Transformers timeline

This article is about real world events. For the 'Timelines' franchise, see Transformers Timelines (franchise).

This article is about real world events. For the internal timeline of various stories, see Continuity.

Like sands through the breem glass...

This is a timeline of Transformers-related events that occurred in the "real" world, including release dates and other major occurrences.

The dawn of time

13500000000 BCE

• The Big Bang creates the universe as we know it. The protons, neutrons, and electrons that will eventually compose Transformers are formed, ruining it forever. A Thursday.

4004 BCE

• October 23: God creates the universe in six literal days. On the seventh day, he takes a break and does whatever omnipotent beings do for leisure.

3760 BCE

• September 25: The universe comes into existence. Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac

The exact date of this universal stream's creation is somewhat muddled, as seen in the three different dates seen above. The account dating it to 4004 BCE is the one used in early recorded human history, but was later retconned within scientific literature, which established the much earlier date above. More recently, Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac has implicitly dated the universe's creation to 3760 BCE in another retcon. As Hasbro-sanctioned material, this account is assumed to take precedence in canon, at least with regard to the Transformers brand; however, it is unclear whether the event represents God's six-day creation, the Big Bang, or another, as-yet-unrevealed origin.

1920s

1923

• Henry and Helal Hassenfeld form the Hassenfeld Brothers company, selling textile remnants.

1924

• The Japanese toy company Tomiyama is founded.

1940s

• The Hassenfeld brothers produce their first toys: pretend doctor and nurse sets.

1950s

1955

• September 17 — The Japanese company Satō Vinyl Industries, Ltd., which would later become Takara, is founded.

1960s

1964

• Hassenfeld Brothers introduces G.I. Joe, the first "action figure."

1967

• July 4 - Takara introduces the Licca-chan fashion doll.

1968

• The big wheels at Hassenfeld Brothers decide to make it easier for fans of their future toylines to curse their name by rebranding the company Hasbro Industries.

1970s

1970

• Takara acquires the license to introduce G.I. Joe to Japan. Eventually, Takara takes advantage of the 12" Joe figures' interchangeable parts to create a spinoff toyline called Henshin Cyborg (Transforming Cyborg).

1974

• Takara launches the Microman toyline, which represents a scaled-down version of the Henshin Cyborg gimmick, and which will later be exported to the West as Micronauts.

1975

• Robotman, the first ever transforming robot/vehicle toy, is added to the Microman line. This toy will later become known in the West as the Micronaut Biotron.

1980s

1980

• Takara launches the Diaclone toyline.

1982

• March - The first two toys from Takara's Diaclone Car Robo line, No.1 Countach LP-500S Super Tuning (red version) and No.2 Onebox Cherry Vanette (black version), are released to stores in Japan. These toys' molds would later be used in Transformers as Sunstreaker and Ironhide, respectively.

• April - The first four toys from the Popy company's Machine Robo line are released to stores in Japan. They will go on to be better known in the West as Cy-Kill, Tank, Fitor, and Cop-Tur of the evil Renegades in Tonka's GoBots line, the closest competitor to Transformers.

• October 3 - The Super Dimension Fortress Macross debuts on Japanese television, featuring the transforming Valkyrie fighter jet. This vehicle will go on to be less known in the West as the Transformer Jetfire.

1983

• January - The first three toys from Takara's New Microman: MicroChange line, MC-01 Micross (available as blue and red variations), MC-02 Jaguar (available as blue and black variations) and MC-03 Condor (available as blue and black variations), are released to stores. These would later make up the first wave of Mini-Cassettes.
• Unknown date - A Hasbro delegation discovers Takara's Diaclone and Microman toys at the Tokyo Toy Show.
• Late 1983 - Takara releases three of their Diaclone toys (red Sunstreaker, black Ironhide and blue Trailbreaker) in the USA under the name "Diakron". Due to the new licensing agreement with Hasbro, the Diakron line is discontinued following these three toys.

1984

The Transformers launches in the US, in toy, comic and cartoon formats, forever ruining Transformers.

