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{{disambig2|the toyline based on the book series and television show|the organic beings empowered with the ability to "morph"|Animorph}}
{{disambig2|the toyline based on the book series and television show|the organic beings empowered with the ability to "morph"|Animorph}}
<div class="center">[[Image:AniLogo.png|none|242px|]]</div>
<div class="center">[[Image:AniLogo.png|none|242px]]</div>


[[Image:Animorphspromoart.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Fortunately, there were no sexy brooding vampires to be found.]]
[[Image:Animorphspromoart.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Enjoy the toyline based on a story about the horrors of war and how it corrupts everyone involved, kids!]]


In 1999, [[Hasbro]] released a small toyline based on the popular '''''[[wikipedia:Animorphs|Animorphs]]''''' book series by K. A. Applegate. The line was released under the ''Transformers'' brand name, though the two franchises have no relation to each other, story-wise. ''Animorphs'' toys were stocked on shelves alongside ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Transmetal 2]] toys, and their presence may explain why the Transmetal 2 series was so small (only 17 toys.)
In 1999, [[Hasbro]] released a small toyline based on the popular '''''{{w|Animorphs}}''''' book series by K. A. Applegate. The line was released under the ''Transformers'' brand name, though the two franchises have no relation to each other, story-wise. ''Animorphs'' toys were stocked on shelves alongside ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Transmetal 2]] toys, and their presence may explain why the Transmetal 2 series was so small (only 17 toys).
{{TOCclear}}
{{TOCclear}}


==Toys==
==Toys==
''Animorphs'' toys featured a small cast of human characters that transformed into various animals. Most figures also had a third "mid-morph" mode that represented a halfway point in the morphing process. There were also 2 alien "[[Andalite]]" characters, one hero and one villain. The villain, [[Visser Three]], had 2 figures.
''Animorphs'' toys featured a small cast of human characters that transformed into various animals. Most figures also had a third "mid-morph" mode that represented a halfway point in the morphing process. There were also 2 alien "[[Andalite]]" characters, one hero ([[Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill]], referred to as "Ax" for short) and one villain ([[Visser Three]]).


As the line trickled to a close, two of the later figures ([[Marco]]/beetle and [[Ax]]/panther) became fairly rare and difficult to find. Another pair of figures, ([[Jake]]/stingray and [[Taxxon]]/Battlebeast), never saw release in the United States at all, though a few fans were able to get their hands on foreign versions.
As the line trickled to a close, two of the later figures ([[Marco#Beetle|Marco/Beetle]] and [[Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill#AxPanther|Ax/Panther]]) became fairly rare and difficult to find. A very small third wave of figures, [[Jake (Animorphs)#Manta|Jake Stingray/Manta]] and [[Taxxon#Toys|Taxxon/Alien]], never saw release in the United States at all, though they were produced in limited numbers in European markets.


With the cancellation of the line, a series of planned animal-to-animal toys were [[Retool|retooled]] and released under the ''Beast Wars'' banner as the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutants]].
With the cancellation of the line, a series of planned animal-to-animal toys was [[retool]]ed and released under the ''Beast Wars'' banner as the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutants]].


