Transformers: Go-Bots (toyline)
| The name or term "GoBots" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see GoBots (disambiguation). |
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Transformers: Go-Bots (one of several names for the series, but this is the one used longest), released through Hasbro subsidiary Playskool in 2002, was the third Transformers toyline intended for preschool-age children. This series is often referred to by the fandom as "Go-Go-Go-Bots" to help separate it from the many other "Go-Bots" in Transformerdom, based on the series' tagline printed on the cardbacks, as well as the primary lyric for the short-lived cartoon's theme song.
In Japan, the figures were sold as part of the Kids' Transformers: Rescue Hero Go-Bots toyline, which included toys from the Tonka 1-2-3 Transformers series as well.
Overview
The line was released in a transitional time for the Transformers brand, and ended up being bounced around madly over its lifespan.
Buoyed by the success of 2001's Robots in Disguise, Hasbro sought to expand Transformers beyond the 5~13 age group. Following the sporadically-released 1-2-3 Transformers toys, the "preschool Transformers" line shifted to Playskool, which brought out a series of toys that were simpler, softer-edged, more colorful, and above all less expensive than the 1-2-3 toys, designed to transform from robot to alternate mode in three (or fewer) steps. Mold recycling was rampant, and character re-use was even moreso, with main characters Speed-Bot and Aero-Bot getting a large number of molds both new and old.
The line's name changed three times over its two-year run, and in the end, several products only saw release through closeout chains, with a few items only showing up in the UK as late as 2005. The line was also only barely advertised, with only two episodes packed into a promotional VHS cassette (remember those?), and two more episodes... test-aired like once in a few major cities.
Hasbro would basically leave the idea of "preschool Transformers" alone until the far more successful Rescue Bots series, which learned from several of Go-Bots's mistakes. The target age group had found even the simpler Go-Bots' multi-step transformations frustrating (and sometimes requiring excessive force to perform), thus Rescue Bots would reduce the transformations down to a single step, with most parts auto-transforming. Plus, Hasbro actually put effort into the Rescue Bots advertising cartoon.
In the end, Go-Bots made an initial splash with collectors keen on something new and weird, but failed to entice kids or hold onto its older fans, and has since become a footnote, vastly overshadowed by its successor.
Toyline
Playskool Big Adventures: Transformers
Initially, the line was called Playskool Big Adventures: Transformers, released in late 2002, just as the Armada toyline was really starting to hit wide and hit big. Only a single wave of product came out under this name.
| Basics | Megas |
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Transformers: Go-Bots
Given a less-cumbersome rebranding for 2003, the new assortments of Go-Bots started in on the extensive redeco-ing pretty quickly to fill out the assortments.
| Basics | Deluxes
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Megas |
Go-Bots
Apparently it was decided to separate Go-Bots from the Transformers brand (seemingly poor timing given Armada was becoming a sales powerhouse), and in mid/late 2003 the line became just Go-Bots. The cutesified Autobot faction symbol on the prior toys was also replaced with the Go-Shield badge. During this year the line began to incorporate more gimmicks, such as electronic lights and more large toys. It was during this period that the cartoon "hit".
| "Botropolis" Basics | "Mission: Earth" Basics | "Glow-Bots" Basics | video pack-in Basics | |||||
Deluxes
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Mega "Ultra Jets" | Mega "Flying Fists" | Ultras | |||||
| Supers |
Transformers: Go-Bots (again)
By 2004, the line was waning, un-rebranded back to Transformers: Go-Bots (though it kept the Go-Shield), likely in response to the ever-growing awareness and sales power of the franchise. More gimmicks were trotted out to spruce up old molds, but the tail end of the line ended up not seeing release in the US outside of closeout chains in 2005, with some items only getting release in the UK.
| "Secret Shield" Wave 1 | "Secret Shield" Wave 2 | "Invisibility Force" Wave 1 | "Invisibility Force" Wave 2 | |||||
Deluxes
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Megas |
Exclusives
Unreleased
- Aero-Bot Helicopter (rescue chopper)
- "Mystery Bot" (Basic Go-Bot)
- Special Bonus Pack (Strong Bot, Speed-Bot, Gorilla Bot)
Trivia
- Designs of various Playskool Go-Bots (and one 1-2-3 transformer) were plagiarized for use as characters in the Chinese cartoon "Robo Warriors". Ironically, these plagiarized designs would later be plagiarized themselves, with the cartoon "Martial Mecha Saga" basing many of the show's robot designs on those of "Robo Warriors" (Both cartoons were produced by different companies).[1]
