Robotman, was an extremely revolutionary item in the toy industry of the 1970's. Created by Takara in 1975 and marketed in Japan as part of the Microman line, it was one of the first 'transforming' robot toys. A cockpit in his chest allowed a single Microman figure to ride inside while the 14" motorized giant marched toward it's enemies. Robotman could also be taken apart and turned into various vehicles and modes.
In 1976, the American toy company Mego acquired the license to sell the Microman toy line under their own brand name, the Micronauts. Robotman was one of the figures included in the 1976 Micronauts line-up, however his name was changed to Biotron, which in my opinion sounds a hell of a lot better than the ultra generic Japanese name, Robotman.
Since both Takara and Mego were advertising their own versions of the toy at roughly the same time, it's interesting to see the original television commercials and compare how differently they advertised the exact same thing.
Which one makes your inner child burst with excitement?
1976 Mego (USA)
1975 Takara (JAPAN)
. . .
"ROBOTOMAAAN!!"
Always been fond of anything that transforms both biological and mechanical - in anime or in toy form. Replay value is a key element and variety gets it.
ReplyDeleteRobotman/Biotron definitely has a lot of replay value ...and he looks awesome as hell.
DeleteAh Toy Bastard I am liking the thrust of your website! The way they demonstrate the toy is so similar but Lobotuman kicks seven shades of shit out of Biotron, just because he has a lunar landscape and dares to throw a boulder. Having said that, the Mego kids’ 70s hairstyles are not to be missed. To be fair, Mego were fettered by US advertising standards which stipulated they could not animate the toy for fear that people would really think it was alive.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ben! You are right, Robotman is a boulder throwing badass!!
DeleteI really liked the US ad's portrayal of how many variations the robot could be and how I get multiple vehicles, and the demonstrations for them. The Japan ad however fueled the imagination more, so as many have already said, I would give a leg up on Japan's ad.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
Delete