The Energon Pub

Jim Shooter has posted a very interesting blog detailing the secret origin of the Transformers. The story focuses on a company called Knickerbocker Toys who wanted to bring over a line of Japanese transforming robots called Mysterions and "approached Marvel Comics seeking development of a toy property for comics, animation, and other entertainment."

Hasbro eventually acquired Kickerbocker Toys and that was the end for the Mysterions. Here are a few excepts from the blog.

Some months later, the Hasbro exec who was Marvel’s main contact, Bob Prupis, came to my office. He pulled a few toy vehicles out of his bag and proceeded to open and unfold them into ROBOTS.

They were bigger and much more complex than the Mysterions. Different Japanese technology, same general idea.

Hasbro, he said, had the rights to the technology and toys based upon it. The problem, he said was story. He said that the Japanese storyline associated with the toys wasn’t useful. Japanese kids, apparently, don’t require much justification. Cars become robots, robots become cars. Well, of course they do. What do you mean, “why?”

As stated, the treatment was all new, unrelated to the Mysterions treatment. And, the only thing of Denny’s I kept, as I recall, was the name of the Autobots’ ship, “Auntie.” I have become convinced, also, that he named Optimus Prime. It’s not unlike a name I might come up with, but it’s very much in the style of the erudite Mister O’Neill, full of scope, dignity and power.

By the way, “Transformers,” “Autobots” and “Decepticons” came from Hasbro.

You can read part 1 of the blog here. Part 2 should be posted tomorrow.

Pretty sweet, I wonder if any of the Mysterions concepts or prototypes still exist in some form.

ill wait til part 2 is up so i can read it all at once but just from reading the excerpts looks like an interesting read

Cars become robots, robots become cars. Well, of course they do. What do you mean, “why?”

i thought that was pretty funny

That was briefly touched upon in the Vault.

Hasbro = Autobots

Mysterion = Decepticons

Hasbro VS Mysterion = Autobots VS Decepticons - Hasbro(Autobots) WIN !!!

Lolx. I dont really know what to say lol.

I remember reading about this story, not the blog here, but the actual story of how transformers were just a toy in japan, and a couple guys went over for ideas, came back an pitched these toys to hasbro, and transformers was born. I thought that might have been posted here years ago?
Why now? isnt this story just a bit old, or should I say, not exactly a "Secret"?

I'm so excited to see Jim Shooter finally talking about this. If you love comics then this man is owed a debt. Everyone should read his blog especially what he has to say about Transformers.

Jim Shooter has updated his blog with the second part to The Secret Origin of the Transformers. This installment covers the Marvel and Sunbow involvement. You can read the blog here. Here are some teasers.

Sunbow’s creative efforts, as near as I could tell, consisted of removing our cover sheets from whatever we created and stapling on their cover sheets.

I pointed out that we had created G.I. JOE and TRANSFORMERS. DePatie said that we had NOTHING TO DO WITH TRANSFORMERS.

That took me by surprise. I had my Hasbro file with me. I pulled out my TRANSFORMERS treatment. I said I wrote this. HE CALLED ME A LIAR, insisted that SUNBOW had written that treatment, that Sunbow had done all the development. He got up and stormed out of the room.

Sunbow or the studio people changed the human protagonist’s name from Spike to Buster because, I was told, Spike was too aggressive and violent-sounding. What?

BeastProwl wrote:I remember reading about this story, not the blog here, but the actual story of how transformers were just a toy in japan, and a couple guys went over for ideas, came back an pitched these toys to hasbro, and transformers was born. I thought that might have been posted here years ago?
Why now? isnt this story just a bit old, or should I say, not exactly a "Secret"?

Shooter's blog always touches on old aspects of his tenure with Marvel. Seems he just got to Transformers in time for the new movie, that's all.

Well, that's certainly interesting. If anything it gives us more questions for the guys of Sunbow if they ever come back to Botcon.

Mysterions, huh?
*chinscratch*

BeastProwl wrote:I remember reading about this story, not the blog here, but the actual story of how transformers were just a toy in japan, and a couple guys went over for ideas, came back an pitched these toys to hasbro, and transformers was born. I thought that might have been posted here years ago?
Why now? isnt this story just a bit old, or should I say, not exactly a "Secret"?

I think we all know about the Hasbro trip to Japan, Diaclone, Microman, pitched to Hasbro execs in the USA, etc, etc, etc. What we didn't know was the development and behind the scenes stuff that took it from Japanese toy line to one of the biggest toy and cartoon lines in the US.