• February - Hasbro Bradley unveils their new Transformers toyline at Toy Fair.
• March - Marvel Age #17 announces the April debut of the Transformers comic book.
• Spring - The first animated commercial advertising the Marvel comics airs on US TV.
• May 8 - Issue one of the Marvel comic is released.
• May 22 - The first Usenet post about Transformers is posted by Ted Nolan to net.comics. In a prediction of things to come, it is mostly complaints.
• Spring - Transformers toys start filtering into stores across the United States.
• September 17 - "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1" premieres on U.S. television Saturday morning.
• Unknown date - the UK is the only European country to get Transformers toys this year. Toys are distributed by Hasbro. Megatron is not available until 1985.
• October 6 - The first Usenet post about the Transformers cartoon is posted to net.comics by Bill Flanagan.
• September 20 - The Marvel UK comic begins publication.
• December - Transformers mania is in full swing, as the figures fly off store shelves, becoming the year's best seller for Hasbro.
• December - The Transformers cartoon begins airing in Mexico.
• Unknown date - Takara conducts test market sales of the Hasbro toys in Japan, under the working name Henshin Sentai Transformers ("Transformation Taskforce Transformers").

1985

• From its Limited Series origins, the Marvel comic becomes an ongoing monthly.
• July 6 - Seasons 1 and 2 of the US cartoon begin airing in Japan as Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformer.
• The Transformers toyline starts getting released to most European markets, with Hasbro using Milton Bradley's facilities for the continental European market, due to an initial lack of resources on their own. The MB toys would be available in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Spain and include lots of oddities unique to Europe, such as a red version of Tracks. Concurrently, GiG launches Trasformer in Italy (Diaclone toys with no Transformers license), while El Greco launches their short-lived version of the line in Greece.
• IGA begins producing Transformers toys for the Mexican and Central American market.
• Estrela begins producing Transformers toys in Brazil, creating a distinctive local version of the toyline that was eventually brought to Argentina by the second-hand licensee Antex.
• The Transformers cartoon begins airing in Peru... despite the fact that the toyline it was created to promote is unavailable in the Peruvian market.

1986

• The Transformers cartoon begins airing in the Netherlands.
• April - "Scramble City: Mobilization", the first Japanese originated Transformers animation, is released on video tape in Japan.
• August 8 - The Transformers: The Movie is released in theatres in the United States. International releases follow, except for Japan and Germany.
• The Transformers toyline is introduced to Peru in response to the cartoon's popularity in that country (rather than the other way around) with a combination of Hasbro and Takara toys imported by HUDE and BASA, and cheaper redecoed Mini Vehicles made by Lynsa.
• December 12 - The Transformers: The Movie is released in the UK.
• December 26 - The Transformers: The Movie is released in Australia.

1987

• February - The Transformers: The Movie is released in Brazil.
• July 3 - The American version of the G1 cartoon ends its run, to be replaced in Japan by the Headmasters cartoon.

1988

• The Masterforce franchise is launched, ushering in a period of significant deviation between the Western and Japanese Transformers franchises.
• April 12 - The Masterforce cartoon begins airing in Japan.
• July - The translated version of the Marvel comic book hits Danish stores, lasting only 18 monthly issues (2 US comics per issue + random assortment of Universe profiles) with an editorial approach that wreaked havoc on any sort of continuity (skipping many key stories, resulting in sudden jumps in storylines, a condescending and ignorant letters page etc.)
• A fifth season of the US Transformers cartoon begins airing, composed of re-edited episodes introduced by a stop-motion Powermaster Optimus Prime.

1989

• Unofficially imported Mexican IGA Transformers become a common sight on European store shelves.
• The Transformers cartoon begins airing in Germany.
• March 14 - The Victory cartoon begins airing in Japan.
• August - Hasbro begins manufacturing and selling Transformers toys in mainland China.
• August 9 - The Transformers: The Movie finally is released in Japan, where it is not actually called "Matrix Forever".

1990s

1990

• The last year of Generation 1 toys are released in North America, while the franchise continues in Japan and Europe.
• July - Transformers Zone is released in Japan.

1991

• (Cover date of July) - The Marvel Comic ends in the United States with issue 80.

1992

• January 4 (cover date January 18) - The Marvel Comic ends in the United Kingdom with issue #332.
• Operation Combination comes to an end, signalling the end of the original Transformers series in Japan.

