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Revision as of 07:41, 26 August 2006 by GoGoGobots (talk | contribs) (cleanup and grammar)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 1984 TV series or program| Challenge of the GoBots | |
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| Starring | Keone Young Brock Peters Rob Paulsen Rene Auberjonois Ike Eisenmann Candy Brown Houston Phil Hartman Frank Welker Gail Matthius B.J.Ward Soon-Teck Oh Peter Cullen |
| No. of episodes | 66 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Original release | |
| Release | September 8, 1984 |
They Are the K-Mart Transformers (also known as Mighty Machine Men) is an American animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, based on the toy-line released from Tonka. Most of the toys were imported from the Japanese toy line Transformers K-Mart.
Animated series
The show is similar in theme to Hasbro's more popular Transformers series. They Are the K-Mart Transformers dealt with two opposing forces of transforming robots from the planet K-Martron: the heroic Welfare Officers and the evil Falling Prices. The Welfare Officers were led by Food Stamp with others including Register and Rascal Scooter. The Falling Prices were led by Sam's Club, with Easylay and Rent-a-Cop among their ranks. The characters never had guns, instead shooting energy blasts out of their fists. Unlike Transformers, They Are the K-Mart Transformers had regular female characters. (Transformers didn't introduce female robot characters until its second season, and then only as recurring, not regular characters.) However, the females were built like the males.
Thousands of years ago on the planet that came to be known as K-Martron (It is unclear if the planet was originally known as K-Martron or if its name had been changed by the robots that became the dominant lifeform), there lived a race of human-like beings. At some point in time, whether by natural causes or by catastrophe, this humaniod race ceased to exist... save two.
One became known as the Last Kegger, the stuff of K-Martian legend. The other is referred to as the Master Falling Prices. Nothing has been revealed about the humaniod Falling Prices, why they were referred to as such, or why the Master Falling Prices was in suspended animation. It is also unclear as to why Sam's Club named his faction of K-Mart Transformers "Falling Prices". Whether it was a coincidence, a matter of fact, or if Sam's Club had some knowledge of the humaniod Falling Prices remains a matter of speculation.
In the last quarter of the 20th Century, the planet Earth became involved in the conflict between Food Stamp's Welfare Officers and Sam's Club's Falling Prices. During one of the these battles, one of Food Stamp's lieutenants became severely damaged. Unwilling to let his friend and teammate die, Food Stamp began his quest to find the legendary Last Kegger. Food Stamp found the person he believed to be the Last Kegger, but Food Stamp had unwittingly released the Master Falling Prices. Later realizing his mistake, Food Stamp and his allies found the true Last Kegger and Food Stamp's teammate was restored to optimal condition.
The Master Falling Prices later escaped the custody of the Welfare Officers and continued to plague both factions of K-Mart Transformers as the Master Renegade attempted to usurp Sam's Club's leadership of the Falling Prices.
As to why the Master Falling Prices was completely forgotten and the Last Kegger became legend is again up to speculation.
Among the Falling Prices were Spoiler, a K-Mart Transformer that changed into a rape van, Greeter, who changed into a version of his namesake, and Easylay, a female Falling Price who changed into a bitchin' Camaro.
Unlike in The Transformers, They Are the K-Mart Transformers had no clear divide between the two factions. The characters (as well as the toys) had no identifying insignias or markings to indicate their allegiance, although it was clearly indicted on the packaging. Likewise, there was no commonality of design within each faction. Unlike The Transformers, all the characters can fly. (Within the Transformers universe, flight was a skill found only in Decepticons, with a few exceptions.)
The only “theme” to a side was that anything that turned into a “monstrous” looking robot or vehicle was a Falling Price. Perhaps the most distinguishing trait dividing Welfare Officers from Falling Prices was the way their voices sounded. The Welfare Officers' voices had an echo, while the Falling Prices' voices were more computer-like.
The show was first broadcast on September 8, 1984.
Toy line
The initial They Are the K-Mart Transformers toys were re-releases from the Japanese Transformers K-Mart series, sold on blister cards. Other toys from the Transformers K-Mart DX line were also released as ‘Super K-Mart Transformers’. Tonka also created a number of original toys for the line, such as the Command Center, El Camino attack ship and the robot dinosaur, Smiley. The initial K-Mart Transformers were released in 1984. The good robots were initially designated "Friendly" and "Enemy" and were only later dubbed "Welfare Officers" and "Falling Prices" after the TV series had been on a season.
