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'''[[John Warden|John William Warden]]''' is a former Senior Designer (later Design Director) and long-time creative lead for ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' collector product (read: toylines [[fandom|weird grownups]] care about) at [[Hasbro]] and a man with a long history with the brand.  
'''[[John Warden|John William Warden]]''' is a former Senior Designer (later Design Director) and long-time creative lead for ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' collector product (read: toylines [[fandom|weird grownups]] care about) at [[Hasbro]] and a man with a long history with the brand.  


He began his career at Hasbro on the ''[[Star Wars]]'' and ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' brands before cutting his teeth ''Transformers''-wise working on the ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]]'' franchise and ''[[Thrilling 30]]''. In [[2014]] he was appointed the design lead on the ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' mega-brand (inheriting the role from [[Joe Kyde]]) where he would dramatically expand its scope (and budget) in a reign stretching from  ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' imprint all the way up through ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Kingdom]]'' in [[2020]]. In addition to helming both the [[Prime Wars Trilogy|''Prime Wars'']] and [[War for Cybertron Trilogy (franchise)|''War for Cybertron'']] "trilogies" he was responsible for codifying the disparate [[live-action film series]] toylines under their own version of ''Generations'' in the evergreen ''[[Studio Series]]'' label as well several more whimsical projects such as the creation of the ''[[Transformers: BotBots (franchise)|BotBots]]'' franchise alongside Associate Designer [[Aaron Gray]]<ref>[https://aarongray.artstation.com/projects/v28lkE ''Botbots'' design notes] from [[Hasbro]] designer [[Aaron Gray]] on ArtStation</ref> and the synergy-tastic ''[[Transformers Collaborative|Collaborative]]'' toyline. You're welcome, Bay heads.
He began his career at Hasbro on the ''[[Star Wars]]'' and ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' brands before cutting his teeth ''Transformers''-wise working on the ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]]'' franchise and ''[[Thrilling 30]]''. In [[2014]] he was appointed the design lead on the ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' mega-brand (inheriting the role from [[Joe Kyde]]) where he would dramatically expand its scope (and budget) in a reign stretching from  ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' imprint all the way up through ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Kingdom]]'' in [[2020]]. In addition to helming both the [[Prime Wars Trilogy|''Prime Wars'']] and [[War for Cybertron Trilogy (franchise)|''War for Cybertron'']] "trilogies" he was responsible for codifying the disparate [[live-action film series]] toylines under their own version of ''Generations'' in the evergreen ''[[Studio Series]]'' label as well several more whimsical projects such as the creation of the ''[[Transformers: BotBots (franchise)|BotBots]]'' franchise alongside Associate Designer [[Aaron Gray]] and the synergy-tastic ''[[Transformers Collaborative|Collaborative]]'' toyline. You're welcome, Bay heads.