1993

• Generation 2 attempts to revive the Transformers franchise in North America.
• The last year of Generation 1 toys are released in Europe.
• On September 11th, the Usenet newsgroup alt.toys.transformers is established. Fans now have a dedicated online public forum on which to discuss whatever is ruining Transformers.

1994

• July 16 - The first BotCon is held, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• Generation 2 is released in Europe.
• Antex briefly introduces Generation 2 to Argentina with Robot-Man X and Robot-Man Z.

1995

• Generation 2 begins in Japan, the first Transformers series there in years.
• Generation 2 craps out in every market, including Japan.
• The Chinese G1 toyline comes to a close with the reissuing of several Victory toys for the Chinese market.
• The South Korean toy company Sonokong enters into a licensing agreement with Hasbro International, paving the way for the introduction of officially licensed Transformers toys in a country where Transformers knockoffs were once popular enough to inspire their own animated movies.
• August 5-6 - BotCon 1995 is held in Dayton, Ohio.

1996

• Beast Wars is launched. The fandom declares it will forever destroy Transformers and nobody will ever like it ever, certainly not ten years into the future.
• Beast Wars revives the franchise.
• Beast Wars is one of the best Transformers anythings ever.
• July 12-14 - BotCon 1996 is held in Rosemont, Illinois.

1997

• Hasbro releases the twelve Machine Wars toys, to little acclaim.
• July 18-20 - BotCon 1997 is held in Rochester, New York, by the newly-formed 3H Enterprises.
• The target audience of the original cartoon reaches college age.

1998

• April 10 - The Beast Wars TV show premieres in the UK.
• June 19-20 - BotCon 1998 is held in Anaheim, California.
• Summer - Hasbro's Nordic subsidiary (located in Denmark) releases UK Beast Wars stock to Scandinavian stores. The CGI show is not picked up in any of the Scandinavian countries, as it is deemed "too graphic" for children.

1999

• July 16-18 - At BotCon 1999 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the first episode of Beast Machines, "The Reformatting" is previewed, to overwhelming fan enjoyment.

2000s

2000

• Everyone hates Beast Machines.
• July 28-30 - BotCon 2000 is held in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

2001

• Everyone loves "Transformers 2000," but they hate Robots in Disguise.
• February 19 - Beast Machines begins airing in the UK on Fox Kids.
• July 13-15 - BotCon 2001 is held in Durham, North Carolina.
• Hasbro introduces Transformers to Turkey through its recently acquired subsidiary Intertoy.

2002

• Hasbro Transformers lead designer Aaron Archer begins to post on the Transfandom.com boards as ORSON, at first primarily to refute various false claims about Transformers: Armada. Skeptical fans remark that if he is a Hasbro designer, then if they are various members of the British Monarchy.
• April 3 - Dreamwave Productions begins publishing Transformers comics with Transformers Generation 1 #1. There is much rejoicing, even though everyone started noticing how bad Pat "Dull-Surprise" Lee's art really was.
• Aaron Archer does his best to kill Transformers through incredible sales; Armada kicks off the Unicron Trilogy, the toys appear on store shelves in mid-July, the cartoon premieres in August.
• June 1 - The Robots in Disguise cartoon premieres in the UK in a run which includes several episodes originally withheld from US broadcast.
• July 6 - Armada toys begin arriving in small toy stores and Kay-Bee.
• July 26-28 - BotCon 2002 is held in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

2003

• June 11 - Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto team up to produce a feature-length, live-action Transformers movie. They claim it will be exactly the same as Generation 1. Really.
• July 25-27 - OTFCC 2003 is held in Chicago, Illinois.
• Everybody loves Masterpiece/20th Anniversary Optimus Prime.
• Everyone loves Binaltech/Alternators.

2004

• June 19-20 - Although no longer the official convention, BotCon 2004 is held at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.
• July 22 - DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures and Hasbro sign an agreement to produce a live-action Transformers movie.
• July 30-August 1 - OTFCC 2004 is held in Chicago, Illinois.

