The new generation of TF fans.

[jena]

I couldn't find a thread like this but I just felt like discussing the new generation of Transformers fans and sharing the awesomeness of Transformers with little kids. Today I gave my friend's 4 year old son the Optimus Prime rescue bot and he loved it. The look on his face when he opened it was so cool - he was amazed by Prime. He carried him around everywhere for the rest of the day, quickly becoming a new fav. The next time I see him we're going to watch the animated movie together. It felt so great to introduce a kid to something I have loved since I was his age and hopefully start a love that will last for years to come.

Anyone else have any cool stories, whether it be your own kids, younger siblings, friends' kids etc?

[Verno]

The fan reaction from older fans towards Prime and Animated leave me in no doubt that the franchise is in safe hands in regards to the tv side of things. The problem seems to be toy distribution.

I directed a theatre show mid-last year and gave a little TF as a gift to the 3 members of my cast. I wasn't looking to get them involved intone franchise but simply give them a gift that reflected my tastes (sort of, as they were little movie verse things)

But the franchise is in good shape going forward, and this board seems to have new members every day. Perhaps we've been spoilt over the past few years with both tv and movies happening simultaneously, which hit been seen since the 80's, but S we cool off this year and relax with Prime and the comics, things are returning to normal.

[Bartrim]

My oldest son has a passing interest at the moment. Slowing winning him over. Hoping the rescue bots show does that as board member Fatbot gave him Chase for Xmas and he loves it :D

[GoktimusPrime]

Great thread!! I was thinking about starting one like this and calling it "OzFormers: Generation 2" ;)

My daughter was "baptised" into Transformers from the moment that she was born. I had Softimus Prime in the delivery room when she was born; so the first things she saw (albeit not very clearly) when she was born would have been the midwife, her mother, her father and a plush Optimus Prime. Even before she was born I was already reading Transformers books and comics to her in utero, and she would have been listening to Transformers music because... well, that's the only music I listen to :P As a newborn in the hospital I read a variety of Transformers story books to her and I also sang Transformer theme songs to her as lullabyes. Her favourite is the opening theme for Fight! Super Robot Life Forms Transformers and whenever that song comes on she tries to sing along with it!

I've also given her a TF name; Yukikaze (name of a G1 Autobot and Maximal starship), which also coincides with her real name. She's been exposed to my PlaySkool and Tonka Transformers since she was a newborn, and she's worked out how to transform a few of them on her own (although sometimes she needs reminders/guidance). She also has a few items of Transformers clothes (find TF clothes in baby/infant sizes is HARD!) and she calls every Transformer "Bumblebee", or as she says it, "Bah-boo-dee!" (sometimes she says "Bam-boo-bee"). She has recently been able to discern Optimus Prime from all other Bumblebees, or as she calls him, "Apple Pie" :P

One time I was standing on a footpath watching my wife buy some food, and my daughter suddenly started calling out "Bum boo dee! Bum boo dee!" with urgency, I turned around to see her pointing at the street and yelling "Bum boo dee!" and there was a yellow Suzuki Swift with black racing stripes (like an Alternity X Animated hybrid Bumblebee!)

Ready? Photos and videos!

Just minutes after being born...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Yuki/th_newborn08.jpg

Reading a Transformers story book to her...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Yuki/th_yuki_facebook_day3_5.jpg

After coming home for the first time, so she was only a few days old...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Yuki/th_yuki_maximus_20090703.jpg

Riding around in Optimus Pram
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Yuki/th_yuki_20091023.jpg

Wearing a Transformers turtle-neck and playing with PCC Huffer
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Yuki/th_yuki_pcchuffer.jpg

Playing around with Lugnut when we went overseas last year
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Yuki/th_yuki_lugnut1.jpg

She loves Apple Pie
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Yuki/th_2011_07_03_optimuskiss.jpg
Counting to six
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Yuki/th_2011_12_01c.jpg

Trying to say "Bumblebee" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvmSuye8S0I)
Watching G1 eps (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXTk8S6L2Sk)

[crankcase76]

i have two boys a 6yr old and a 3yr old that were introduced to TF's when they were babies that is where i got to collect the animated for my eldest and RtS for my youngest and found that there interest in them is awesome,that they can play with their favorite transformer as they watch the cartoons on TV. then they want to pull down dad's collection and play with them,i think that this will be as Verno put it ,left in "great hands" for generations of kids that will grow up playing and watching TF's.

