Transforming robots

A transforming robot is a robot that can change to take the appearance or form of another object. This type of robot was a very popular toy concept in the 1980s; such toy robots could morph to resemble everyday objects, machines, or animals, and vice versa.

Toylines that used this concept include:

• Transformers (by Hasbro and Takara Tomy), a very popular franchise with two robot factions that fought against each other. The robots could transform into a wide range of things, from insects to airplanes.
• Gobots and Machine Robo (Tonka, Bandai), mostly die-cast toy robots that could transform into machines like cars, boats and airplanes.
• Rock Lords (Tonka, Bandai), robots that could transform into rocks.
• NEO Shifters (Mattel, Mega Brands), robots that could transform into flying spheres
• Changeables, or McRobots, an attempt by McDonald's to capitalize on the transforming robot boom. These robots could transform into company products such as french fries or hamburgers.
• Escaflowne Figures were incredibly popular in Japan in 2005. They changed from a humanoid into a dragon.
• Switch & Go Dinos by (VTech), vehicles which transform into dinosaurs.
• Diarobo (ダイヤロボ) by (Agatsuma Ltd), Road vehicles changed into humans, animals and dinosaurs.
• The variable fighter from the popular Macross franchise.