===1999===
===Deluxe===
'''Deluxe'''
Each Deluxe toy came packed with a small [[Yeerk]] figure in either orange, purple, or red translucent plastic.
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''Wave 1'''</u>
*[[Cassie#Toys|Cassie/Wolf]]
*[[Jake (Animorphs)#Toys|Jake/Tiger]]
*[[Marco#Toys|Marco/Gorilla]]
*[[Rachel#Toys|Rachel/Lion]]
*[[Tobias#Toys|Tobias/Hawk]]
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''Wave 2'''</u>
*[[Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill#AxPanther|Ax/Panther]]
*[[Jake (Animorphs)#Bear|Jake/Grizzly Bear]]
*[[Marco#Beetle|Marco/Beetle]]
|
|width="40%" valign="top"|<u>'''Wave 3''' (Europe only)</u>
*[[Jake (Animorphs)#Manta|Jake Stingray/Manta]]
*[[Taxxon#Toys|Taxxon/Alien]]
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:Animorph-toy CassieWolf.jpg|thumb|200px|Deluxe Class [[Cassie#Toys|Cassie/Wolf]]]]
|}
{{--}}
===Mega===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''Wave 1'''</u>
*[[Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill#Toys|Ax/Scorpion]]
*[[Visser Three#Toys|Visser Three/Inferno Creature]]
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''Wave 2'''</u>
*[[Tobias#Mega|Tobias]] (human/hawk)
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:Animorph-toy TobiasMega.jpg|thumb|200px|Mega Class [[Tobias#Mega|Tobias]]]]
|}
{{--}}
===Ultra===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="40%" valign="top"|<u>'''Wave 1'''</u>
*[[Visser Three#Ultra|Visser Three]] (Andalite/"[[Hork-Bajir]]"/Inferno Creature)
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[Image:Visser_Three_Ultra_Toy.jpg|thumb|200px|Ultra Class [[Visser Three#Ultra|Visser Three]]]]
|}
{{--}}


''(Each Deluxe toy came packed with a small [[Yeerk]] figure in either orange, purple, or red translucent plastic.)''
===Super===
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="40%" valign="top"|<u>'''Wave 1'''</u>
*[[Tri-Rex#Toys|Tri-Rex]] (''Tyrannosaurus rex'' [[combiner]])
:*[[Cassie#TriRex|Cassie]] (human/tail)
:*[[Jake (Animorphs)#TriRex|Jake]] (human/head)
:*[[Marco#TriRex|Marco]] (human/body)
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[Image:Tri-Rex toy.jpg|thumb|200px|Super Class [[Tri-Rex#Toys|Tri-Rex]]]]
|}
{{--}}


*[[Ax]] (human/panther)
==Fiction==
*[[Cassie]] (human/wolf)
===''Animated'' cartoon===
*[[Jake]] (human/tiger)
[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] salvaged parts for [[Death's Head (Animated)|his ship]] from [[Taxxon]] sources. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac}}
*[[Jake]] (human/bear)
*[[Marco]] (human/gorilla)
*[[Marco]] (human/beetle)
*[[Rachel]] (human/lion)
*[[Tobias]] (human/hawk)


'''Mega'''
===Ask Vector Prime===
[[Vector Prime]] clarified that the ''Animorphs'' universe takes place elsewhere in the [[Megaverse]] and was only associated with ''Transformers'' due to a small bit of reality drift. {{storylink|Source:Ask Vector Prime/Facebook#September 3, 2015|Ask Vector Prime}}


*[[Ax]] ("Andalite"/scorpion)
===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
*[[Visser Three]] ("Andalite"/"inferno creature")
[[Star Dasher]]'s armor was tough enough to withstand the bite of an [[Inferno Creature]]. {{storylink|Safe Spaces|Star Dasher's profile}}
*[[Tobias]] (human/hawk)


'''Ultra'''
==Notes==
*[[Visser Three]] ("Andalite"/"Hork-Bajir"/"inferno creature")
[[File:Animorphs_Mutants_Wave_Two.jpg|thumb|They transform from "didn't happen" to "never happened".]]
 
*The ''Animorphs'' line was poorly received by ''Transformers'' fans due to its unrelated mythology as well as the execution of the action figures. On the bright side, the ''Animorphs'' toyline paved the way for later crossovers, including the ''[[Star Wars Transformers (2005 toyline)|Star Wars Transformers]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Crossovers|Crossovers]]'' brands.
'''Super'''
*Several Animorphs toys with a human form feature articles of ragged clothing being worn by a character... But what exactly is happening to them is unclear. The clothing being ripped and wrecked seem to imply that the clothes are being destroyed due to the characters morphing, as is described happening in the Animorphs novels. Yet, the toy line advertises more heavily the television series over the books, and in said program the characters' clothes morphed alongside them into their animal forms, and the toys' sculpting and paint details hint that this is what is also happening with these figures. It can be speculated that either their garments are getting first torn to shreds and then subsequently morphing along the character into their animal forms, or that the Animorphs' clothes are in shambles due to being worn in combat.
*[[Tri-Rex]] ([[combiner]])
*Had the line continued and the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutants]] remained Animorphs, future waves would have followed comprised of a hornet/poison dart frog (Andalite), ram/Komodo dragon (human), and vulture/piranha (human). These never got past the [[control drawing|control art]] stage.<ref> [[Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Generations]], p113</ref>
 