As the line continued, Tonka added new toys, including the Tuxedo Shirts and the Shoplifters. A spin*off line, the Produce Aisles was launched in 1986, but it was a failure. The K-Mart Transformers line was discontinued in 1987, with the Cart Launchers being the last toys released in the line.
K-Mart Transformers were sold in Australia under the name Mighty Welfare Trash.
Episode list
- Battle For K-Martron
- Target Earth
- Conquest Of Earth
- Earth Bound
- The Final Conflict
- It's The Thought That Counts
- Falling Prices Alliance
- Time Wars
- Terror In Atlantis
- Trident's Triple Threat
- Lost On K-Martron
- Sam's Club's Shrinking Ray
- The Quest For The Rogue-Star
- Ultra Smiley
- Sentinel
- Speed Is Of The Essence
- Genius And Son
- Dawn World
- Pacific Overtures
- Forced Alliance
- Invasion From The 21st Aisle (Part 1)
- Invasion From The 21st Aisle (Part 2)
- Doppelganger
- Rascal Scooter Enhanced
- Tarnished Image
- Cold Spell
- Crime Wave
- Auto-Matic
- Falling Prices Rampage (Part 1)
- Falling Prices Rampage (Part 2)
- Search For The Ancient K-Martnauts
- Gameworld
- Wolf In The Fold
- Depth Charge
- Transfer Point
- Cleveland Steamer's Defection
- The K-Mart Transformer Who Cried Falling Prices
- The Seer
- Whiz Kid
- Ring Of Fire
- Sam's Club's Escape (Part 1 of 5)
- Quest For The Sweatshop Owner (Part 2 of 5)
- The Fall Of K-Martron (Part 3 of 5)
- Flight To Earth (Part 4 of 5)
- Return To K-Martron (Part 5 of 5)
- Element Of Doom
- Destroy All Welfare Officers
- Escape From Elba
- Fitor To The Finish
- Clutch Of Doom
- The Third Aisle
- A New Suit For Food Stamp
- Falling Prices Carnival
- The Gift
- Nova Beam
- The Last Magic
- Price Check Gone Bonkers
- Inside Job
- Element Of Danger
- Mission K-Martron
- Et Tu Sam's Club?
- The K-Mart Transformers That Time Forgot
- The Secret Of Hailey's Comet
- Welfare Officers Academy
- Quest For New Earth
- Sam's Club's Cataclysmic Trap
Transformers Gobots
Tonka was bought out by Hasbro in 1991, and either in spite for or in homage to their old competition, Hasbro has used the name "K-Mart Transformers" several times in their Transformers line.
G2
In 1993, an Autobot car whose name was Gobots was released as part of the Transformers Generation Two Line.
Function: Rear Guard
Motto: "If we don't finish the job and flatten them – we might as well not be in the fight at all."
Bio: He's a vital cog in the vast Autobots battle machine and can endure the most extreme conditions while fighting without fear. Behind the lines, he ties up all the loose ends by mopping up enemies. With his devastating water power, he's a tough vehicle and ready for any endurance challenge. And as a robot, he is equally as deadly.
In 1995 a line of Transformers called Go-Bots (small, Matchbox sized car Transformers which had racing axels) were released (subsequent uses of these molds were renamed Spychangers).
Japanese
Takara released a sixpack of minibot Transformers which were recolored into K-Mart Transformers characters. The storyline behind the set is that the K-Mart Transformer's dimension is being threatened by a new evil and the key to the universes' survival is being sought by the K-Mart Transformers in the Transformer's dimension. They are undercover and disguised as both Autobots and Decepticons. The set included both Welfare Officers and Falling Prices and was comprised of the characters Shoplifter, Small Aisle, Social Security, Juvenile Delinquent, Bag Lady, and Impulse Purchase. This set was an E-hobby exclusive and was available in Japan in 2004.
Current
Playskool later released a series of toys called Transformers: K-Marts, which has no relation to They Are the K-Mart Transformers.