10 Cartoons to Celebrate 40 Years of The Transformers

Posted on September 17, 2024

by Eric S

Between the exceptional Netflix show, Eisner-winning comic, surprisingly decent Rise of the Beasts film, and some of the best action figures we’ve ever seen, one could argue that we’re currently living in a golden age of Transformers fandom. Plus, the theatrical release of Transformers: One this month (with an all-star voice cast that includes Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson) shows that wide audiences are still excited for everyone’s favorite transforming alien robots (or, at least that studios still think the IP is profitable). For many fans, however, a love of Transformers was established with the original cartoon from 1984, which debuted 40 years ago this week.

While the original series (retroactively known as Transformers: Generation 1) didn’t quite have the character development or animation quality of later iterations, it nonetheless established many of the core elements that make the franchise so memorable to fans today. Two years after Transformers first aired, it would receive a beloved animated movie (see Transformers: The Movie below), followed by two more seasons (that are much weirder and more interesting than the previous two), and eventually get repackaged as Transformers: Generation 2 in the early ‘90s.

Various animated series of varying quality would pop up in subsequent decades, but few would approach the major cultural impact of the very first one. In celebration of 40 years of Transformers, we’ve selected some of the best cartoons for all your robot fighting needs. So, align yourself with either the virtuous Autobots or nefarious Decepticons, transform, and roll out—with your library card, of course.

For even more quality Transformers media, be sure to read our favorite Transformers comics, while even more movies, cartoons, and comics can be found at your local Library branch and on the hoopla and Kanopy apps.