It's hard to believe in this age of franchise toys galore, but the Transformers began their career as Japanese toys, vehicles that transformed into robots. Produced by Takara Tomy (Japan) and Hasbro (USA) in the 1980s, these toys were a great success and it was soon decided to give Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron their own stories.

From toy to screen

As soon as the toys created by Japanese designer Shoji Kawamori were launched, scriptwriters (Jim Shooter and Denny O'Neill) were given the task of creating a world in which the Transformers would evolve. The Transformers were divided into two opposing factions, the friendly Autobots and the nasty Decepticons. They originate from the planet Cybertron.