10 things Mattel's Shogun Warriors did in the 1970s before or better than Hasbro's Transformers did in the 1980s (but just the first five)

During the eight year period from 1977 to 1985 many US toy companies tried rebranding and importing existing toy robot lines from Japan. Sometimes even the Japanese companies themselves would open US divisions and give it a shot. The idea seemed very cost effective and mutually beneficial for the importers and the Japanese companies who made the toys, but it wasn't as easy as it seemed! The US market was a tough nut to crack and different companies took different approaches toward bringing their Japanese robots to the US market. While Hasbro deserves much credit for showing the world how to market toy robot Volkswagens and their transforming dinosaur cohorts, it was Mattel's Shogun Warriors that really laid down the blueprint for how to import toy robots from Japan almost a decade earlier.

Japanese toy robots had to be adapted to the American audience for a variety of reasons including safety concerns and cultural differences. How much they were changed from their Japanese origins tells a lot about their US distributors' approach. At first it may seem that there were no two greater differing approaches than what Mattel did with Shogun Warriors and what Hasbro did with the Transformers. In the 70s there was a great globalization of Japanese culture and Mattel chose to preserve much of the Japanese nature of the Shogun toys, only slightly romanizing their character names and even leaving Japanese language stickers on the robots. The 80s would be a different age when Hasbro on the other hand discarded all of the existing positioning and rationale Takara established for Microman and Diaclone and redefined those lines from the ground up. In fact the Shogun Warriors and Transformers lines seem very dissimilar, especially since toy technology was not as sophisticated in the 70s as it was in the 80s. Yet beyond being products of their times, these two were the most popular toy robots lines of their respective decades and when I looked closer I found they had more, much more in common than I first thought.

As I was writing my chronology of release for Mattel's Shogun Warriors posts I noticed many synchronicities in marketing tactics and product development between the Shogun Warriors and the first 2 years or so of the Transformers. Some things Mattel did with the Shogun Warriors 30 years ago are even being repeated by Hasbro in modern times. Now one could argue that toy robots are toy robots and there's only so many ways you can sell them, but there just aren't as many similarities between these two and other '70s and '80s robot based lines like Micronauts, Starriors, Zoids or even GoDaiKin which in part was a reintroduction of the toys the Shogun Warriors were based on by the Japanese company that had a hand in originally creating them.

Here then is my list of ten concepts or techniques in the US distribution and marketing of Japanese robots Mattel pioneered starting in '77 with the Shogun Warriors that would be echoed by Hasbro years or even decades later. We'll also play America's favorite new toy robots game show "BEST/FIRST!" where I weigh in on which line I thought executed what concept best! Of course Shogun Warriors were first, but were they also best? Is it best to be first, or best to be best? LET'S PLAY BEST/FIRST!

1) MORE THAN MEETS THE SIZE-If you browse the Transformers section of the toy aisles today you'll see many of the same characters in multiple different sizes. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron can usually be guaranteed several different incarnations all available simultaneously. While Hasbro has only recently been multi-sizing their robots since around 2002, Mattel pioneered the marketing of the same robot characters at different sizes and price points. Great Mazinga, Dragun and Gaiking were all available in 3 inch, 5 inch and 23 1/2 inch scales by 1978. Originally Hasbro stuck with different characters at different size classes for the '84 introduction of the Transformers line and it wasn't until the line finished in 1990 that multiple Optimus Primes, Bumblebees and Megatrons could be assembled from the combined previous years' releases. I'd have to give this one to the Shogun Warriors because while the Transformers did have the colossal 22 inch tall Fortress Maximus, Shogun Warriors had entire assortments of 23 1/2 inch tall robots! SHOGUN WARRIORS FIRST AND BEST!

2) COMBINING the ROBOTS (not literally)- It is well known that Hasbro put robot characters from different toylines together and united them in a new original story for the Transformers media tie-in books and cartoons. The Shogun Warriors were originally derived from Popy's Chogokin and Jumbo Machinder lines, which were in themselves compilations of robots from many different shows. Then in conjunction with Mattel, Marvel took the Shogun Warriors and put them together in their own comic, crafting new original stories with these robot superstars from Japan. The main difference here is that Hasbro licensed toys from a number of different Japanese toy manufacturers while Mattel stuck with Popy for the duration of the Shogun line. Based on the star power of the characters after their US debut I'd give this one to Hasbro. The Shoguns may have already been popular in Japan but only Godzilla gained any sort of US notoriety and while many of the toys that became Transformers were relative unknowns in Japan they skyrocketed in popularity after 1984 and many are household names to this day. TRANSFORMERS BEST!

3) COMBINING the ROBOTS (literally)- The six robot Construction team Devastator made the combining robot a superstar in 1985, but he was preceded years earlier by the U-Combine Shogun Warrior Combattra. The Constructicons had a slight engineering edge in that they were able to transform from construction vehicles into robots while the Combattra components were non-transforming spacecraft, but I'd side with awesome spaceships over bulldozers anyday. The Transformers did have Computron which was as close as they ever got to a sci-fi spaceships combiner, but the only ship I really liked there was Strafe. Combattra wins this one on the strength of the individual ships and the elegance of the combined robot's design. SHOGUN WARRIORS FIRST AND BEST!

4) TRANSFORMERING!- The Shogun Warriors introduced the transforming toy robot concept to the US with their Two-in-One subline and Raydeen is often acknowledged as the world's first true self-contained transforming toy robot. Raydeen's bird alt mode may have been very weak compared to what the average Autobot could do, but shouldn't inventing the genre trump turning into a Lamborghini? Nope! I gotta give this one to Hasbro! TRANSFORMERS BEST!

