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I feel like Bob Budiansky is collectively our dad and he's always disappointed in us. That's just what his face says.



Meanwhile, Peter Cullen is everyone's awesome uncle that shows up once or twice a year with cool stories and presents.

BumbleDouche wrote:Should be interesting, if only to hear how one pronounces "Yzquierdo"

LOL! It's pronounced "es - key - are - doe", or how I say it to people over the phone "the letter S, 'key' as in door key, the letter R, and 'dough' as in pizza doe (or 'doe' as in a female deer).

I am very excited to be a part of The Toys That Made Us. It looks like an amazing show for collectors and fans of these very cherished brands that have had such a huge impact on all of our lives and brought people together from all over the world. It was a really neat experience that I was originally very timid about. Can't wait to see this!

I'm excited for this, and Congrats again Ryan! I'm a bit confused on the "...sometime after the premiere" part though ... Netflix usually releases all its episodes of a particular series on the same day...Is this not the case with this series?

o.supreme wrote:I'm excited for this, and Congrats again Ryan! I'm a bit confused on the "...sometime after the premiere" part though ... Netflix usually releases all its episodes of a particular series on the same day...Is this not the case with this series?

They do, but as we were given no direct information on this, I wanted to err on the safer side.
It may very well be that all 8 episodes are released at the same time, of course.

I'm nervicited about seeing it! Hope I did well and represented the fan community well. The crew made me feel very comfortable. I was in the zone ... aka "Podcast Mode".

A handful of the crew there that day were from the group making the show, and the rest were hired local talent from the Chicagoland area who were manning cameras, setup, etc. I thought that was interesting. I would have figured they would have had a whole crew flying or driving around to different locations, which was probably more reasonable. Never gave that much thought to the behind-the-scenes of a documentary entertainment show like this before, so it surprised when I found that out.

By the end of the day, the host had really impressed me with his knowledge of the brand as well as how comfortable he made me feel. He even provided me with opportunities to correct myself if something was said in error or if I was tongue-tied. His level of education about the brand, specifically the behind-the-scenes stuff with Hasbro, Budiansky, and others, really impressed me. Even though I don't think he was a Transformers fans himself, he had definitely done his homework and research and wasn't reading off a script.

One of the hardest things to do when I was doing this was reusing the questions asked in my responses (i.e. "What's your favorite Transformers toy?" and then I'd have to say "My favorite Transformers toy is ..." instead of just the answer). It seems like it'd be easy to do, and maybe with some more practice it would be, but for my first time around it was a challenge, but I think I did pretty good with it. Sort of felt like a different version of Jeopardy at some point.

Is Brian a member here on Seibertron.com? Just wanted to say thanks to him! I'm quite flattered and very humbled by this. I really hope I represented the fandom well. Hopefully editing takes care of any issues. This is the first time I'll be seeing it! Fingers crossed!



(psst ... it's "say ber tron")

We have some more news about the upcoming Netflix documentary The Toys That Made Us, starting on December 22nd worldwide (wherever Netflix is present, we're told) - but only the first four episodes will be released on opening day! Each episode will last between 40 and 50 minutes, and focus on one of the eight franchises chosen by the show creators to illustrate the 1980s toys and their legacy to this day, from a predominantly US perspective.

The official Facebook page has uploaded a couple of shots to illustrate the series, in terms of items shown-off during the episodes and general promotion, and their official page over on Netflix has uploaded a trailer for the first half too, featuring Barbie, Masters of the Universe, GI Joe, and Star Wars. The other four, Lego, Hello Kitty, Star Trek and Transformers, will be released at a later date. Stay tuned to find out more - as we're obviously excited to have Seibertron himself feature in one of the episodes* in person!

Here's our latest official artwork! Fun fact: Both of these vehicles are from the personal collection of Brian Volk-Weiss, the creator of #TTTMU! Don't miss the first four episodes, out 12/22 on Netflix!

*yes, the Hello Kitty one.

boo! j/k....Well I am a little disappointed, but I've noticed Netflix doing this a little more lately with other shows. They enable people to "binge", and then are slowly taking that away from them. Well while I personally collected MOTU, I am excited for that one. I never collected SW or GI Joe toys, but am heavy into the lore...I guess they wanted to save the best for last

Just an educated guess which could be totally wrong, but I'll throw in my prediction for February to have the second round of 4 episodes available.

Have watched the first four episodes, yes, even the Barbie one, and have thoroughly enjoyed them.

Thanks to this show, I've now convinced my partner to let me get a Skeletor as I've never had one. Who knows what I'll be able to get once the Transformers episode airs.

Via the official Facebook page for The Toys That Made Us, the eight part documentary on the leading brands and franchises in the 1980s (mostly in the US, but somewhat globally too), we now have confirmation that the first four episodes have been released for streaming on Netflix!

As a reminder, the first half of the series focuses on Star Wars, Barbie, GI Joe and Masters of the Universe - Transformers will be part of the latter four episodes, to be released soon. Can't wait still? Take a look at both the trailer for the series, and some quick answers from show creator Brian Volk-Weiss about the rationale behind the interviews and features (focusing on the example of Optimus Prime), including the ones that led Seibertron himself into the show! Are you watching? Have you watched it? Let us know in the Energon Pub discussion boards!