*There was also a set of [[Taco Bell]] toys where the animal shell could be "transformed" to expose the human inside, [[Pretender]]-style. However, these toys were made by Discovery Concepts, not Hasbro, and thus are not proper ''Transformers'' toys like the ones above.
:*[[Cassie]] (human/''Tyrannosaurus rex'' tail)
*On the opposite side of things, the Animorphs franchise makes a handful of references to ''Beast Wars'' in its different incarnations; in the book ''The Separation'', one of Mean Rachel's morphs is described as looking "like someone had taken a Barbie doll and a Beast Wars Transformer and melted them together in the microwave", while the first episode of the TV show starts with a scene of the characters playing the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|PS1 game]] (albeit with all ''Beast Wars'' branding omitted).
:*[[Jake]] (human/''Tyrannosaurus rex'' head)
:*[[Marco]] (human/''Tyrannosaurus rex'' body)
 
===No US release===
*[[Jake]] (human/stingray)
*[[Taxxon]] ("Taxxon"/"Battlebeast")
 
==Fan reaction==
For the most part, the ''Animorphs'' line was, politely speaking, poorly received by ''Transformers'' fans for a variety of reasons:


# The franchise was totally unrelated to the ''Transformers'' universe, and many felt that Hasbro was [[Star Wars|trying to]] [[Crossovers|milk the]] [[Disney Label|brand name]] by using it on the ''Animorphs'' line.
==References==
# The main characters of Animorphs were organic beings and not robots. In-fiction, instead of drastically re-arranging their body parts, the Animorphs "transformed" by fluidly morphing from one state to the other (i.e. while morphing into a horse, a human's hands and feet would become hooves). This, of course, was impossible to recreate in toy form, so the toys fell back on the Transformers' method of rearranging the character's body parts. As such, the toys' "human" modes often had animal [[kibble]] hanging off them, if not still blatantly visible in both forms, and many of the animal forms required separate pieces that slid over the human hands to turn them into paws or claws.  Some fans found this design approach <strike>sloppy</strike> unaesthetic. To say these toys sucked is a vast understatement.
<references/>


==Notes==
==See also==
*Several Animorphs toys with a human form feature articles of ragged clothing being worn by a character... But what exactly is happening to them is unclear. The clothing being ripped and wrecked seem to imply that the clothes are being destroyed due to the characters morphing, as is described happening in the Animorphs novels. Yet, the toy line advertises more heavily the television series over the books, and in said program the characters' clothes morphed alongside them into their animal forms, and the toys' sculpting and paint details hint that this is what is also happening with these figures. It can be speculated that either their garments are getting first torn to shreds and then subsequently morphing along the character into their animal forms, or that the Animorphs' clothes are in shambles due to being worn in combat.
*[[Star Wars Transformers (2005 toyline)|Star Wars Transformers]]
*[[Transformers: Crossovers|Crossovers]]
*[[Transformers Disney Label|Disney Label]]


==External links==
==External links==
*[[wikipedia:Animorphs|Animorphs at Wikipedia]]
*{{w|Animorphs|Animorphs at Wikipedia}}
*[[wikia:animorphs:Main Page|Seerowpedia, the Animorphs wiki]]


[[Category:Animorphs franchise| ]]
[[Category:Animorphs franchise| ]]
[[Category:Crossover toylines]]
[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Franchises]]

Latest revision as of 14:18, 21 February 2026

This article is about the toyline based on the book series and television show. For the organic beings empowered with the ability to "morph", see Animorph.
Enjoy the toyline based on a story about the horrors of war and how it corrupts everyone involved, kids!