[GoktimusPrime]

i think that this will be as Verno put it ,left in "great hands" for generations of kids that will grow up playing and watching TF's.

And reading. :) I actually have a Transformers Animated book that's meant for infants - you know where every page is hard. Thats the only TF book Ill let her read on her own - other TF books I read to her but only if I'm there...she doesn't have the patience to listen to me read an entire comic issue to her yet, but she'll get there.

Getting kids to develop a love for reading for pleasure - and studies show that it can be more challenging to get boys to get into this - is obviously very important... so if Transformers can be a gateway to developing a child's love for reading, then all the better.

[Cat]

I'm reposting this from my FB, but this happened to me a few months ago.

I still remember it like it was yesterday though. It was just an awesome moment.

=========================
This honestly made my day, too. It was a really neat moment.

I was sitting in my car in the carpark.

I hear this kid start SCREAMING ''Daddy, Daddy, LOOK!! IT'S A TRANSFORMER!!''

He was pointing at my car, which has an Autobot symbol on the back.

He then walked past in awe, waving at my car.

Not at me, he was waving at my CAR.

Today, that kid, in his mind, got to meet a real Transformer.

Doesn't get much cooler than that, does it?

I guess those are the moments we're still trying to recapture.
=====================================

[jena]

Oh I wish that would happen to me! I have a chrome autobot badge on my car and only my friends have ever seemed to notice it.

[GoktimusPrime]

yeah, that happens to me a lot, kids point either at my car and/or me because I always wear TF apparel ;) It's funny when I travel overseas and I hear kids pointing at me and saying Transformers in different languages :p Right now I'm using a computer at my Osaka hotel's lobby and I'm wearing 3 different kinds of TF apparel and my daughter is sitting on my lap munching on a piece of bread wearing a Bumblebee shirt... yesterday we went to Osaka Castle and there was this guy leading a tour group and holding up a Japanese fan presumably with the tour group name on it... so I held up RtS Prowl above my head as we walked past them... that got a few looks too. ;)

[crankcase76]

same for me with the decepticon apparel on my car, my boy's love it they always ask where's our naughty car is. And i do apologize Gok i forgot about the reading part :D, you are correct. it is a great tool for the kids to use for learning. even thou the missus went Thomas the tank MAD. :rolleyes:but the same concept for them that's how my eldest learn t how to count and eventually read.

[5FDP]

My daughter loves Transformers. Her favorite (for obvious reasons) is Arcee. My son is a bit too young for Transformers (he's only 15 months), but because he is the youngest of the family he got spoiled for xmas. Seriously, he's haul for the month was larger than mine was for the whole of 2011.

[sideswipes brother]

My daughter who is 5 is not remotely interested in Tfs. My 3yr old son is definately into Tfs. I do not force it onto him though. He still likes stuff like Ben 10, Beyblade and Bakugan. When we go toy hunting he will not always pick a Tf. He will get what he wants and im cool with that.:)

[klystron]

Cool thread.
A bloke I work with has got a 4year son who seemed to wake up one day and decide he wanted an Optimus Prime. (Parents not 100% sure where this sudden desire came, but they suspect a toy catalog). Dad had to brave the nearly-xmas-time shops and managed to find the Prime/Comettor 2-pack for $30.
(Yeah, I dont know how he did it either...?)
He made mention of it at work, so I told him how much of a bargin that set is, and that I had some (ok, all) of this flash new Transformers cartoon. So I gave him the first 10 episodes.
Apparently his son watched the first 4 on repeat for a whole weekend. He knows all the words. Crazy, right?
So I gave him the rest, along with all of TFA, which are all being rationed out in order to make them last. The kid now is fully obsessed and changes which character he is pretending to be depending on his current mood and what situation he is in.
He has also watched ROTF, which he loved.
Over the Xmas break, he has acquire 4 or 5 more Transformers, inc some of those activator (?) ones that pretty much transform themselves, which is good cause his Dad is sick of changing the battle-blades OP. His first attempt on Xmas day took him 40mins and was followed by an irrate SMS to me! A house rule was put in place stating that Optimus is only allowed one transformation per day.
We've had a few laughs about this ongoing saga during the last few weeks, but the funniest thing, which still makes me giggle, is that his son keeps calling the skinny plane bad guy "Ice cream" instead of Starscream!
Cracks me up.
So I like to think I have helped to create a new potential TF fan.