5) WE'LL MAKE MORE!- Mattel decided it needed to commission new designs to fill out the Shogun Warriors toyline just as Hasbro did when it ran out of Takara molds after the first two years of Transformers. But Hasbro's post-Diaclone/Microman Transformers never quite captured the same magic as the earlier figures. Instead of messing with success, Mattel recreated the line in a smaller scale and birthed the Shogun Collector's Series which had many memorable additions not seen in other scales in the US like that robot from the Japanese Spider-Man show and Grendizer! Transformers got Wheelie and the Throttlebots. SHOGUN WARRIORS FIRST AND BEST!

NEXT TIME ON BEST/FIRST: The DIE is CAST, then SHOT across the ROOM!

Return of Return of No Weblog for Old Robots Week: THE AMAZING CONCLUSION!!

Well this wraps up the second annual No Weblog for Old Robots Week (which ended up being 2 weeks long). To celebrate I present three colossal incredible non-robot celebrity guest appearance ads all in a row without interruption. Consider this a flourish of extravagance like the big finale to a fireworks show or a really horrific crash landing with Carlo Forenza. So go grab your copy of Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA (or at least hum it) as we bring No Weblog for Old Robots Week 2009 to its star studded celebrity conclusion!

HE-MAN AT SKAGGS ALPHA BETA 19 OCTOBER 1983


HE-MAN AND JAYNE KENNEDY AT TOWER VIDEO 09 DECEMBER 1983


CARLO FORENZA AT PLAYWORLD 25 OCTOBER 1984

How R2-D2 is an important part of this balanced breakfast

As I was researching various cable providers I noticed a lot of them refer to their products as satisfying their customers' "entertainment needs". I don't really think entertainment is a need-my body doesn't need entertainment to live-but I do feel I've grown up conditioned to expect music in the air and moving pictures on screens wherever I go.

The menu for 12/11/77

Maybe the cable companies should reword their pitches to replace "entertainment needs" with "entertainment expectations". Or maybe I'm just uncomfortable with how right they really are. Considering how freaked out I get by absolute silence maybe it should read "entertainment addictions".

TV IS MY DINNER

If there is an entertainment component to a healthy mind and body then is there an entertainment food pyramid? If we truly have entertainment needs then is there a certain way to ensure they are met just as there is a certain way to eat right? as Surgeon General Entretenimiento of the Kingdom of Macrocrania I think I've found just that parallel. At the bottom of the entertainment pyramid is pure entertainment. This is entertainment that comes from being entertained firsthand. Pure entertainment is experiencing a concert or seeing a movie or watching a play or reading books. Pure entertainment is the meat and potatoes of the entertainment pyramid. You need as much of it as possible. Then there is a secondary level of entertainment that comes from discussing that which entertained you with others who were also entertained. Conversation about entertainment with other people is like candy and snacks-you can't have too much of it or it gives you high blood pressure. (Some people are sort of weirdos with crazy ideas if you know what I mean.)

PODCASTS ARE JUNK FOOD IN A WELL BALANCED DIET OF ENTERTAINMENT NUTRITION AND I'M REALLY REALLY BLOATED

The last entertainment is the most bad for you as it lacks purity or interactivity-it's passively listening or reading other people talking about entertainment without participating yourself. They could be talking about entertainments I've never even experienced or care about. I call this non-interactive meta engagement. This is pretty much what I do as a podcast listener, message board lurker or reader of any sort of review and it's dangerous because I feel like I'm being entertained but the entertainment is several degrees removed. It's empty entertainment calories. There are even risks like those associated with bad eating habits. Too much exposure to other people's entertainment opinions exposes me to the danger of being ruined by spoilers or bad reviews that could affect my attitude about a movie or show before I experience it. The problem is I'm addicted to this behavior even though it's bad for me. I now know so much about certain movies and comics I've never seen that I have no willingness to see them. It's like not eating salted fermented squid butts because I overheard somebody talking about what they taste like, and just because that guy hated them I'm losing out on the nutritional entertainment value of salted fermented squid butts. I think you can tell where I'm going here. GI Joe movie = salted fermented squid butts

FEED ME, OBI WAN KENOBI. YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE

09/24/09

The other night for my wife's birthday we went to go see the Disney Princesses on ice show and holy hell was that like being force fed fried chupacabra nards. But I was smart and I smuggled in a copy of the weekly entertainment tabloid newspaper to read and I found something to chew on. I may be deficient in vitamin R2-D2 but there's going to be a stop in Miami on the Star Wars in Concert tour. I didn't think they were coming here because it wasn't on the list at their website so I got excited. Attending this will be like a four course Thanksgiving feast served by C-3PO himself. Star Wars concert-it won't just be good, it'll be good FOR me.

We can't all see Rob Thomas: How I survived my wife's fantastic birthday thanks to the winning combination of bad luck, jealousy and mucho bit torrent

Right in the middle of moving into the new place and during all the commotion of unpacking 400 boxes of aggravation and robots my wife had to go and have her birthday this week. Usually I would welcome the pressure of trying to make it special with presents and crap but this is not a good time during all the upheaval, stress and chaos of the move. Plus in our current situation she's the one with the job so anything I "buy" for her is technically her buying herself something with her own money, except I'm the surrogate handing it to the cashier. I didn't know what to do that could possibly be special or exciting. Then blessed misfortune stepped in and ruined my day in a lucky way. Last month we got 2 tickets to a Rob Thomas concert that's happening tonight but we couldn't get a babysitter. My wife wanted to just get rid of both tickets but I told her not to, instead we kept one so she could go to dinner and the concert with a girlfriend of hers from work while I stayed home. The Queen of Macrocrania ended up extremely grateful and I end up smelling like roses, taking one for the team and giving her the gift of Rob Thomas.

ToysRUs 11/21/86

It sounds like it'll all turn out fantastic and this'll be one of her best birthdays ever except for one small detail-I am ten billion times the Rob Thomas fan she is and she never would have heard of him if it weren't for me and half the time she doesn't even know it's him when the radio's playing Matchbox 20 and it all really pisses me off and I'm really disappointed at not being able to go. Not only am I jobless but now I am Rob-less. Now that I think about it, we need to get groceries so I am also corn on the cob-less and ever since I sold off my GI Joes I am Snow Job-less. Also, tres miserables!