In 1999, Hasbro released a small toyline based on the popular Animorphs book series by K. A. Applegate. The line was released under the Transformers brand name, though the two franchises have no relation to each other, story-wise. Animorphs toys were stocked on shelves alongside Beast Wars Transmetal 2 toys, and their presence may explain why the Transmetal 2 series was so small (only 17 toys).

Toys

[edit]

Animorphs toys featured a small cast of human characters that transformed into various animals. Most figures also had a third "mid-morph" mode that represented a halfway point in the morphing process. There were also 2 alien "Andalite" characters, one hero (Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, referred to as "Ax" for short) and one villain (Visser Three).

As the line trickled to a close, two of the later figures (Marco/Beetle and Ax/Panther) became fairly rare and difficult to find. A very small third wave of figures, Jake Stingray/Manta and Taxxon/Alien, never saw release in the United States at all, though they were produced in limited numbers in European markets.

With the cancellation of the line, a series of planned animal-to-animal toys was retooled and released under the Beast Wars banner as the Mutants.

Deluxe

[edit]

Each Deluxe toy came packed with a small Yeerk figure in either orange, purple, or red translucent plastic.

Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 (Europe only)
Deluxe Class Cassie/Wolf

Mega

[edit]
Wave 1 Wave 2
Mega Class Tobias

Ultra

[edit]
Wave 1
Ultra Class Visser Three

Super

[edit]
Wave 1
Super Class Tri-Rex

Fiction

[edit]

Animated cartoon

[edit]

Lockdown salvaged parts for his ship from Taxxon sources. The AllSpark Almanac

Ask Vector Prime

[edit]

Vector Prime clarified that the Animorphs universe takes place elsewhere in the Megaverse and was only associated with Transformers due to a small bit of reality drift. Ask Vector Prime

Beast Wars: Uprising

[edit]

Star Dasher's armor was tough enough to withstand the bite of an Inferno Creature. Star Dasher's profile

Notes

[edit]
They transform from "didn't happen" to "never happened".
  • The Animorphs line was poorly received by Transformers fans due to its unrelated mythology as well as the execution of the action figures. On the bright side, the Animorphs toyline paved the way for later crossovers, including the Star Wars Transformers and Crossovers brands.
  • Several Animorphs toys with a human form feature articles of ragged clothing being worn by a character... But what exactly is happening to them is unclear. The clothing being ripped and wrecked seem to imply that the clothes are being destroyed due to the characters morphing, as is described happening in the Animorphs novels. Yet, the toy line advertises more heavily the television series over the books, and in said program the characters' clothes morphed alongside them into their animal forms, and the toys' sculpting and paint details hint that this is what is also happening with these figures. It can be speculated that either their garments are getting first torn to shreds and then subsequently morphing along the character into their animal forms, or that the Animorphs' clothes are in shambles due to being worn in combat.
  • Had the line continued and the Mutants remained Animorphs, future waves would have followed comprised of a hornet/poison dart frog (Andalite), ram/Komodo dragon (human), and vulture/piranha (human). These never got past the control art stage.[1]
  • There was also a set of Taco Bell toys where the animal shell could be "transformed" to expose the human inside, Pretender-style. However, these toys were made by Discovery Concepts, not Hasbro, and thus are not proper Transformers toys like the ones above.
  • On the opposite side of things, the Animorphs franchise makes a handful of references to Beast Wars in its different incarnations; in the book The Separation, one of Mean Rachel's morphs is described as looking "like someone had taken a Barbie doll and a Beast Wars Transformer and melted them together in the microwave", while the first episode of the TV show starts with a scene of the characters playing the PS1 game (albeit with all Beast Wars branding omitted).

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Generations, p113

See also

[edit]
[edit]
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