Transformers: BotBots (toyline)
Transformers: BotBots is a toyline released in late 2018, involving small, cartoony, super deformed robot characters who transform into mundane items. These 1-inch tall soft-plastic bots are marketed in the same style as the insanely popular Shopkins toys and other collectible mini-toys.
In the universe of the BotBots, a mysterious cloud of energon gas drifted through a shopping mall, bringing tools, electronics, and even food to life as tiny transforming robots. By day they hide, and by night, mischief aplenty.
Overview
Each BotBot is a tiny, roughly-1-inch tall PVC-plastic toy that converts from a robot into... something else... in a few short, simple steps. Each character belongs to a themed team depending on the "store" their alternate mode is found in, though the individual members of the team are spread out among a lot of packages:
- Single-Bot Blind Bag Mystery Figures
- 5-Packs with two Bots from the pack's theme team, two Bots from two other teams, and an additional blind-packed (but not random) "Lost Bot"
- 8-Packs with two Bots from the pack's theme team, five Bots from five other teams, and an additional blind-packed (but not random) "Lost Bot"
Naturally, there is a ton of overlap, with many figures available in multiple different packs. These redundant Bots are meant to encourage trading among the kids.
The blind-packed portions are opened by pulling up a tearable flap on the back of the card, revealing a perforated paper layer. The instruction say to then push the red bubble with both thumbs to pop the Bot out through the paper, but you can just tear the paper and pull it out too.
The singles do have individual ID codes (at least as of Series 1) that allow you to tell what toy is inside, lightly embossed on the back of the card on the bottom-right, near the pull-up flap. Strangely, the code numbers have a hand-etched appearance rather than looking as thought they have been machine-applied. There are, however, more clearly stamped-on ID codes located under the pull-up flap.
Toys
As each individual toy can appear in multiple multi-packs, this section is... a little more complicated than most. For each Series, we'll first list a complete roster of characters, broken down by their "tribes", then a listing of the individual packages and their contents.
Series 1
- Character roster
| Backpack Bunch | Greaser Gang | Jock Squad | The Lost Bots |  | ||||
| Shed Heads | Sugar Shocks | Techie Team | Toilet Troop |
- Packages
Blind Bag Mystery Figures
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Series "1"
This series was revealed via Hasbro Australia's website[1] and is currently a bit of a mystery. It includes "color change" bots with heat-sensitive paint, revealing splotches when warmed up.
- Character roster
Bakery Bytes
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Lawn League
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- Packages
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Notes
- Though the checklists "rank" the individual BotBots with one to three stars, these ratings do not consistently line up with relative rarity or anything. For example, while all 3-Star Bots in Series 1 only appear in a single multipack or in the one-per-case blindpack assortment, there are several other "one of a kind" Bots who are ranked as 2- or 1-Star.
- Promotional material for Series 1 shows two Bots who are not actually in Series 1, a baseball and a soccer ball.[2] It is possible they were moved to a later Series; the Hasbro website claims 190 characters will be released in 2019.
- All of the characters introduced thus far are entirely new, separate from any traditional "Generation 1" characters: a rarity in today's Transformers toy market. However, the European packaging uses the name "Techo-bots" for the French translation, which is an inadvertent nod to Generation 1.
- On that note, many characters have Autobot symbols on them, plus one Decepticon symbol. However, it does not appear that this is meant to indicate factional allegiance... but in-universe marketing. Absolutely no mention of the Autobots, Decepticons, Cybertron, or the like is made in the promotional materials, only "energon". Skillz Punk has both faction symbols on him, in the context of being a cartridge for an "Autobots vs Decepticons" video game. It looks like in this universe, "Autobots" and "Decepticons" are... well, intellectual property used to advertise products. Meta!
External links
- Page on the Transformers website
- Google Spreadsheet of all BotBots pack contents including "minimum buy" for a complete set