WINNING THE LOTTERY IS STILL NOT USEFUL AS CELEBRITY MIND CONTROL

Accepting that I did not have the power to overthrow Rob Thomas' brain and take over his life by displacing his soul in his own body was very therapeutic for me. I'd always put that guy up on a pedestal and it was painful but I accepted I couldn't be him a long time ago. I was always kinda hoping I could at least see him in concert, though. Maybe life is trying to tell me that the road to happiness runs not through Rob Thomas' cerebellum but a lot lower. As in I need to get crappier heroes. It reminds me of this Toys R Us ad from 21 November 1986. Toys R Us knew your heroes should be furrier than you. I should have been looking up to Garfield the slob and Snoopy the dog suffering from World War II post traumatic stress disorder and that Pound Puppy guy on doggy death row. With depressed and insane heroes like that who needs self confidence? I guess if I grew up worshiping Pound Puppies I'd probably get bouts of low self opinion when my wife went to the dog pound and I'd be finding reasons to wish I was one of the animals. I could hear myself now thinking, 'Man those dogs may not have a real home and they may be sentenced to death but they're probably all better than me in that they are not lactose intolerant'.

THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL IS LEARNING TO LOVE YOUR FAILURE

So on this night when I celebrate every wrong decision I have made in life that has led me up to this point I think I will turn to the ol' standby, that opiate of the masses, that secret weapon against mental breakdown, that trump card in the game of life-BitTorrent. While my wife is away I'll download a bunch of japanimations and watch them while she's out listening with all those countless other posers to songs Rob wrote for me and me alone! Songs about my life, like that one called "Bent" that he could only have written knowing the pain of getting a dent in the plastic bubble of a carded G2 Stunticon. Somehow with the help of Bram Cohen, Tranzor-Z and several gallons of Mountain Dew I will make it through this night and emerge triumphant and know a success that all the neurotypicals who go to Rob Thomas concerts will never know. I will have the strength of character that can only come from staying at home while everyone else is at the Hard Rock watching Rob Thomas sing about my life while I am watching Japanimation toy robots cartoon marathons alone! I will turn this thing around! I will unbend that which is bent! I will free all the lactose tolerant Pound Puppies of pessimism from the dog pound of discontent that is my mind! I will make being a loser my greatest strength! GODDAMNIT I WILL FIND A BABYSITTER NEXT TIME!

Return of Return of No Weblog for Old Robots Week Part 3: Force your frown upside down

The move into our new residence has consumed my life and because of all the unpacking there's still no time to write my usual 900 word dissertations on 25 year old toy robot Volkswagens and their transforming dinosaur cohorts. So in place of my regular robot ramblings here's a couple quick sentences about some other ads not featuring guys whose names end in "tron" or "troid".

One of my favorite ads of all time is this cover to the Lionel Playworld weekly circular from 12 November 1978. With this cover Playworld combined two celebration worthy events-the grand opening of some new stores and (perhaps even more momentous) the availability of Star Wars toys.



Star Wars was such a big deal back then that even a year and a half after its release people were excited about the toys. It is highly unlikely that Toys R Us or Wal-Mart or any retailer today would devote the front page of their holiday circular to any movie toyline, much less one for a movie that's over a year old. But 1978 was a long time ago in a very different retail galaxy far, far away. Star Wars toys weren't available in '77 when the movie hit and back then movies weren't released on home video within a few months of theatrical release like they are today. So people had to wait 9 months for the toys and forget about watching the movie at home. Heck, Star Wars wasn't on VHS until 1982 and even then it was only available as a rental. Imagine having to wait five years to own a copy of the biggest blockbuster movie of the summer! That's how we rolled when I was 8 years old.

Crashing into the volcano is easy-it's the unpacking that takes 4 million years

IS THIS:


a) A listing of wireless networks available in my neighborhood

b) Evidence that I have successfully set up and secured my internet router

c) Evidence to the neighborhood that the new guy down the street has internet and is a colossal robotard



IS THIS:


a) Proof my washer and dryer survived the 2,000 mile trip and the past three months in storage

b) Alpha Dry-on vs Washor "Rumble in the Tumble Cycle" Sears exclusive giftset

c) THEIR WAR MY SHORTS




IS THIS:


a) A scene from the first episode of the Transfromers cartoon

b) What my bedroom looked like in 1989 when I was 15 after 5 years of playing with Transformers

c) What my bedroom looks like now in 2009 when I'm 35 after 5 days of unpacking my collection of toy robots I broke all to hell by 1989

Return of Return of No Weblog for Old Robots Week Part 2: Sweepstakes from beyond and a long time ago...

The move into our new residence has consumed my life and because of all the unpacking there's still no time to write my usual 900 word dissertations on 25 year old toy robot Volkswagens and their transforming dinosaur cohorts. So in place of my regular robot ramblings here's a couple quick sentences about some other ads not featuring guys whose names end in "tron" or "troid".

There are generally three types of toy related marketing that catch my eye when I'm looking through old newspapers. The first and most common are straight up toy ads, then there's the announcements of store appearances by people in costumes (usually Darth Vader) and then there's my favorite-the contests and sweepstakes. These are usually raffle type affairs with fantastic grand prizes like trips to places and events of great significance to action figure archaeologists and Star Wars historians or just anyone who grew up in the 80s. Kids and their parents could win some of the most awesome prize packages if they just kept an eye out for these very rare and very cool contests. These next ads are for two of the greatest contests and sweepstakes I've ever seen in my searches of old newspapers-the Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars Sweepstakes and the Star Wars Comic Strip Contest.