Unfortunately, my daughter has just discovered the collection of Disney princesses, so all hope might be lost on that front.

[jena]

Haha, ice cream, kids are too cute with the things they say.

Don't write your daughter off yet, as a kid my favs were Disney princesses, my little pony, barbie and transformers and ninja turtles. Girls are lucky, we can play with girls and boys toys without it being weird, it's the best of both worlds.

[Doubledealer]

lol that's classic klystron. :D I scream, you scream, we all scream for Starscream!

[Cat]

Haha, ice cream, kids are too cute with the things they say.

Don't write your daughter off yet, as a kid my favs were Disney princesses, my little pony, barbie and transformers and ninja turtles. Girls are lucky, we can play with girls and boys toys without it being weird, it's the best of both worlds.

My GIJOES used to love chillin' in my sisters Barbie spa.

[Hursticon]

Yeah, that is definitely a good story Klystron - TFs will be sticking around with that kid for quite some time to come, even if he forgets it his parents sure wont. ;):p

[MindsetOverhaul]

i got a son, turning 10 this year, and a daughter who has just turned 6.
Cylas started sneaking into my studio when he was close to age 2 and i'd find him studying some of my alternators (which were MISB at the time) and energon toys that were scattered about the place. skip to now - he has roughly 150 toys from armada, energon, cybertron, re-issues and micromaster repaints, titanium, universe, classics, generations and RTS, and a few random movie toys amongst the lot. He's also mad into starwars lego, bionicle and hero-factory.
Layla looks up to her brother (ofcourse) and wants to do everything he does. it bugs the sh-t out of him when he finds her in his room mucking about with his toys. last year she got her first transformer for her 5th birthday (hasbro re-issue Tracks) and she loved it. i think G1 toys are perfect for young kids because they're durable and far less complex than post machine wars lines of toys. this christmas she got the exclusive reissue Seacons gift set. her being such a girly girl, the colours of the toys jumped out at her and her face lit right up, she finally had a transformer that came in a big box like the ones her brother gets, and it's a gestalt!
i LOVE watching them play.
seeing her terrorize polly pockets and my little pony's with her seacons and making all the voices and sound effects takes me back to my childhood and the many apocalyptic events such as cyclonus and scourge performing routine raids on my sisters' she-ra cloud castle.

transforming robots are rad and the concept won't gro old anytime soon.

[Hursticon]

That's awesome Mindset; they sound very much like the sorts of things you'd want to catch on camera, be it either the motion or still variety. ;):)

[Slag]

My GIJOES used to love chillin' in my sisters Barbie spa.

If I was a G.I.Joe. That's where i'd want be .... with barbie, :rolleyes:

[GoktimusPrime]

When I was little my Lion Force Voltron was married to my friend's sister's Barbie and they shared Barbie's spa together. Nothing like a nice relaxing hot tub and back rub after a hard day of slaying Robeasts! ;) I have a photo of my TF Prime Bulkhead being hugged by my daughter's favourite plush dog toy in Kyoto. I'll post that pic later.

Today we had lunch at a friend's house and there were three other kids there - two boys and the youngest was a girl. The two older boys played with their Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends train sets and later on their little baby sister got into the act too! Their mother told me that she looks up to her brothers and the middle brother is a mad Thomas fan so they often all play trains together! Later on the oldest boy went off for swimming practice and I showed the younger boy the Transformer on my shirt and reminded him that both Thomas and Transformers are manufactured by TakaraTOMY! (in Japan anyway, I know in Australia there's other companies that make Thomas toys, but in JP they're made by TOMY) The mother then told me that her oldest boy is a fan of Transformers. Dun dun DUN!! :D