Hasbro‘s Transformers have been offering kids and collectors fun that’s “more than meets the eye” since 1984. Though the line is best known for the epic battles waged between the heroic Autobots and villainous Decepticons in their Earthly, vehicular forms, there have been some offshoots. Over the years, the Transformers have spawned Beast Wars (animals), Insecticons (bugs), Dinobots (prehistoric creatures), and more.
In the Transformers lore, an alternate mode (usually called an “alt-mode”) is any form that a Cybertronian robot takes on that isn’t its standard bot mode. It can get confusing at times, especially when characters have multiple modes (shout-out to Astrotrain), but also pretty fun. Fun is what Transformers BotBots are all about, and with this new micro-collectible range, kids can play with robots that transform into everyday objects.
BotBots posits an alternate storyline in which “a cloud of Energon” descends upon a shopping mall, giving “robot life” to random objects from every department in every store. These robots quickly divide themselves into tribes, such as Spoiled Rottens (food), Lost Bots (random items), the Techie Team (electronics), the Jock Squad (sporting goods), and so on. The BotBots story opens up the world of Transformers to a younger — and perhaps different — audience who may not have been interested in the toys before now. BotBots tick the boxes of what many kids are into today: micro collectibles, surprise toys, unboxings, and more.
With their cartoon-inspired look, fun designs, and small size, hundreds of BotBots characters are available for kids to swap and trade with friends.
Series three introduces new tribes, such as the Playroom Posse (toys), Goo-Goo Groupies (baby products), Arcade Renegades (video games), Fresh Squeezes (fruit), and my personal favorite: Season Greeters (holidays).
Adding to the collectibility and rarity of the characters, some of the BotBots are short-packed, and like the Beanie Babies of years past, many of them get retired. The Shed Heads (lawn and garden), Backpack Bunch (random school stuff) and Techie Team have returned to Cyberton as Hasbro looks ahead to series four: The Goldrush Games.
Since their debut last year, Transformers BotBots have been a big hit in our house, particularly with our 7-year-old daughter. The similarity in size and shape to other micro-collectibles, such as Shopkins, was an immediate hook, and because they’re so small, kids can keep a large collection in a small space. The playability is also excellent in that these do really transform in just a few simple steps. Kids can easily toss a few in their pockets to take along in the car, to school, or wherever adventure is allowed.
Transformers BotBots are available in single blind packs or in multipacks that pair one surprise BotBot with the ones you can see in the package.