The above ad for the Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars Sweepstakes ran in comics sections of Sunday newspapers on 18 November 1984. It served as both an ad for the toyline and an entry form for the drawing. The ad portion is just as campy as every other Secret Wars ad, with a rapping Doctor Doom and ironic Captain America bragging about having his own secrets while his shield clearly displays his unmasked face to Doom and the world.

But who cares because like the real Secret Wars, this was a contest! Just like in the comic the winners got whisked away to a strange alien land (Los Angeles) and were given all they desired but without the pain of having to slay their enemies for the Beyonder. There were 1,000 third place prizes, which was the entire 12 issue run of the Secret Wars comic. There were 100 second place Tower of Doom playset prizes and 25 first place prize winners got a collection of Secret Wars figures and vehicles. The incredible grand prize was a trip for a family of four to the Marvel Animation Studios in Los Angeles for a 6 days/5 nights all expenses paid stay including rental car, food, hotel and $500 spending money! This was the nice Marvel Studios building that Transformers story editor Bryce Malek YouTubed a couple months back, not the secondary one I visited during Botcon. And if all that weren't amazing enough, the winners also got to meet Spider-Man! If a genie showed up with a time machine and gave me a choice between winning the lottery tomorrow or winning this Secret Wars contest 25 years ago, I'd do like Doctor Doom and kick the genie's ass then take his time machine.

There are a couple great moments in human history it would have been incredible to observe in person-the sermon on the mound, the JFK assasination, the walk on the moon and the grand prize in this newspaper contest from 11 October 1979-the world premiere of The Empire Strikes Back. All you had to do to enter was write the newspaper and tell them you read the Star Wars comic strip. The runner up prizes were a mixed bag. Third prize was The Star Wars Question and Answer Book about Space which is probably the most uncollectable Star Wars thing ever but second place was "a special selection of Star Wars toys, games, craft kits and books worth $150" plus two tickets to see Empire Strikes Back at a local theater. Hopefully the second place prize wasn't 500 copies of The Star Wars Question and Answer Book about Space and the winner got a buttload of Boba Fett figures or something useful like that. The first place prize was an all expense paid weekend for two to the US premier of The Empire Strikes Back, the specific venue and date of which at the time of publication was unknown. Actually I've googled it and even with all this internet I can't figure out when or where Empire debuted in the US. I suppose it doesn't matter anyways unless you won or already lived in the city where the debut was, in which case the airplane ride wasn't necessary. The ad stated the first and second prizes were at the national level so I'm guessing this ran in papers across the country so theoretically you can check it out at your local library if you really like beating yourself up over not winning contests you never entered from 30 year old newspaper ads like I do.

Return of Return of No Weblog for Old Robots Week Part 1: If I had a (JC) penny for every time I've read this ad I'd be rich

The move into our new residence has consumed my life and because of all the unpacking there's still no time to write my usual 900 word dissertations on 25 year old toy robot Volkswagens and their transforming dinosaur cohorts. So in place of my regular robot ramblings here's a couple quick sentences about some other ads not featuring guys whose names end in "tron" or "troid".

The pages shown here are from what I consider the greatest (non-robot) newspaper toy ad of all time. They're from JC Penny's weekly circular printed the week of 24 November 1983 in the Los Angeles, California area. What makes it great is that not only is a whole page dedicated to each toyline but they wrote each page as if it were a comic, with the action figures doing the sales pitches! Usually the text in newspaper ads was limited to quoted product descriptions pulled straight from the toy manufacturers' promotional Toyfair catalogs. But the JC Penny ad writers went way above and beyond on this one, crafting short bits of dialogue from product descriptions for each line's figures to deliver in word balloons. What is also incredible is the ad's approach toward product illustration. Accurate line art is used but the artists drew fantasy settings for the background. It looks cartoony enough to pass as a comic but the renditions of the figures are pretty toy accurate. The resulting combination of toy illustration, comic book dialogue and product solicitation is the most blatant toy self-pimpery I've ever seen in any medium.

People who criticized the toy based cartoons of the 80s for being nothing more than program length commercials would have had heart attacks if they saw this. The shows' aim may have been to promote product but at least in the Masters of the Universe cartoon He-Man never was so shameless as to say "We have powerful weapons and strong armor! We'll get them for only $4.99 each"! And in Return of the Jedi no Ewok suddenly yelled out, "Gather the rebel forces! Only $2.99

each"! That's the beauty of this ad. It cannot be accused of being deceptive because it's an ad. No media watchdog groups or children's rights advocates could complain that JC Penny was trying to sell toys with their ads because JC Penny was supposed to try to sell toys with their ads. The comics, cartoons and movies couldn't get away with this level of toy whoring. GI Joe never told you that the other half of the battle was having $3.49 to buy each figure sold separately.

Unfortunately the ad didn't have writers as good as the ones from the comics, cartoons and movies. Canon and continuity give way to product promotion when JC Penny is doing the writing. He-Man bragging about how he's going to use the Attak Trak to take Castle Greyskull singlehandedly? Jabba the Hutt, Ewoks and Gammorean Guards speaking English? This is marketing run rampant and it helps me appreciate how much thought went into the writing of the cartoons and movies I grew up watching as a kid. I don't think the toy manufacturers would've created something like these ads if they could get away with it in the production of their media tie-ins. They really did care about entertaining me and making shows that were fun to watch and as unretarded as possible. JC Penny on the other hand only cared that I knew the Attak Trak was $16.99. I still like JC Penny because although their adfiction sucks, they're the only department store with their own Star Wars continuity.

RETURN OF NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK! PART 5: The force is strong in this children's bedding ensemble

I'll be busy this week moving into the Death Star after 3 months of living on a moisture farm in Tattooine. It's a good opportunity to do a second annual NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK. Except unlike last year when I put some effort into it, this time I'm just phoning it in. So enjoy this week's store appearances themed series of ads where various Floridian malls and marts from over 20 years ago rolled out the red carpet for a variety of guests hailing from Tatooine, Symbion, Eternia and wherever Donkey Kong comes from.