After going out on a high note with the successful launch of [[Hasbro Pulse#HasLab|HasLab]] [[Unicron#Toys#War for Cybertron Trilogy|Unicron]], he announced in a tweet on [[July 17]], [[2020]] that he had been promoted to the Global Design Lead on the ''[[Power Rangers]]'' and ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' brands.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Excited to share that I have taken on the global design lead role at Hasbro for Power Rangers and Ghostbusters! I am honored/excited to work on these iconic brands and can't wait for fans to see what's in store for them!!⚡️👻|link=https://twitter.com/wardenfive/status/1284220998632591365|name=John Warden|site=Twitter|year=2020|month=07|day=17|(defunct=)}}</ref> On [[September 26]] of that year at [[Hasbro PulseCon 2020|the first Hasbro Pulsecon]], he passed his position on to [[Lenny Panzica]] in a formal ceremony.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk9MvMw5yWs Archive of the Hasbro Pulse Con 2020 stream]</ref> From [[April]]<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-warden-02643013/ John Warden on LinkedIn]</ref> to October [[2024]]<ref name ="ExitPost">{{citesocial|quote=I’ve had the privilege of a lifetime to be part of the creative force at Hasbro. When I was a boy in the early 1980’s, I was encouraged by my Dad, an inner city public school art teacher, to learn about industrial design.It wasn’t until I saw Where the Toys Come From in 1984 on a VHS cassette from my local library that I realized that the worlds of drawing, painting, sculpture, and mass-production engineering collided into a fascinating miasma resulting in the swivel-armed hero that I held in my hand.That next year, I would go on to write a letter for my fifth grade class to Ralph Shaffer, the mastermind SVP who (alongside the mighty James Groman) created the wacky MadBall line in the nearby metro area of Cleveland Ohio. To my surprise he wrote me back and I got a tour… the illustrations on frisket hanging on the wall, originals from Groman himself and the think tank of subversive designers. My career at Hasbro has taught me what it means to dream hard enough that your dreams come to life. And just like the closing act in The Muppet Movie, for 25 years, you as Hasbro’s fans of Transformers, G.I.Joe, MASK, Visionaries, Jem, Pokémon, Star Wars… we came together. Through the crashing anarchy of the rainbow 🌈 we came together, somehow. Like a family. To hundreds upon thousands of fans that I’ve met at conventions around the world, I say thank you. Your passion for the brands that we all grew up with and loved as children is beyond measure. It has been a privilege and an honor to talk to each and every one of you. We are all Family. Thank you fans and thank you Hasbro for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to bring my childhood dreams to life these past 25 years. Even to bring new dreams to life for a new generation of fans, like my kids who are now adults. As I gaze misty eyed on my career and what magic comes next, my heart is filled with gratitude.Fear not, Autobots. I am sure our paths will come together again. As sure as the sun beams in from above onto the singing Muppets below. Thank you.|link= https://www.instagram.com/p/DBerjsNyBO6/?img_index=1|name=John Warden|site=Instagram|year=2024|month=10|day=23}}</ref> he returned to the world of the Transformers several rungs above his old job as the Director of Product Design for both ''Transformers'' and ''G.I. Joe'', where he oversaw guys like his current successor as ''Generations'' design lead [[Mark Maher]],<ref>{{citesocial|quote=mark is still very much the design lead on Generations|link=https://twitter.com/wardenfive/status/1818200491106427141|site=Twitter|name=John Warden|year=2024|month=07|day=30}}</ref> developing a shared strategy for both brands.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=I’m the design director in charge of GI Joe and Transformers. And part of my role is to think about how collectors engage with our brand, what sorts of things are they doing, and what opportunities can we do to try to build the brands up in a way where they’re kind of feeding off of each other, but also understand, are there common themes or things we can start to look at – whether it’s detail, accuracy to content, that sort of thing. So by uniting Hasbro’s legacy brands under a single umbrella, I think it does give us an opportunity to really do some amazing new stuff for the future.|link=https://news.tfw2005.com/2024/08/03/sdcc-2024-hasbro-interview-john-wardens-return-generations-studio-series-combiners-more-513802|name=John Warden|site=TFW2005|title=SDCC 2024 Hasbro Interview – John Warden’s Return, Generations, Studio Series, Combiners, More!|year=2024|month=08|day=03}}</ref> Due to the way toy production timelines work, this shakes out to the toys we actually see through 2025 and 2026.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Some of my teams creations are on the horizon for 2025 and 2026.|link=https://www.instagram.com/p/DBerjsNyBO6/|name=John Warden|site=Instagram|year=2024|month=10|day=23}}</ref> He appears to be available at the moment, so if you're a toy company executive reading this, hit him up fast!
After going out on a high note with the successful launch of [[Hasbro Pulse#HasLab|HasLab]] [[Unicron#Toys#War for Cybertron Trilogy|Unicron]], he announced in a tweet on [[July 17]], [[2020]] that he had been promoted to the Global Design Lead on the ''[[Power Rangers]]'' and ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' brands. On [[September 26]] of that year at [[Hasbro PulseCon 2020|the first Hasbro Pulsecon]], he passed his position on to [[Lenny Panzica]] in a formal ceremony. From [[April]] to October [[2024]] he returned to the world of the Transformers several rungs above his old job as the Director of Product Design for both ''Transformers'' and ''G.I. Joe'', where he oversaw guys like his current successor as ''Generations'' design lead [[Mark Maher]], developing a shared strategy for both brands. Due to the way toy production timelines work, this shakes out to the toys we actually see through 2025 and 2026. He appears to be available at the moment, so if you're a toy company executive reading this, hit him up fast!


