![]() So they come out in 1983 which is one year prior to Transformers and kids like me go nuts. So this was another thing they came up with before Hasbro introduced the Autobots and Decepticons and Tonka would also give each character a name, something they never had in Japan. The earliest packaging would first call them “Friendly” or “Enemy” which was a little too vague in conveying real identities. The also came up with a clear division between the robots splitting them into the Good Guardians and the evil Renegades. They weren’t just all dump trucks and backhoes there… They would introduce this concept before Transformers ever did but don’t get the credit for it. The Machine Robo hadn’t followed this concept so Tonka had the foresight to see it. There had always been giant robot toys like Voltron but Tonka made the decision to change them from just giant controlled robots to actual sentient beings with personalities. GoBots were actually released by toy truck making company Tonka in 1983. ![]() Machine Robo would still be a thing despite the GoBots being launched in North American and they came up with Revenge of Cronos as a way for their original brand to compete with the Transformers cartoon which launched in Japan in 1985. This backstory would be abandoned and instead, they used the story of the Revenge of Cronos. The beings who were able to escape and reach earth became Machine Robo while ones that remained trapped were mutated into the Devil Invaders. They came with stories telling how they were from the Romulus system and it was a system that had collapsed on itself. The Machine Robo had a bit of a backstory too. The Machine Robo is an interesting toyline as they are based on designs that were submitted by children. They weren’t big size wise like Transformers or the Diaclone robot line and were more the size of a Matchbox car. They were a line of transforming robots and were released in 1982. Popy was making toy figures that were named Machine Robo. They come from a company called Bandai who ran a division called Popy. Like Transformers the GoBots started out in Japan. Here’s the interesting story of the GoBots and you can keep reading or listen via the podcast The Early History Of The GoBots & The Machine Robo To many, they seemed like a cheap knock off but it was really just a matter of timing as they had set the stage for transforming alien robots. Hasbro would have a more aggressive marketing campaign and that created all the interest so that people started to divert attention away from the GoBots. Turns out they predated Transformers and were actually released beforehand. A lot of people didn’t however and the GoBots were always looked down as second class citizens. And I realized the two could exist together in the same universe. Though they debuted first they wouldn’t last as long. They added a cartoon show and movie and compete against the Transformers. The GoBots were a transforming toy robot line put out by Hasbro in 1983. The 1980s were a golden age of transforming alien robots, but this isn’t about the Transformers but the OTHER line of toys that always took second place
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