The Transformers is a line of toys produced by the toy companies Takara and Hasbro. Initially reusing previously-released toys from the Japanese toylines Diaclone (ダイアクロン) and Microman (ミクロマン), Hasbro issued the toys under the name Transformers in the United States in 1984. The premise behind the Transformers toyline is that an individual toy's parts can be shifted about to change it from a vehicle, a device, or an animal, to a robot action figure and back again. The taglines "More Than Meets The Eye" and "Robots In Disguise" reflect this ability.
The Transformers toyline is typically divided into two main factions: the heroic Autobots and their opponents, the evil Decepticons (known in Japan as the Cybertrons and Destrons, respectively). Transformers toys are sold at a number of price points, and various Transformers series utilize unique play features.
There have also been a number of spin-offs based on the toys including a Marvel comic book series, an animated television series program presented by Claster Television, a television production company that Hasbro organized for this and similar purposes, that began transmissions in 1984 (Transformers series) and a feature-length movie, The Transformers: The Movie. The original series program was followed by a number of spin-offs with varying levels of popularity. A live-action remake, directed by Michael Bay under the sponsorship of Steven Spielberg, premiered on June 12, 2007 and opened in the United States on July 2, 2007.
