G1 Autobot and Decepticon naming and faction insignia's

[Sky Shadow]

I'm curious to know how Hasbro come up with these? What was the inspiration behind the names of each faction and the insignia design etc. ??

Does anyone on this board know? Can anyone point me to a website, video link, interview, pre production sketches etc.

TF Wiki talks about the brand and all it's reincarnations but I haven't been able to find much about where the names Autobot and Decepticon came from and why they designed the insignia's the way they did.

Any info would be appreciated

The designs aren't too tricky to work out - the Decepticon insignia is Soundwave's face and the Autobot one is Prowl/Bluestreak's.

[Paulbot]

The designs aren't too tricky to work out - the Decepticon insignia is Soundwave's face and the Autobot one is Prowl/Bluestreak's.

The question is why those two though?

It's something I've pondered as well. Soundwave I can understand... biggest of the toys they were planing to sell as "Decepticons", he might have considered as a "leader" character at some point.

But why Prowl of all the Diaclone cars. Police car equals Authori-tah?

(Although I do think you have to squint more to make Soundwave's face into the symbol than Prowl)

[Sky Shadow]

The question is why those two though?

It's something I've pondered as well. Soundwave I can understand... biggest of the toys they were planing to sell as "Decepticons", he might have considered as a "leader" character at some point.

But why Prowl of all the Diaclone cars. Police car equals Authori-tah?

(Although I do think you have to squint more to make Soundwave's face into the symbol than Prowl)

I think that was totally the reason - the police car would have been the chief of the robots of justice and the cassette player with the tape minions would be the leader of the evil henchmen. The biggest toys didn't necessarily have to be the leaders - look at lines like GoBots or M.A.S.K. In the original incarnation of the toyline, Optimus Prime could have just been a dumb load hauler whose job it was to carry the mighty Prowl around in his trailer.

[Paulbot]

In the original incarnation of the toyline, Optimus Prime could have just been a dumb load hauler whose job it was to carry the mighty Prowl around in his trailer.

That's an amusing take, and worth an appearance in the multiverse.

But we are just guessing at it. Would be nice to find some evidence of how and why from the people at the time (if they are still around and remember).

A little while ago I had a thread idea and this was one of the questions I was going to put in it. I'll see if anyone else can help answer Ravagecat's query and then throw some other related questions out there.

[Sky Shadow]

The names Autobot and Decepticon would have been coined by one of Bob Budiansky, Jim Shooter or Denny O'Neil. Like the faction symbols, they're obviously not very deep compound words based on automaton, robot, deception and con.

It's always been a shame that no stories from the multiverse have addressed why the faction symbols have Soundwave, Prowl, Bluestreak and Smokescreen's respective faces. Like a revelation that the Prowl 'mould' was the first of the Quintesson's production line of consumer goods. Or Megatron trying to draw a face for his revolution, continually stuffing it up and then getting Soundwave to pose for him.

[DELTAprime]

I remember with ROTF Hasbro (or Michael Bay, take your pick) tried to retcon the Decepticon logo as being The Fallen's face.

As for the actual origins according to TFwiki they are based on Soundwave and Prowl's faces and thats all they say. I guess this is a gap in the knowledge the fan base has.

[GoktimusPrime]

I remember with ROTF Hasbro (or Michael Bay, take your pick) tried to retcon the Decepticon logo as being The Fallen's face.

Yeah, and canonically speaking the Autobot logo is Primus' face. However there's no in-canon explanation as to why Soundwave and Prowl's faces happen to resemble the faces of The Fallen and Primus respectively.

[Sam]

The names Autobot and Decepticon would have been coined by one of Bob Budiansky, Jim Shooter or Denny O'Neil. Like the faction symbols, they're obviously not very deep compound words based on automaton, robot, deception and con.

I always thought they were called Autobots because most of them transformed into automobiles. But that's just my guess.

[Paulbot]

I always thought they were called Autobots because most of them transformed into automobiles. But that's just my guess.

Me too.

And it's better than "Autonomous Robotic Organisms"