TODAY: JC Penny at Dadeland Mall in Miami hosts Darth Vader on October 28th, 1979. Awesome line of the ad: "Also meet BOBA FETT"!

RETURN OF NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK! PART 4: Somewhere in Florida, somewhere in time!

I'll be busy this week moving to the Shining Realm of Prosperon after 3 months of living in the Dark Domain of Synax. It's a good opportunity to do a second annual NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK. Except unlike last year when I put some effort into it, this time I'm just phoning it in. So enjoy this week's store appearances themed series of ads where various Floridian malls and marts from over 20 years ago rolled out the red carpet for a variety of guests hailing from Tatooine, Symbion, Eternia and wherever Donkey Kong comes from.

TODAY: Wilkor in Brandon, Florida hosts Dargon and Spidrax on October 2nd, 1985. Awesome line of the ad: "the battle is in your hands"!

RETURN OF NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK! PART 3: If only for a moment, the most powerful K-Mart in the universe

I'll be busy this week moving into the Palace of Eternia after 3 months of living in Castle Grayskull. It's a good opportunity to do a second annual NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK. Except unlike last year when I put some effort into it, this time I'm just phoning it in. So enjoy this week's store appearances themed series of ads where various Floridian malls and marts from over 20 years ago rolled out the red carpet for a variety of guests hailing from Tatooine, Symbion, Eternia and wherever Donkey Kong comes from.

TODAY: K-Mart in Temple Terrace, Florida hosts He-Man and Skeletor on October 9th, 1985. Awesome line of the ad: "ROBOTO"!

RETURN OF NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK! PART 2: Check out these monkey muscles!

I'll be busy this week moving to Hyrule Castle after 3 months of living on Death Mountain. It's a good opportunity to do a second annual NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK. Except unlike last year when I put some effort into it, this time I'm just phoning it in. So enjoy this week's store appearances themed series of ads where various Floridian malls and marts from over 20 years ago rolled out the red carpet for a variety of guests hailing from Tatooine, Symbion, Eternia and wherever Donkey Kong comes from.

TODAY: Beyond Personal Electronics hosts Donkey Kong on September 7th, 1984 at Coconut Grove in Miami. Awesome line of the ad: "he'll be giving away plenty of autographed pictures"!

RETURN OF NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK! PART 1: The Emperor is not as willing to shop at Lakeland Mall as I am

I'll be busy this week moving in to a house after 3 months of living in hotels. It's a good opportunity to do a second annual NO WEBLOG FOR OLD ROBOTS WEEK. Except unlike last year when I put some effort into it, this time I'm just phoning it in. So enjoy this week's store appearances themed series of ads where various Floridian malls and marts from over 20 years ago rolled out the red carpet for a variety of guests hailing from Tatooine, Symbion, Eternia and wherever Donkey Kong comes from.

TODAY: Lakeland Mall in Lakeland, Florida hosts Chewbacca and Darth Vader on October 8th, 1977. Check it out at Google's newspaper archive. Awesome line of the ad: "Instant Polaroid pictures available"!

Constructing a chronolgy of release for Mattel's Shogun Warriors action figures PART 3: THE END OF THE RODAN!

In 1977 and '78 Mattel introduced and developed the Shogun Warriors as a toyline of robots in three basic size classes-three inch tall figures, five inch tall figures and 23 1/2 inch tall giants. Rounding out the line was a handful of vehicles and perhaps the most famous Shogun, who was not a robot at all but the jumbo sized Godzilla. With the Shogun line's foundation in place Mattel would introduce new figures and vehicles but no new assortment types in 1979. Unfortunately retailer interest in the line was dwindling as evidenced by the smaller number of Shogun newspaper ads in '79 compared to previous years. A few ads from '79 feature the giant Daimos alongside the other jumbos but I've never found a newspaper ad from that year showing any other new figure or vehicle. There was a mailaway promotion in issue 10 of the Shogun Warriors comic (and presumably every other Marvel comic with a November 1979 coverdate) that is the only place I've ever seen line art of some of the new 1979 figures and vehicles.

Although stores were losing interest, Mattel was keeping the line alive in '79 with new additions. Unlike 1978 there were no brand new Shogun Warriors figure subsets, Mattel instead added new figures to existing assortments. What's interesting about how they did this was that although these new additions were spread over different assortments, the product numbers for the new figures and vehicles line up sequentially in an almost unbroken series of numbers from 2988 to 2999:

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2988 Daimos (Giant figure Assortment #9861)
2989 ????
2990 Daimos truck (Vehicle Assortment #2734)
2991 Liabe (Vehicle Assortment #2734)
2992 Daimos (TWO-in-ONE Asst #2730)
2993 Voltus V (TWO-in-ONE Asst #2730)
2994 Voltus V (3 inch Collectors Series Asst #2518)
2995 Dangard (3 inch Collectors Series Asst #2518)
2996 Leopaldon (3 inch Collectors Series Asst #2518)
2997 17 (3 inch Collectors Series Asst #2518)

I haven't found a figure or vehicle assigned product number 2989. Gaps in product number sequences are not unprecedented in my research-I ran into the same situation with the Zargon and the U-Combine Combatra numbers from 1978. However, if 2989 is truly an unused product number and not just a hole in my research, and given how the new additions are grouped together by type, I'd say 2989 was meant for either another giant figure or a vehicle. Could 2989 be the number Mattel intended for a US release of the 24 inch giant Grandizer? Or if 2989 was a vehicle could it have been the Mattel release of the Popy GA-37 DX Grandizer set with the five inch Grandizer? Both the jumbo figure and the Grandizer Saucer saw release in Europe (scroll down about 3/4 way to see the euro saucers here) but no proof of a US version has popped up yet. I'm pretty sure 2989 wasn't just the 5 inch figure by itself because there were no product number additions to the five inch assortment and the new 2-in-1 product numbers fit sequentially between the new vehicles and 3 inch Collectors Series. Of course I may be interpreting all of this wrong but at least that's where I'm coming from. Unless someone who worked at Mattel comes forward we'll never know.

