Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)
Robots in Disguise is a Transformers franchise that launched in the US in 2001. The franchise had previously been released in Japan under the name Car Robots. Hasbro had no involvement in the development of the Car Robots toyline or cartoon, but marketed the Robots In Disguise line internationally after Car Robots had ended. This involved dubbing the Car Robots cartoon into English.
Hasbro also added a significant number of toys to Robots In Disguise that had not been part of Car Robots, although they also left out the toy incarnation of Brave Maximus (due to failure to pass safety testing), who in the dubbed cartoon was named Fortress Maximus.
Robots in Disguise was intended as a low-cost, minimal-work "filler" line that would allow Hasbro and Takara the time needed to completely shift gears from previous series and begin the process of working together on a level they had not previously for the next line, and re-thinking their design and play-pattern aims for the toys as well. This turned out to be a boon; Robots in Disguise did remarkably well for Hasbro (Car Robots for Takara... not so much), and the following line did even better.
To this day, many people still refer to the Car Robots line as Transformers 2000. However, the series was never officially named as such; it's possible this was a working title at one point, but proof has yet to be found.
The Robots in Disguise franchise featured the following primary components:
