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'''Pokeformers''' is a derogatory term often used to refer to the [[Armada (toyline)|''Armada'' toyline]] or its accompanying fiction by members of the Transformers fandom who weren't particularly fond of the series. The term is a [[wikipedia:portmanteau|portmanteau]] of the terms "[[Wikipedia:Pokémon|Pokémon]]" and "Transformers". |
'''Pokeformers''' is a derogatory term often used to refer to the [[Armada (toyline)|''Armada'' toyline]] or its accompanying fiction by members of the Transformers fandom who weren't particularly fond of the series. The term is a [[wikipedia:portmanteau|portmanteau]] of the terms "[[Wikipedia:Pokémon|Pokémon]]" and "Transformers". |
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| − | Fans began referring to ''Armada'' as "Pokeformers" because the ''whole premise'' of the ''entire show'' is collect as many of those stupid little [[Mini-Con]]s as possible, which is |
+ | Fans began referring to ''Armada'' as "Pokeformers" because the ''whole premise'' of the ''entire show'' is collect as many of those stupid little [[Mini-Con]]s as possible, which is a rip-off of "Gotta catch 'em all!" from the ''Pokémon'' show. |
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Yeah. |
Yeah. |
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Revision as of 02:06, 31 December 2007
Pokeformers is a derogatory term often used to refer to the Armada toyline or its accompanying fiction by members of the Transformers fandom who weren't particularly fond of the series. The term is a portmanteau of the terms "Pokémon" and "Transformers".
Fans began referring to Armada as "Pokeformers" because the whole premise of the entire show is collect as many of those stupid little Mini-Cons as possible, which is a rip-off of "Gotta catch 'em all!" from the Pokémon show. Yeah.
Grab 'em while they're hot!
The comparison between the two series is of some limited merit, though. The Pokémon age bracket is the same as the majority of the Transformers-buying age group (pre-teens), and Hasbro quite deliberately aimed to get their attention with the comparatively cute Mini-Cons. (Clearly, it worked, as kids bought them like they were buttered crack. Hasbro representatives at BotCon 2004 admitted that the Mini-Cons were far more popular with kids than they'd anticipated.) In regards to the attached fiction, many early Armada episodes were driven by the search for Mini-Con storage panels (though the focus shifted pretty dramatically away from that about halfway through the series.) The show brought some quasi-anime aspects to Transformers, mirroring the style's predominant popularity at the time in the US (though this was hardly unprecedented). And like the titular Pokémon, the Mini-Cons are small, adorable, surprisingly powerful in combat, somewhat slavishly bound to their "owners", and given a rather limited range of linguistic expression (though this was not an entirely new concept, either.)
Many of these comparisons apply primarily to the cartoon series. In the comics, Mini-Cons were every bit as verbose and articulate as their larger brethren. The comics furthermore did not play up the search for Mini-Cons nearly so much as the cartoon; the Mini-Cons were more akin to fugitives on the run than hapless objects to be collected.
It could be fairly stated that both Pokémon and Armada both simply tapped into a tried and true marketing approach to sell their product. Furthermore, Armada was far from the first to Transformers franchise to use the "Collect them all!" approach; it has been a common marketing theme of the Transformers brand (actually, every toy franchise) since its inception.
Meanwhile
This happened. Thank you, Japan.