Now let's look at the new product numbers in the context of the assortments they fit in during 1979. It's my belief that the line was canceled in 1980 and none of the Shogun Warrior branded products shown in the 1980 catalog ever shipped that year. The majority of the assortments from 1980 looked to be unchanged carryovers from 1979 so I'll discuss those here, too.

1979 and 1980=====================

3 inch Collectors Series figures / Asst #2518

2512 Combatra
2513 Poseidon
2514 Gaiking
2515 Dragun
2516 Great Mazinga
2517 Grandizer
2994 Voltus V
2995 Dangard
2996 Leopaldon
2997 17

The 3 inch Collectors Series got expanded with the addition of four new figures in 1979. Interestingly enough the 1980 catalog states that there were 12 figures in assortment 2518 but only 10 are pictured in that year's catalog pages. Was that a mistake or did Mattel intend to have two more three inch robots made? It's a little strange that Raydeen and Daimos appear multiple times in other assortments but never at the three inch scale. Could they have been planned but never produced? Years later when Bandai would re-release these toys as Mini GoDaiKins no new molds surfaced so it may be that the mention of twelve figures in the 1980 catalog was a typo.

5 inch figures / Asst #2107

2103 Mazinga
2104 Poseidon
2105 Raider
2106 Dragun
2107 5 inch assortment

The same 4 figures carried over from previous years for 1979, but this assortment is not shown in the 1980 catalog. If the stand alone Popy GA-37 Grendizer were to be introduced as a Shogun it would most likely have fit here among the regular five inch series since it had no real transformation.

TWO-in-ONE Figures / Asst #2730

2727 Raydeen
2728 Gaiking
2729 Dangard
2992 Daimos

Carrs 11/22/79

2993 Voltus V
2730 TWO-in-ONE Assortment

Daimos and Voltus V join the 2-in-1 assortment in 1979, which is odd because Daimos is not identified as a TWO-in-ONE figure anywhere on his packaging and has no transformation ability so his inclusion in the TWO-in-ONE assortment is rather dubious. The '79 Mattel catalog even acknowledges Daimos' lack of transformation by describing the 2730 assortment as "Four Two in One defenders, plus Daimos". Perhaps at 5 1/2 inches it was Daimos' size that prevented him from being included in the standard 5 inch packaging. This assortment is missing from the pages of the 1980 catalog.

Shogun Vehicles / Assts #2522 & #2734

asst 2522
2519 Varitank
2520 Solar Saucer
2521 Vertilift
2522 Vehicle assortment

asst 2734
2731 Shigcon Tank
2732 Shigcon Jet
2733 Sky Arrow
2734 Vehicle assortment
*2990 Daimos truck
*2991 Liabe

Vehicle assortment #2734 carried over from 1978 with the additions of Daimos truck and the Liabe.

Gibson's 12/17/79

Giant 23 1/2 inch figures / Asst #9861

9859 Raydeen
9860 Great Mazinga
2440 Godzilla
2441 Gaiking
2988 Daimos
9861 Giant figure assortment

Dragun was dropped and replaced by Daimos in the giant figure assortment for 1979. The 1980 catalog showed a change where Godzilla would no longer be part of the Shogun mixed assortment and instead move off into individual cases as part of the World's Greatest Monsters series. The only problem is that no Godzilla has ever popped up in World's Greatest Monsters packaging, leading me to believe much of the Shogun Warriors product line from the 1980 catalog was never released.

Hard to Place and Unproduced Vehicle Assortments

asst 2901
2690 Bazoler
2691 Nessar
2693 Kondar
???? Assortment

asst 2902
2694 Cargosaur
2695 Heli-Capter
2696 Grand Car
2697 Sky Jet
???? Vehicle Assortment?

asst 2903
2698 Jet Car
2699 Dangard Launcher
*2900 Rydoto
???? Vehicle Assortment?

Assortments 2901, 2902 and 2903 don't follow the usual Mattel pattern of having the assortment number be sequentially after the last item's product number. I have my suspicions about where these fit but I don't have even the slightest bit of circumstantial evidence to back it up. It would be easy to say they came out in '79 but I have no real proof of that. They don't appear in the Mattel catalog and I've never found ads for them. The 2903 assortment apparently got the Rydoto added to it at some point so I'd assume it was out for a while during the life of the line. The release timeline of these remain a mystery to me.

asst 1681
1678 Leopaldon & Mecadragon
1679 Voltus V & Space Shark
1680 Dangard & Armor Crab
1681 Vehicle Assortment

Assortment 1681 appears in the 1980 Mattel catalog but no examples have ever surfaced and they are largely regarded as being unproduced items.

Playworld 12/07/80

Rodan / Asst #1323

1323 Rodan

Were it not for Rodan's inclusion in the comic book ad mentioned at the beginning of this post I wouldn't consider him a Shogun Warrior. Yet there he is at the bottom of the mailaway iron-on patch alongside Godzilla. Rodan is the only Shogun Warrior-related figure I have ever found an ad for in 1980 newspapers. I have never found any actual Shogun Warrior branded action figure ads after 1979. In my next post I'll take a look at the circumstances surrounding the end of the Shogun Warriors toyline and see what evidence exists to support the varying theories about its demise.

