When you look at its direct competitor at that period in time (ie. Gobots), IMO the TF cartoon was just_that_much_better than what Gobots offered . I don't know if it was the cool TF characters (Dinobots, Gestalts, Scheming Starscream etc.) compared to the unbearably-cheesy Gobots characters, or the gripping storylines of TFs in comparison to the at-times awful plotlines of Gobots... At the end of the day, TFs are still going strong while their 1980's competitor has long since died... 'Nuff said