Tonka GoBots



The original GoBots were the main competition for Hasbro's Transformers in the 1980s. Notably, their launch actually preceded that of the Transformers own, although they ultimately proved not to have the same level of lasting popularity.

Toyline
Premiering in 1984, Tonka's GoBots toys were mostly small, similar in size to Transformers' Mini Vehicles, although they were generally more complex than similarly-sized Transformers. After the line's initial success, a series of larger Super GoBots toys was also released, featuring both new characters and larger versions of some pre-existing toys. Tonka also released a number of supporting toys such as spaceships, bases, the monster "Zod", and later a set of combining "Power Suits" which GoBots figures could be placed into.

In 1991, Hasbro bought Tonka and its subsidiaries (including Kenner), and at that time acquired all of Tonka's intellectual property, including jurisdiction over GoBots-related names and trademarks. The rights relating to the toys that made up the GoBots line, however, are still owned by Bandai, who had merely licensed them to Tonka for GoBots'.

=Pre-GoBots= GoBots got its start as a Japanese toyline called Machine Robo which was created by Takara-competitor Bandai. Machine Robo toys were initially marketed in the United States under the name Machine Men by Bandai themselves, but the line didn't see widespread success until Tonka adapted the toyline into GoBots and created a new animated series for the brand, as well as an array of supporting merchandise such as coloring books, stickers, and even an official GoBots magazine.

(For Transformers fans, this situation is similar to how some Generation 1 Transformer molds were released by Takara in the Diakron toyline before their partnership with Hasbro began.)

=International= Besides distributing them in the United States as Machine Men, Bandai also sold the Machine Robo toys in other non-Asian countries before their partnership with Tonka began. Bandai appeared to retain the international marketing rights to the series following the change to GoBots, and so adapted their international toylines when the line was rebranded.

In Europe, where the toyline began as Robo Machine, the packaging changed over a period of time to reflect Tonka's developments, eventually touting iself as Challenge of the GoBots: a Robo Machine product. In Australia, however, the toyline began with the Machine Men title, which it evidently retained even after the rebranding in the United States.

=Cartoon= The cartoon, called Challenge of the GoBots, was produced in the United States by Hanna-Barbara. It aired in some markets outside the US (possibly just Australia) with the title Challenge of the Machine Men.

The cartoon focused on the interstellar struggle between the friendly Guardian GoBots, led by Leader-1, and their enemies, the Renegade GoBots, commanded by Cy-Kill.

In addition to the leaders, the main GoBot cast included Turbo (a rough-and-tumble Guardian), Scooter (a cowardly young Guardian), Crasher (a cackling Renegade madwoman), and Cop-Tur (a thuggish Renegade). The series was rounded out with human allies and enemies, along with various GoBot guest stars and other aliens.

Of note is the fact that though their tagline was "Mighty Robots, Mighty Vehicles", the cartoon supported the background material established by the toyline's first minicomic, wherein the GoBots were not true robots but rather alien cyborgs. The GoBots began as a race of alien humans who slowly learned to replace their organic parts with mechanical ones.

The GoBots appeared in one theatrically released film, Challenge Of The GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords, where they met the Rock Lords, a spinoff line Tonka was launching involving alien humanoids that transformed into rocks. (Yes, rocks. No, they must not have seen Big. Or It's The Great Pumpkin; Charlie Brown.)

=Impact on Transformers= Following Hasbro's acquisition of Tonka and Kenner, the GoBots universe has largely remained idle - with some notable exceptions.


 * Hasbro first put the newly acquired trademark to use on the G2 Color-Changer figure Gobots in 1993, then again (albeit in hyphenated form) on a G2 subline titled Go-Bots in 1995.


 * The most prominent GoBots-specific reference, beyond use of the brand name itself, came in the form of the Armada Mini-Con Leader-1, who was under the control of Megatron and shares his name with the leader of the heroic Guardian GoBots.


 * At one point, Unicron's Mini-Con Dead End was going to be called "Gobotron", in reference to the home planet of the GoBots. The idea, however, was ultimately discarded.


 * Unexpectedly, the most direct usage of the GoBots characters in Transformers has come not from Hasbro, but Takara. As part of their e-Hobby line of collector toys, six redecoed Mini Vehicles were released as the "Dimensional Exploration/Experimentation Team G1 GoBots". The included Bio and Tech Spec card alludes to concepts and technology from Tonka GoBots fiction, with the toys themselves representing various GoBot characters. However, the individual character names were dropped just prior to release, making their official status somewhat blurry.


 * Several GoBots appear in the background in a number of Dreamwave Transformers comics as visual jokes.


 * In the third volume of G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers, Cobra Commander refers to the Autobots as "glorified Go-Bots".