Constructing a chronolgy of release for Mattel's Shogun Warriors action figures PART 2: The first half of the list-1977 to 1978

Imagine if nothing was known about the Transformers beyond which toys they were and that the line started in 1984. Would it be enough? Imagine a situation where no one knew for sure if Optimus Prime or Fortress Maximus came first. Now imagine if nobody could agree that the Transformers debuted in 1984 and some peole believed it was '85 0r '86! The hundreds and hundreds of Autobots and Decepticons would be overwhelming chaos to comprehend without having some idea of the order they were released. This is the state of confusion that Mattel's Shogun Warriors exists in now. The numerous assortments of Shogun robots, monsters and vehicles sold over the course of the four years from 1977 to 1980 can be very confusing because unlike Transformers very little is known about the order these things were released. It's like having a family tree consisting of just a list of names but no idea of how anyone is related except that you know everyone's Japanese. Unlike a human family, when you're a Shogun Warrior someone may be taller than you but that doesn't necessarily mean he's older. This is why what I want to do is show not just when the line started, but how it unfolded and the context within which each figure fits.

IT'S GONNA TAKE A ROCKET PUNCH SCIENTIST TO FIGURE THIS OUT!

The most readily available sources of online information I could find to establish my chronology were the product assortment numbers off the boxes, the Mattel toy catalogs from 1977, 1979 and 1980 and my own collection of newspaper ads. I got product assortment numbers for almost the entire line just from pictures of Shogun Warriors toys on the Action Figure Archive and other various websites. The Mattel toy catalogs were over at Plaid Stallions and of course the newspaper ads come from my own Vintage Space Toaster Palace. I found each reference had its strengths and weaknesses. Assortment numbers were good for figuring out what waves of toys were grouped together but they didn't give dates of release. The toy catalogs showed what was scheduled for a certain year but didn't cover everything released and while the ads could definitively mark the dates certain figures were available, not every toy got ads. Once all these separate pieces of information came together the larger picture began emerging and although I still don't have it all I do have a better understanding of how the Shogun line evolved. Here then is the first half of my chronology of Shogun Warriors releases which encompasses 1977-1978. 1979-1980 will come later.

1977 =====================

JM Fields 11/24/77

5 inch figures / Asst #2107

2103 Mazinga
2104 Poseidon
2105 Raider
2106 Dragun
2107 5 inch assortment

The 5-inch Shogun Warriors assortment appears in ads and Mattel catalogs every year from 1977 to 1979. The 1979 Mattel toy catalog showed retailers could order either cases of the same individual figure or an assortment with a mix of all four. The standard numbering pattern for Shogun Warriors had the combined assortment assigned the highest number. The 5-inch figure assortment was never expanded beyond the initial 4 figures and did not appear in the 1980 Mattel catalog. In 1978 Mazinga's name would change to Great Mazinga on packaging but his number and assortment would remain identical to the 1977 release.

FedMart 10/11/77

Giant 23 1/2 inch figures / Asst #9861

9858 Dragun
9859 Raydeen
9860 Mazinga
9861 Giant figure assortment

The first three giant figures were sold in individual case assortments and also in a mixed case. The 1977 Mattel catalog doesn't show a mixed assortment case number but it does appear in ads and it follows the standard numbering scheme where the mixed assortment gets the highest assigned number. Assortment 9861 lasted the entire life of the line but would see additions to and subtractions from this original lineup of three 23 1/2 inch tall figures. As with the five inchers, in 1978 Mazinga's name would change to Great Mazinga on the packaging but his number and assortment would remain identical to the 1977 release.


1978 =====================

JM Fields 11/29/78

3 inch Collectors Series figures / Asst #2518

2512 Combatra
2513 Poseidon
2514 Gaiking
2515 Dragun
2516 Great Mazinga
2517 Grandizer
2518 3 inch assortment

The mixed assortment 2518 was the only way to order the 3 inch Collectors Series figures, making them unique amongst Shogun Warriors assortments in that retailers could not order whole cases of the same robot. These toys are interesting because one blog claims the 3 inch line was "commissioned specifically by Mattel" and another states they were released "Late in the Shogun Warriors toy line life" which helps placing them in 1978. If true then this would make the 3 inch figures the only toys not based on pre-existing robot figures from Japan. I think it makes sense that Mattel would wait a year to order the creation of all new tooling once they were sure the brand sold well in 1977. I haven't totally discounted the possibility they were released in late '77 but I haven't found any proof of that. Since the assortment numbers did not change from year to year I'd say good proof of a '77 release would be any 3 inch package back that identifies Mazinga as just "Mazinga" and not "Great Mazinga". I don't know if that exists, though.


5 inch figures / Asst #2107
Same as 1977, with Mazinga's name changed to "Great Mazinga" on box

Kaufmans 12/01/78

TWO-in-ONE Figures / Asst #2730

2727 Raydeen
2728 Gaiking
2729 Dangard
2730 TWO-in-ONE assortment

The TWO-in-ONE label was entirely a Mattel delineation as these robots were originally from the same Popy GA series as the 5 inch die cast Shoguns from assortment 2107. While 2107 never saw the addition of any figures, the TWO-in-ONES assortment 2730 would be expanded on in 1979. The packaging of these figures touted their ability to change into two separate forms but Dangard and Gaiking required the removal of significant parts to achieve a transformation. Raydeen is historically significant because he's often cited as the world's first true transforming robot toy, with a very minimal amount of parts removal required in his change from robot to bird.

Fred Meyer 12/10/78

Shogun Vehicles / Assts #2522 & #2734

asst 2522
2519 Varitank
2520 Solar Saucer
2521 Vertilift
2522 Vehicle assortment

asst 2734
2731 Shigcon Tank
2732 Shigcon Jet
2733 Sky Arrow
2734 Vehicle assortment

Of all the vehicles released in the Shogun Warriors line, I've only found ads featuring the ones from the 2522 and 2734 assortments. At the time I write this there is an eBay auction for a sealed case of Sky Arrows showing that some retailers did indeed order full cases of individual items instead of the mixed assortment cases. The 2734 assortment would see the addition of two more vehicles in 1979 but the 2522 assortment would stay fixed at three.

