I’m 35 years old and my love for Transformers is at an all time high.
I feel myself contemplating this and I have to ask myself why. Something that was entertainment for me as a young boy keeps growing in my heart and mind.
Perhaps because it’s grown to be more than simply entertainment for me. As a boy, I loved the show, I loved the toys and I would routinely play transformers in the playground at school, and on the carpet at home. I’d watch my transformers VHS’s over and over and never get bored of them. I marvelled at how the story and tone of the show would change following the events of Transformers The Movie.
Inevitably I went through a stage where I stopped playing with toys, and stopped watching cartoons. But the love for Transformers never left me. Occasionally I’d get a Transformers VHS out and watch it for nostalgia.
As I entered working life, I remember discussing childhood loves with some of my colleagues and I ended up inviting them over to watch Transformers the Movie. We had a great time. Over time I’d pick up the DVD’s as they were released and enjoy filling in the blanks by watching episodes I had never seen. It felt great to complete part of a childhood journey that I didn’t know needed completing. Over time I became friends with people who grew up with a similar love and enjoyment for Transformers. Little did I know that this was helping a seed that was already blooming in me to grow further. One of my best friends today, I met at a job we used to do together where there was no formal dress code unless we had visits from important clients. We got talking because I was wearing an Autobot logo T-Shirt, we bonded over our love of Transformers and have never looked back.
While many people do everything they can to slow down the aging process, one of the great things about it is you learn to accept yourself as who you are and not worry about what others think about your hobbies. As time went on, I knew that Transformers was as much a part of my adulthood as it was my childhood. The arrival of the Masterpiece line made it acceptable for me, at least in my own mind, to start buying toys again. Only these weren’t merely toys, they were simultaneously pieces of art and stunning representations of a connection to those fond childhood memories.
And then there were the live action movies, suddenly Transformers was thrust into the forefront of many people who had and hadn’t appreciated them before. Regardless of how you feel about them, I loved that Transformers were on the big screen and that it was no longer confined to a cartoon I used to watch, I could discuss it with more people and it seemed to spark a resurgence of popularity and awareness of the brand.
Attending Transformers conventions has allowed me to meet some amazing people that I’m privileged and proud to call my friends, people I love to spend time with and speak to most days, not just about Transformers but all the normal things that friends do.
I love that at Transformers events, there seems to be more and more females attending. It shows that the community is all inclusive and not just limited to boys who like to play with toys. It shows that Transformers has something to offer to everyone. I love how people who come to know transformers through modern versions of it inevitably find themselves investigating the original source material that captivated me all those years ago, and inevitably loving it too.
Having recently seen “Bumblebee” on the big screen, I’m amazed at how despite the many attempts to “modernise” transformers, there are continuously calls to bring it back closer to the original 80’s style. There was obviously something that they got really right the first time that people want more of. Those calls are being heard and acted upon and I believe Transformers has an exciting future ahead and that we may see more stories that are true to the G1 Transformers that we know and love.
There are various intangible parts of Transformers that also affect my life. While I’ve been thinking about writing this for a while, I felt inspired to do it today because when I woke up this morning I felt fatigued and like I could really do with a holiday. After getting out of bed I put on “The Touch” and after listening to it I felt invigorated, recharged and inspired! Not only does that song have an incredibly uplifting tone, the lyrics themselves are inspiring and motivating. How can you not love that? A song that was part of a great soundtrack to an amazingly made animated movie in the 80’s which has an even more positive impact in my life today!
As I read back over these words I become aware that they still don’t adequately describe my love and enjoyment for Transformers and also perhaps don’t convey the community growth that has occurred, I haven’t even touched on other areas such as the YouTube community that has evolved. But nevertheless, I hope this has made you think about your own Transformers journey and what it means to you. If you feel you want to, share some comments on your own Transformers Journey and what it all means to you.
‘Til all are one.
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