Watched the first two episodes last night. We enjoyed the format and got our learn on. I was hoping for more in depth looks at various collections though. Still a very enjoyable fun documentary series and I can't wait for a peek at certain site owners collection!

Just watched the first one, Star Wars, and really liked it. I can tell this whole seres is gonna rum ta tum tum on my nostalgia drum. I played with all these toys in my youth. AND BEYOND. Even ol Barb when in a pinch.

Loved the Professor of The Sociology of Star Wars' spiel on the human need to touch or hold something physical that represents something intangible. He compared it to physical religious objects bringing people closer to their beliefs. Brought me comfort in a time I'm doubting my collecting habits.

Excited to watch more. Especially Transformers.

carytheone wrote:I was hoping for more in depth looks at various collections though.

Same, but when you stop and think about it, that's not what the series is about, it's the history of the toy lines. Seeing a collection (like Rancho Obi-Wan) is an added bonus.

Like that weird naked chick on the seat behind the former Mattel boss.

Burn wrote:Like that weird naked chick on the seat behind the former Mattel boss.

Yeah, no ****. We've been scratching our head trying to figure out just what the hell is that?

No but you're right, a history lesson was better than just a walk through someone's collection. It wasn't just a history lesson, but a how these things came to be and what it took to make them a reality.

I just literally finished episode 4. Good times. He-Man was great but all the GI Joe feels. I forgot just how deep I was in Joe.

Been a fun ride and I'm totally stoked for the rest... hurry up Netflix!

carytheone wrote:I just literally finished episode 4. Good times. He-Man was great but all the GI Joe feels. I forgot just how deep I was in Joe.

I don't know how big Joe was in Australia back then, I know I don't recall seeing them.

He-Man? Yeah, we had plenty of He-Man!

I think the best parts were how the designers came up with some of the figures, with a number of them being done through kitbashing!

Burn wrote:

carytheone wrote:I just literally finished episode 4. Good times. He-Man was great but all the GI Joe feels. I forgot just how deep I was in Joe.

I don't know how big Joe was in Australia back then, I know I don't recall seeing them.

I would think you guys would have more likely had Action Man, no?

'Cause, you know. G.I. Joe "A Real American Hero".

I watched the GI Joe one, I knew a lot about them, but I learned some stuff.

Cobotron wrote:

Burn wrote:

carytheone wrote:I just literally finished episode 4. Good times. He-Man was great but all the GI Joe feels. I forgot just how deep I was in Joe.

I don't know how big Joe was in Australia back then, I know I don't recall seeing them.

I would think you guys would have more likely had Action Man, no?

'Cause, you know. G.I. Joe "A Real American Hero".

Action Man (the greatest hero of them all), yes, but he was more a 90's thing.

I really can't recall seeing them in store around here. Star Wars, He-Man, Transformers definitely. My first real exposure to G.I. Joe was the Action Force comics that were backups to the Transformers UK comics.

Here's an interesting read, an interview with the creator.

https://www.inverse.com/article/39590-t ... -interview

I think the best part of the first four episodes was the milquetoast former Kenner lawyer.

carytheone wrote:

Burn wrote:Like that weird naked chick on the seat behind the former Mattel boss.

Yeah, no ****. We've been scratching our head trying to figure out just what the hell is that?

I finished the other 3 episodes, and saw what you guys are talking about. My best assessment of the "object" is that it appears to be, and I use the term loosely, "art".

Really enjoyed the whole series so far. Just cool and fun insight into all those toys I spent hours of my childhood free time pouring my imagination into. Neat insights into the industry too. The toy industry is so crazy cut throat!

And yeah Scotty, that Kenner lawyer was great!

Cobotron wrote:

carytheone wrote:

Burn wrote:Like that weird naked chick on the seat behind the former Mattel boss.

Yeah, no ****. We've been scratching our head trying to figure out just what the hell is that?

I finished the other 3 episodes, and saw what you guys are talking about. My best assessment of the "object" is that it appears to be, and I use the term loose, ly, "art".

Yeah I would assume art, but I also think it is supposed to be or look like the VP. I mean it's eye catching and someone wanted it in the background.

GI Joe was the best for me.

That lawyer was the real hero and I love how much he hated the new deal with Lucas, I mean he could barely even look at it

I really enjoyed the story about how Battle Cat came to be as well during the MotU episode. "F-- it, put a saddle on it."

Although what I feel like I learned about MotU is that some clueless dudes at Mattel, each of them a varying degree of terrible in some way, bs'd their way into the whole thing on accident. Fun to listen to the stories but none of those guys came across as someone I'd want to be friends with - although I do realize the producers could have made that happen on purpose through the magic of editing so don't take me too seriously/don't assume I'm just hatin' on MotU

ScottyP wrote:I really enjoyed the story about how Battle Cat came to be as well during the MotU episode. "F-- it, put a saddle on it."

Yeah! That was hilarious. And they did seem like a bunch of jerkies that fell bass ackwards into a pile of gold.

The MOTU episode really hit my feels. Around new years I'm headed back to Mom's house, and helping her start the arduous process of trimming down the stuff in her house in an effort to move her closer to me and my fam. On the To-Do list is, head to the attic and go through the toys that are up there. I'm really looking forward to reclaiming my MOTU collection now!

There's a shirt-ton of Joes up there too, but.... man, I have a tale of Joe toys that is just TLDR.