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I recently got into a discussion with a fellow transfan friend about G1. According to her G1 was the worst selling Transformers line. I have my doubts and I think she may have said that because she dislikes the G1 line. I will say however that I know nothing of how well the lines sold. Anyone have any facts or figures to let me know if this was the case?

It would also be great to see how well each of the lines sell.


Thanks in advance my fellow Seibertronians

Your friend is very mistaken here, until the 2007 Transformers movie line, G1 was the top selling Transformers line. Followed by Beast Wars. The worst selling Transformers line money wise was and still is Beast Machines. So I would say she only says that because as you said, she hates G1. If I were you, I would remind her that if it was not for the success of G1, we would never have gotten all the following Transformers toy line. G1 is the legacy of all current incarnations of Transformers

Thanks, ive also been looking around but cant find any data

What had she been smoking and where can I buy that stuff?

G1 lasted for a really long time: 6-7 years compared to only 1-2 years per line today. The length of the line alone contributed to the total amount of sales, but on a year-by-year basis compared to now, G1 is actually inferior when it comes to product amounts and their shelf lives.

It's true we've had major resurgences with Beast Wars, Armada and the first Movie, and there's hardly any doubt the Movie smashed sales records to bits. But to base sales on overall popularity of a line alone would be jumping to conclusions. Especially since a series can be popular without good toy sales.

Not saying that G1 did badly, on the contrary. I'm simply saying that comparing 1984 with 2012 is like comparing apples and oranges.

What JZGR said! That and the OP's "lady" friend must be biased against G1......and unless there is direct empirical data to support her statement and factoring inflation...........we'll never know what indeed was the best/worst selling line.

If i may be so bold as to imply that "G2" could be the worst selling line?

This is coming from a dude who was there in front of the T.V in 84 watching the original series air at the ripe age of 6 years old. Be present to witness and experience the global phenomenon called Transformers take the world by storm and carry out too become a feature length major motion picture two years later. Than continue to stick around till around 88 or so but by then had split the "scene" to pursue other interests. Kids do have a short attention span.

Then puberty had begun to take control and I had switched gears to join in the hot pursuit of sex,drugs and rock'n'roll.

With that being said and in the context of my personal experience. I had lost ALL interest in the franchise till Beast Wars arrived in the mid 90's. It had resurrected a forgotten childhood passion with an unexpected reboot of the TF concept but with a competent story line that was worth tuning into bi-weekly and was worthy of respect.

But i reckon that dark period from 88 or so till Beast Wars had come along is the time that most folks(target market i.e children) had lost interest and had succumbed to those throbbing biological urges brought on by puberty and had left the franchise in the "dark ages" (that i surmise) known as G2.

So in conclusion. I hypothesize that G2 is the worst selling line.

I pose an interesting question, now that the original has been effectively answered.

WHICH G1 line/sub-line did the most poorly? I'm basically talking by year, which group did the worst. And by group, I mean the likes of: Throttlebots, Scramble city combiners, micro masters, etc.

RAcast wrote:I pose an interesting question, now that the original has been effectively answered.

WHICH G1 line/sub-line did the most poorly? I'm basically talking by year, which group did the worst. And by group, I mean the likes of: Throttlebots, Scramble city combiners, micro masters, etc.

Headmasters was the tail end for me. But i propose the Pretender line could be construed as a failure. That was after my time though.
The very last TF's i owned before i moved on was Scorponok and SnapDragon. SO for me it died at Headmasters. But for the die hards i would suspect Pretenders was the last gasp.

RAcast wrote:I pose an interesting question, now that the original has been effectively answered.

WHICH G1 line/sub-line did the most poorly? I'm basically talking by year, which group did the worst. And by group, I mean the likes of: Throttlebots, Scramble city combiners, micro masters, etc.

Action Masters ... seriously. Transformers that don't transform? Who would want to buy that crap?