TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS on the Invention of the Transformers

Celebrating 100,000 subscribers with a return to the very beginning - from G.I. Joe to Henshin Cyborg, Microman to Micronauts, Diaclone to Micro Change, we look at the real-life history behind the invention of the Transformers!

Learn more about Microman and Diaclone at:

Tokyo Toy Show footage courtesy of:
Ronal Reagan speech footage courtesy of:

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

[ChrisMcFeely]

As everyone wants to know, I'll pin this post: the final image seen in this video is the cover of the guidebook, "Takara SF Land Evolution." Some of the other characters you can see in the art include White Leo and Big Serow from "Beastformers, " a TF-spinoff line Hasbro released as "Battle Beasts" (who'll get a video of their own one day!); Steel Jeeg, a 1970s anime super-robot created by Go Nagai, who Mego retooled and recoloured in black to create "Micronauts" villain Baron Karza; 1980s tokusatsu heroes Cybercop and Gridman, along with Gridman mecha God Zenon; and girl's action-figure/doll hybrid "Cool Girl."

[talljoke]

Sadly, the toyline was discontinued by a cosmically-powered Starscream.

[BBmetalhead]

“Before time began... there was Diaclone.”

[artbythecoco]

Jesus! I got sucked into this channel and just spent a ridiculous amount of the past week listening to an Irish dude with a weirdly charismatic voice fill my brain with Transformers trivia...
I regret nothing.

[zuttoaragi]

Who'd have thought that Transformers has roots all the way in the origin of action figures themselves

[neobluemax]

Cosmically powered Starcream did not offline diaclone or microman? I’m shocked! Congrats Chris. What an amazing series and lore archive that is exceptionally produced. Saturday mornings with Frosted Flakes and Transformers just like the 80s

[Fuzzy_Barbarian]

This video is weirdly well-timed, given that Dennis O'Neil just passed away.

I can't imagine Transformers without Optimus Prime, so it's good to know his legacy lives on in the Transformers franchise, as well as in other media.

[battleupsaber]

This is basically the Toys that Made Us, but way more detailed and without the dumb skits lol


Edit: Toys that Made Us does have many good interviews at least, so it wasn't all bad.

[benreilly]

In Dan Gilvezan's book Bumblebee and Me, he wrote that whoever came up with the idea of importing the Diaclone and Microchange lines and licensing them as Transformers should have a wing named after them at Hasbro HQ.
So where do you think the Harry Orenstein wing is?

[Lolxlol_]

This channel =
Every thing you need to know about transformers.

[twistedgaming]

I'm really glad Diaclone and Microman evolved into entities from Transformers. Takara not only made the best robot toys, they even revived the genre through their partnership with Sunrise! Never judge a toy by its size. It can be more than meets the eye...

[ghidotheone]

I’ve heard this story told a million times, but it will never fail to be interesting, especially when it’s narrated by you!

[HERITAGE]

Kinda appropriate that this episode lands so close to Denny ó Neil's passing.
I'm surprised his naming of optimus prime wasn't lauded more in the press. Yes he's more known for his batman work but that acclaim is up there with naming captain America or the like in terms of pop cultural influence .
Rip man.

And great vid Chris. Well done on the sub count

[tedchuckled]

“Hold on to your dreams, the future is built on dreams”

So bob is basically the original vector sigma?

[myriadmediamusings]

I love how, in typical TF fashion, they used the Diaclone name a few ways in the TF lore itself. From TFWiki, there’s Diac the Titan Master, a human named Dia, and DAIAKURON, a living planet who is the creator of Primus & Unicron in the TF VS GI Joe comic series.

On the subject of proto-Transformers itself, I first became aware of some of the basic details through Internet reviewer SFDebris and his miniseries “Rolling out the Transformers”. Also that one episode of the Toys that Made Us which seemed a little too disengenuois and tried too hard to act sarcastic & cool. Regardless though it’s still fascinating to watch the process of how Transformers came to be and that its story of its conception was more than meets the eye.

[ShinoSarna]

I love how comic history intersects with toy history. If it wasn't for Jim Shooter's infamously hands-on approach to editing, Danny O'Neil could've replaced Budiansky.

[Dai_Tallsian]

I gotta say that the relaunched Diaclone line is absolutely fantastic. I just wish it wasn't so expensive.

[Cole_Clawheart-Clips]

It still amazes me just how complex the history of “How the Transformers Toys Were Created” really is

[copperhead]

Much better than The Toys That Made Us' explanation.

[todddavis]

RIP Denny O'Neil, the man who named The Greatest Hero!
This episode, The basics on the Invention of the Transformers, deserves an Oscar! Your very best episode! Everything was perfect.
Til all are One!