JM Fields 12/12/78

Giant 23 1/2 inch figures / Asst #9861

2440 Godzilla
2441 Gaiking
9858 Dragun
9859 Raydeen
9860 Great Mazinga
9861 Giant figure assortment

Two new giants joined the 9861 Giant figure assortment in 1978. The addition of Godzilla and Gaiking with product numbers in the 2440s showed how when Mattel would add new figures, the resulting new product numbers were very out of sequence from the rest of the numbers in the case assortments they were being added to. Godzilla was so popular he is often found in stand alone newspaper ads that make no mention of his status as a Shogun Warrior. The ad here illustrates how retailers would often confuse line art of the 5 inch Shoguns with art for the 23 1/2 inch ones, but the text of the ad clarifies that this is indeed a solicitation for all five giants.



2600 series Zargon and U-Combine Combatra

Zargon and the Combatra U-Combine vehicles are numbered very differently from the other existing Shogun Warriors assortments and their product designations are close enough sequentially that I am grouping them together here. Although I have no proof in the form of newspaper ads or catalogs to show Combatra was a 1978 release, I figure the product numbers being in the same range of Zargon at least circumstantially supports a connection and I know Zargon was released in '78. That I have only ever seen Zargon in Sears ads makes me think he may have been exclusive to that store and if so I further suspect that the 2600 series product numbers may all be store exclusives.

Sears 10/03/78

2617 Zargon (also has 59497/59598 printed on the box)

U-Combine Combatra asst #????
2620 #1 Battle Jet
2621 #2 Battle Clasher
2622 #3 Battle Tank
2623 #4 Battle Marine
2624 #5 Battle Craft
2625 Deluxe Set

Like Zargon, the Combatra U-Combine vehicles don't have assortment numbers printed on the packages so I haven't been able to figure out how they were ordered from Mattel. I've only been able to find websites with pictures clear enough to get product numbers for the Battle Jet, Battle Clasher, Battle Tank and Battle Craft but I was able to discern a pattern so I've guessed at the numbers for the Battle Marine. I haven't seen pictures clear enough to figure out the product number for the Deluxe Set and whether or not that had a separate assortment number. [UPDATE! Thanks to Ed from Robot-Japan I figured out the Combatra giftset is #2625.] The small gap in sequence numbers between Zargon's 2617 and the first U-Combine vehicle at 2620 make me wonder if there are other figures that exist numbered 2618 and 2619. The Combatra U-Combine packages are so radically unlike any other Shogun Warrior packaging in their design that I almost thought they were foreign releases, but they have printed notices that they conform to PS 72-76, which is a US product safety standard. Their different packaging also supports my suspicion that they were possibly a retailer exclusive but I've never seen ads for them so I don't even know what store that could possibly be. [UPDATE! I have since found quite a few ads for Combatra vehicles from a number of different retailers.]

NEXT TIME: In the conclusion to my Shogun Warrior chronology I'll cover the fascinating sequence of 1979 additions to the product assortments and what the numbers say about possibility of a US released Jumbo Grandizer and TWO-in-ONE of that character as well.

Constructing a chronolgy of release for Mattel's Shogun Warriors action figure line PART 1: Zargon but not forgotten

One thing I have learned during my time studying old toy robots and the people whose lives they've ruined is that there are fans of anything but not fandoms for everything. The difference is when it comes to long dead toylines, to be remembered at all is to have fans but to be remembered accurately is to have a fandom. Mattel's Shogun Warriors exist in a popularity limbo where they are not as famous as the Transformers yet not as reviled as the GoBots so people remember them but don't remember much about them. The Shoguns lack the army of roboplastic historians and archaeologists necessary to relate their gospel accurately and refute falsehoods perpetuated by younger, less informed generations of robotards. The websites and blogs I've read where people share their memories of Shogun Warriors illustrate how these toys exist in a cloudy fog of pop culture memory. It is a fog where with the passage of time important details fade like a renegade rocket fist flying away into the distance, leaving behind an incomplete robot without an arm, just as history is incomplete without facts.

I THINK I CAN PROVE THEY CAME IN 1977

Anyone trying to do some online research into the most basic facts about Shogun Warriors will come across as much conflicting contradictory information about them as there are webpages devoted to them. They were over two feet tall! They came out in 1979! Or was it in 1978? Or maybe 1977? They cost $40! As this dimension's Nostrodomatron it is my duty to try to help clear up some of the confusion around Shogun Warriors. (I say "try" because with the way I write I will probably end up confusing everybody more and setting back Shogun Warrior awareness by 25 years.) So join me now my fellow Macrocranians as I explore the myths and mysteries of the Shogun Warriors toyline by constructing a timeline of the toyline's existence built from solid sources like Mattel toy catalogs, product assortment numbers, old newspaper ads and even NSFW porn. Although if you think about it, it's not really a bad thing if your fans remember you having more inches than you really did.

IS THAT YOUR ROCKET FIST IN MY FACE OR ARE YOU NOT HAPPY TO SEE ME?

Pointing out that someone wrote something wrong on the internet about Shogun Warriors is a delicate matter so I want to make it clear I am not picking on the specific webpages I cite that have the questionable or incorrect information. Instead I'm using them as examples of commonly held beliefs all over the internet. I'm not saying the webmasters of these sites are the ones who are the source of the misinformation-I use them because they are merely representative of it. The reason I didn't contact specific webmasters to correct them individually and spare them the shame of apparent ridicule from my audience of five readers is because so many of these same mistakes are made all over the internet that I'd have to correct multiple sites and just addressing them all here in one series of posts is easier. And since there is no definitive compiled source of this information, why in the world would those guys believe me anyways? Short of building a time machine there's no way I can prove what I've come up with is 100% accurate either. But it is my hope that even if I perpetuate misinformation, it's well sourced misinformation. So getter your Draguns and jump in your Solar Saucers because it's time to take on the Shogun Warriors!