brand deals and acquisitions in the 2010s, with Simba Dickie's retail presence until then being primarily relegated to budget toy aisles - mostly only in Europe - throughout the remainder of the 90s and 2000s.

	Beginning somewhere in the mid-2000s, one of Simba's longest-spanning toylines is ''Planet Fighter'', a series of cheap rebranded toys often produced by other manufacturers (mostly of the [[China\|Chinese]] variety) with an overarching sci-fi theme. These included laser blasters, [[Lightsaber\|"laser swords"]], a multitude of toy robots and inevitably, by extension, a lot of ''transforming'' toy robots. You could find amongst the latter an oversized version of ''Armada'' [[Megatron (Armada)/toys\|Megatron]] (also released in the United States by Happy Well), oversized versions of the [[Energon Saber]] Mini-Cons, a bizarre four-member combiner made out of ''Armada'' [[Payload (Armada)\|Payload]], [[Runway (Armada)\|Runway]], [[Waterlog (Armada)\|Waterlog]] and [[Ransack (Armada)\|Ransack]], a handful of dinosaur-based transforming robots which share their engineering with ''Beast Wars'' [[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Beast Wars\|Dinobot]] (the same toys that would also be later released by [[Estrela]] in Brazil), multiple ''[[Brave]]'' knockoffs like individual blister card versions of all three God Max members, grey versions of Battle Bomber and a Happy Well-derived Great Granbird,<ref>Considering the massive amount of Brave knockoffs produced by Happy Well under the ''Galaxy Defender'' label and given the similar grey color scheme, it is actually entirely possible that the Battle Bomber set could have also originated from them - however; given the ambiguity regarding these knockoffs, it might as well be the case that Simba Dickie was the original manufacturer, or that either company just sourced these bootlegs from a third unknown company. So far, no one ''really'' knows for sure: we're just erring on Happy Well as the most prominent manufacturer to have handled these molds at the time.</ref> and many, many, many variants of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, plus possibly countless others whose records have simply been lost to time. Indeed, Simba released so many ''Transformers'' bootlegs during this time that there still isn't a comprehensive list with all of them, just a tentative approximation based on the ones we know to exist.<ref>[https://transformersnotejo.blogspot.com/2025/06/cataloging-simbas-transformers-bootlegs.html An article that attempts to document every Transformers knockoff made by Simba] on transformersnotejo.blogspot.com</ref>		Beginning somewhere in the mid-2000s, one of Simba's longest-spanning toylines is ''Planet Fighter'', a series of cheap rebranded toys often produced by other manufacturers (mostly of the [[China\|Chinese]] variety) with an overarching sci-fi theme. These included laser blasters, [[Lightsaber\|"laser swords"]], a multitude of toy robots and inevitably, by extension, a lot of ''transforming'' toy robots. You could find amongst the latter an oversized version of ''Armada'' [[Megatron (Armada)/toys\|Megatron]] (also released in the United States by Happy Well), oversized versions of the [[Energon Saber]] Mini-Cons, a bizarre four-member combiner made out of ''Armada'' [[Payload (Armada)\|Payload]], [[Runway (Armada)\|Runway]], [[Waterlog (Armada)\|Waterlog]] and [[Ransack (Armada)\|Ransack]], a handful of dinosaur-based transforming robots which share their engineering with ''Beast Wars'' [[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Beast Wars\|Dinobot]] (the same toys that would also be later released by [[Estrela]] in Brazil), multiple ''[[Brave (franchise)\|Brave]]'' knockoffs like individual blister card versions of all three God Max members, grey versions of Battle Bomber and a Happy Well-derived Great Granbird,<ref>Considering the massive amount of Brave knockoffs produced by Happy Well under the ''Galaxy Defender'' label and given the similar grey color scheme, it is actually entirely possible that the Battle Bomber set could have also originated from them - however; given the ambiguity regarding these knockoffs, it might as well be the case that Simba Dickie was the original manufacturer, or that either company just sourced these bootlegs from a third unknown company. So far, no one ''really'' knows for sure: we're just erring on Happy Well as the most prominent manufacturer to have handled these molds at the time.</ref> and many, many, many variants of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, plus possibly countless others whose records have simply been lost to time. Indeed, Simba released so many ''Transformers'' bootlegs during this time that there still isn't a comprehensive list with all of them, just a tentative approximation based on the ones we know to exist.<ref>[https://transformersnotejo.blogspot.com/2025/06/cataloging-simbas-transformers-bootlegs.html An article that attempts to document every Transformers knockoff made by Simba] on transformersnotejo.blogspot.com</ref>

	====The legitimate company era====		====The legitimate company era====
Line 153:		Line 153:

	==Notes==		==Notes==
	[[File:~~MicroRobot_Simba~~.jpg\|thumb\|right\|200px\|"Eeeehh, but is it ''really'' copyright infringement if you just remove the last letter?"]]		[[File:MicroRobot Simba.jpg\|thumb\|right\|200px\|"Eeeehh, but is it ''really'' copyright infringement if you just remove the last letter?"]]
	*While Simba wasn't as invested in bootlegs during the 90s compared to their later streak of counterfeits during the turn of the millennium, it is interesting that they nonetheless still tried to capitalize on the success of the ''Transformers'' franchise multiple times with otherwise legitimate toys, often to legally questionable extents:		*While Simba wasn't as invested in bootlegs during the 90s compared to their later streak of counterfeits during the turn of the millennium, it is interesting that they nonetheless still tried to capitalize on the success of the ''Transformers'' franchise multiple times with otherwise legitimate toys, often to legally questionable extents:
	**For instance, at some point in the early 90s, they released their localization of the MC Toy ''Motorized Robot'' line of small transforming robot toys - also sometimes known as the ''Moto-Bots'', or the ''DynaBots'', or the ''Playbots'', or by any other number of names (they were redistributed by ''a lot'' of different companies during this time) - and, rather than making up some other title for the toyline in the same vein, Simba simply called them "''TRANSFORMER''" toys in large green lettering on their blister cards <ref>[https://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/robot-toys/moto-bot-pages/galaxy-transformer-simba.htm Galaxy Transformer - Simba] on the-liberator.net</ref>. Keep in mind that this was before the internet era with its ease of being able to check what is and isn't an official toy through wikis and fan listings, thus; it is very likely that more than a handful of European kids in the nineties were fooled into thinking these were genuine Transformers toys.		**For instance, at some point in the early 90s, they released their localization of the MC Toy ''Motorized Robot'' line of small transforming robot toys - also sometimes known as the ''Moto-Bots'', or the ''DynaBots'', or the ''Playbots'', or by any other number of names (they were redistributed by ''a lot'' of different companies during this time) - and, rather than making up some other title for the toyline in the same vein, Simba simply called them "''TRANSFORMER''" toys in large green lettering on their blister cards <ref>[https://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/robot-toys/moto-bot-pages/galaxy-transformer-simba.htm Galaxy Transformer - Simba] on the-liberator.net</ref>. Keep in mind that this was before the internet era with its ease of being able to check what is and isn't an official toy through wikis and fan listings, thus; it is very likely that more than a handful of European kids in the nineties were fooled into thinking these were genuine Transformers toys.