Within Lewis High school there lives a small group of fans of Transformers, a franchise that needs no introduction. Transformers reached its 40th anniversary last year, celebrating the long legacy of it’s characters, stories, and fans with so many crossovers, interviews, and a movie telling the origins of Optimus and Megatron.

Because of this long legacy, many fans (including Lewis fans) have had different introductions to the world of the Transformers. Maybe this was through the live action movies from the late 2000’s that screamed action or through the anime from the early 2000’s.

But the Transformers legacy actually dates back to its early 1970s origin with the Japanese toy company Takara. Takara was looking to branch out from the girls’ toy market and enter the boys’ market. Takara developed Henshin Cyborg, which then evolved into two lines: Micro-Man and Diaclone.

In the early 1980’s, Hasbro attended a Japanese toy fair where they took a liking to the two toy lines. Hasbro struck a deal with Takara Tomy to sell the toys in America under a different name and then went to Marvel Comics to create the world of the Transformers. From there, the franchise blossomed and became a smash hit across the country.

Transformers fans at Lewis have been introduced to the franchise in different ways. Senior Diego Maradiaga-Sorto told of the humble beginnings of his introduction to Transformers as through the Michael Bay-directed first five live action films (2007 through 2017) of the series.

“My introduction was the Michael Bay films. The original trilogy really captured my interest as a little kid. I mean, they’re robots that turn into cars; it’s pretty cool,” Maradiaga-Sorto said.

Given how long the property has existed, there have been many different interpretations of the famous characters, beyond the Michael Bay films. From the mid to late-1990’s, these favorite toys transformed into animals through the series Beast Wars. In the early 2000’s, they dipped their toes into anime through Transformers: Robots in Disguise and the Unicron Trilogy (Transformers: Armada, Transformers: Energon, and Transformers: Cybertron).

But how does a franchise like this thrive for so long? At multiple times during its existence, Transformers faded into obscurity, yet the franchise always managed to pull itself back into the spotlight.

Maradiaga-Sorto attributes the brand’s adaptability. “You go from robots to vehicles to robots to animals. [Transformers’] ability to adapt to a different demographic every few years is why I think it isn’t just a toy line [but] was able to survive for so long,” Maradiaga-Sorto said.

Sophmore Raine Atkerson blames the dedicated fan base. “I think it was able to last that long because of the massive support from children and adults, with transforming cars to robots, it was very famous,” Atkerson said.

The Transformers characters gained traction as they evolved over time. A loyal fan base helped support Transformers over the years, solidifying it as a popular franchise.

Transformers may have spun off tv shows, movies, and comics, but it’s main focus has always been the same: selling toys. And Lewis fans are collectors of these.

Maradiaga-Sorto explains the appeal of the Transformers toys he’s collected over the years. “I’ve bought several figures. I mean, I’ve been collecting them since the age of 5. Yes, they’re figures but at least they had a character behind them, it made me so attached to them,” Maradiaga-Sorto said.

Maradiaga-Sorto’s latest acquisition is  SS86 Optimus Prime. He describes the model as “a masterpiece of a figure that’s able to capture the design of the Autobot leader so perfectly.”

I asked Diego, Raine, and s on what were their favorite figures they’ve collected,

Atkerson has a favorite Transformer, too. “I don’t remember what model it was but I had a 2013 bumblebee Transformers,” Atkerson said.

When asked about his favorite Transformer, sophomore Michael Hernandez Torres [author’s brother] only answered with one key character: “Optimus Prime.”

Transformers continues through the partnership between Takara and Hasbro–still strong after all these years. Although the series has gone through its ups and downs, it remains tough enough to last these 40 years.

Here at Lewis, the Transformers fan community may not be big, but the appreciation remains enormous.