Dude just really loves ''Transformers''.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=I was working with Lenny for about three years as the design director over top of GI Joe, as well as some other kid-based brands within Hasbro, new inventions and things like that. The love of Transformers really and the Transformers community brought me back. I looked across the Hasbro portfolio, and I started to see some commonalities – not just in true crossovers, but in the way that fans interact with our brands. The way they understand them, that curve of nostalgia and popularity, and also the precision and intricacies within the Transformers universe. I think more than anything, I was drawn back to the rich lore and universe of Transformers, and the promise of immortal metal men that are able to live forever and scan and transform. That’s really a magical premise that I think will never ever go out of style, and something I’ll never stop being in love with.|link=https://news.tfw2005.com/2024/08/03/sdcc-2024-hasbro-interview-john-wardens-return-generations-studio-series-combiners-more-513802|name=John Warden|site=TFW2005|title=SDCC 2024 Hasbro Interview – John Warden’s Return, Generations, Studio Series, Combiners, More!|year=2024|month=08|day=03}}</ref>
Dude just really loves ''Transformers''.
 
While on assignment for {{w|MCM Comic Con London|MCM London}} in October 2024, John (and the fandom) were blindsided when he was caught in a round of layoffs of about 100 employees to "streamline the company" by slashing the design department. This abrupt booting off of health insurance has led the Wardens into financial peril, as his fiancée suffers from a {{w|Crohn's disease|severe form of a chronic condition}} for which any gap in an expensive medication can bring the disease out of remission and potentially lead to even more expensive surgery. Further information (and ways to help) can be found [https://www.gofundme.com/f/Support-Warden-Family  here]. We wish him all the best.


'''[[John Warden|Continued...]]'''
'''[[John Warden|Continued...]]'''

Revision as of 23:41, 1 November 2024

John William Warden is a former Senior Designer (later Design Director) and long-time creative lead for Transformers collector product (read: toylines weird grownups care about) at Hasbro and a man with a long history with the brand.

He began his career at Hasbro on the Star Wars and G.I. Joe brands before cutting his teeth Transformers-wise working on the Age of Extinction franchise and Thrilling 30. In 2014 he was appointed the design lead on the Generations mega-brand (inheriting the role from Joe Kyde) where he would dramatically expand its scope (and budget) in a reign stretching from Combiner Wars imprint all the way up through Kingdom in 2020. In addition to helming both the Prime Wars and War for Cybertron "trilogies" he was responsible for codifying the disparate live-action film series toylines under their own version of Generations in the evergreen Studio Series label as well several more whimsical projects such as the creation of the BotBots franchise alongside Associate Designer Aaron Gray and the synergy-tastic Collaborative toyline. You're welcome, Bay heads.

After going out on a high note with the successful launch of HasLab Unicron, he announced in a tweet on July 17, 2020 that he had been promoted to the Global Design Lead on the Power Rangers and Ghostbusters brands. On September 26 of that year at the first Hasbro Pulsecon, he passed his position on to Lenny Panzica in a formal ceremony. From April to October 2024 he returned to the world of the Transformers several rungs above his old job as the Director of Product Design for both Transformers and G.I. Joe, where he oversaw guys like his current successor as Generations design lead Mark Maher, developing a shared strategy for both brands. Due to the way toy production timelines work, this shakes out to the toys we actually see through 2025 and 2026. He appears to be available at the moment, so if you're a toy company executive reading this, hit him up fast!

Dude just really loves Transformers.

While on assignment for MCM London in October 2024, John (and the fandom) were blindsided when he was caught in a round of layoffs of about 100 employees to "streamline the company" by slashing the design department. This abrupt booting off of health insurance has led the Wardens into financial peril, as his fiancée suffers from a severe form of a chronic condition for which any gap in an expensive medication can bring the disease out of remission and potentially lead to even more expensive surgery. Further information (and ways to help) can be found here. We wish him all the best.

Continued...


Future Featured Articles can be nominated here: Transformers Wiki:Featured Article Nominations.

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