of animated transformers decepticons revealed and of a generation of cartoons and characters to claim as your own
for the cover of their TCC Magazine Issue#17 [via] as done by Eric Siebaneler.
on-right is my handy lil reference to the toys [blogged] - which seems to have thoroughly divided Trans-fans, on one side being the naysayers who are experiencing yet another 'rape' of their childhood, and on the other; who is enjoying the remix of their fav mechas into a newer more anime-ish feel akin to the animated Teen Titans (for which the producers were responsible for, hence the similarities in design-influences) ... permit me to offer my take on this enterprise...
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as a child growing up in the 80's, i had my fair share of cartoons and toys, both of which influenced me til now; characters and products of 'MY GENERATION' which i can proud claim as 'my own' ... but what of the subsequent generations?
i can still remember early 90's toys, but what of the mid-to-late 90's? the new millennium? where the focus of toys (for me at least) eventually would lead down the path of designer vinyls, while at the same time veering away from the mass-produced / cartoon-adapted toys, becoz with the exception of Japanese anime (for which has heavily influenced the current aesthetics, IMHO), primarily there wasn't any other cartoons worth looking at (at least for my tastes) - which may literally mean that i'm missing out on another whole generation of toys.
we related to properties like Transformers, G.I.Joe etc becoz they 'started' during 'OUR TIME', but what of the newer generations? what do they have but HAND-ME-DOWNS from a coupla decades back? yes, a good classic product will last thru the ages (excluding 'fads') but somehow i reckon there may be need of something THEY COULD CLAIM AS THEIR OWN, regardless of geography, culture or politics ... and tho there are new cartoons and properties sprung up every other time you switch on your telly or walk down a toy-aisle, with only but a handful that may/would eventually leave behind a legacy with as far reaching and as embraced by fans, after decades, whom they COULD claim as their own, characters whom when they 'grew up' with.
and while i may never know the true intentions (but sure as hell we DO speculate) of powers-that-be that inevitably REMIX ('re-harsh' may sound too judgemental, innit? im feeling pretty 'kind' on this rainy Sunday-morning - heh) and UPDATE older properties to the NOW, like Animated Transformers, of even Animated Spiderman, Batman etc - mayhap along with securing a new generation of
personally for me, beyond all these toy-existentialism, my own purchasing decisions lie in the final form of the toy: "looks nice, i like it, i buy it" ... no need for whining - you buy what you like, that's about it really, IMHO ... even tho i may stand at the aisle, blister-pack in hand and reminisce about the good old days, from time to time ... :)