2005

• January 4 - Dreamwave Productions goes bankrupt. Many artists complain about being unpaid for their work and/or being stuck with FedEx fees. Pat "serfdom" Lee gives them the finger and drives off in his Porsche.
• April 18 - Don Murphy reports that he wants to please the fans, Dreamworks want to change everything, and Hasbro don't care either way as long as the movie gets done in time.
• Michael Bay announced as the director for Transformers. It will still totally be Generation 1, honest.
• May 19 - IDW Publishing acquires the Transformers comic book license. There is much rejoicing, and, as usual, much complaining.
• September 22-25 - BotCon 2005 is held in Frisco, Texas, for the first time by Fun Publications. It's the official convention again.
• October 19 - Infiltration #0, IDW Publishing's first Transformers comic, is released in comic book stores.

2006

• January 18 - Transformers: Infiltration #1 is released in comic book stores.
• April 19 - Filming begins on the live-action Transformers motion picture.
• July 24 - Peter Cullen is announced at San Diego Comic-Con as the voice of Optimus Prime in the Transformers film. There is much rejoicing (yay).
• September 15 - The first Classics toys arrive at a small store in Canada.
• September 28-October 1 - BotCon 2006 is held at the Lexington Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
• November 28 - Transformers: Escalation #1 is released in comic book stores.
• Takara settles the Michael Bay is raping my childhood debate by actually raping your childhood. Realizing that Michael Bay only touched your childhood in the swimsuit area, you apologize.

2007

• June - The first promotional images for Transformers Animated are released. Take a guess as to the reaction. G'wan.
• June 27-July 1 - BotCon 2007 is held at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Hasbro's hometown. It was expected to be the best Transformers convention ever. It was also expected to be the worst Transformers convention ever.
• July 2 - US theatres start showing the live-action Transformers motion picture at 8:00 PM. By midnight, it's made $8.8 million USD.
• July 3 - The Transformers release date. It makes $27.85 million, more money on a Tuesday than any film in history. Transformers. Ruined forever.
• July 4 - Americans celebrate their Independence Day by giving $29 million to that Hollywood movie about an alien robot summoning his friends to Earth where they disguise themselves as General Motors vehicles and team up with the United States military to smash the evil robots. Unsurprisingly, this is more money than a movie's ever earned on the Fourth of July. Apparently, what's good for General Motors really is good for the country.
• July 25 - As of this writing, the Transformers movie has grossed $270 million in the United States, with worldwide gross earnings of nearly one half billion dollars US.
• July 28 - A Transformers Animated preview is shown to the public. The fandom rejoiced (and complained).
• October 16 - Transformers is released on DVD.
• November 3 - a specially edited 11-minute preview of Transformers Animated episode 1 is shown at the NTFA Mini-Con in Arlöv, Sweden, to the disdain of many a US fan.
• December 26 - Transformers Animated ruins Transformers forever slightly ahead of schedule when the premiere episodes are shown as a "movie" on the Cartoon Network.

2008

• January 5 - Transformers Animated begins airing regularly Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.
• April 24-27 - BotCon 2008 is held at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• June - Transformers Animated toys are scheduled to be released.

2009

• May 8 - Transformers turns 25 (25th Anniversary of the release of The Transformers #1, the first publicly-released TF merchandise.)
• May 28-31 - BotCon 2009 is held - again - at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.
• June 24 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is released, ruining Transformers forever by raking in enormous profits.
• October 1 - Michael Bay officially announces that preproduction has begun on Transformers 3.

2010s

2010

• June 22 - Transformers: War for Cybertron is released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS. Transformers: Exodus is released, ruining Transformers forever on continuity.
• June 24-27 - BotCon 2010 is held at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
• November 26 - The Transformers: Prime miniseries premieres on The Hub.

2011

• June 2-5 - BotCon 2011 is held at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.
• June 28 - Transformers: Dark of the Moon debuts three hours ahead of its "official" opening, with 9:00 PM showings throughout the United States and Canada.
• July 2, 3, 4 - Transformers: Dark of the Moon ruins America forever with the highest Independence Day weekend gross of any movie ever.
• November - A preview wave of Prime "First Edition" toys hits stores. Stores outside the US, at least.
• December 17 - The Hub continues its ongoing mission to ruin Transformers forever by screening the first two episodes of Rescue Bots.

2012

• February 18 - The Hub starts playing the second season of Prime and the first season of Rescue Bots, marking the first time that Transformers has had two major cartoons running at the same time.
• April 26-April 29 - BotCon 2012 is held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas in Dallas.