While cartoons help, there have been numerous instances of Transformers managing fine or succeeding quite well without a cartoon.

Some examples include:

* Transformers - the non-cartoon years.
As you know, Transformers has never been out of production which is why fans like us have been able to continuously collect these toys since 1984. But we have certainly had years when there were no new cartoons on TV. In the West these would be: 1988-1995, 2002

* 1984 = in the United States the Transformers toyline debuted in early 1984. #1 of the comics didn't hit newsagents until May 8, but the cartoon didn't air until September 17. In spite of this, by the end of 1984 the Transformers toyline had grossed US$1.4 million in the USA alone. I don't know exactly what the pre and post cartoon sales were, but even if we were to attribute half of the sales to the cartoon, that would still mean that the toys alone raked in US$700,000, which would be a lot more if you adjusted for inflation today.

* 1996 = Beast Wars. History repeated itself. The TV series didn't properly begin until September 16, meaning that for most of this year the BW toys had to sell on their own power. By 1997 Beast Wars had become the third best selling action figure line after Toy Story and Star Wars.

* 2001 = Robots In Disguise, Australia. You'll remember when RiD came out here. It was months before the cartoon aired yet these toys were flying off shelves! Heck, how many of us were importing Car Robot toys in 2000 without having seen the anime and despite the AUD hitting record lows like 46US cents to the AUD.

At the end of the day, kids love good toys - with or without a cartoon. Many of us were purchasing G1 Transformers long before they ever appeared on the show. Come to think of it, the cartoon was largely irrelevant when it came to my collecting decisions as a kid. By the time a character appeared in an episode, I would either...
* Already own the toy
* Didn't own the toy but it was already on my want list
* Didn't own the toy but it was already on my skip list
Take Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime, just as 2 examples. I got Hot Rod months before I ever saw him on screen. And Rodimus Prime, being such a terrible figure, was on my skip list. Even after watching TFTM in cinemas I wasn't persuaded to get this toy. Years later I did get one because a friend of mine "grew out" of toys (har!) and gave his to me. But I don't remember ever seeing a Transformer appear on screen and then feeling like I then suddenly wanted the toy.

I guess as a kid without a disposable income I couldn't afford to get toys just because I liked the show character. I got the toy because I liked the toy. I later filled in the gaps as more and more other kids around me "grew out" of Transformers and either gave away their collections or sold them cheaply. There's no way that I would make some of the impulsive purchasing decisions that I do now as an adult. The only real difference that the cartoon made on me was that I'd change the way that I'd voice or act a toy out after seeing them appear on the cartoon. Because before then I'd just give them some 'normal' voice, but then I'd adjust my voice for that character after hearing them on the cartoon. Wow, Seaspray sounds like Mer-Man now? Okay.

Heck, we never had any Lego shows or movies in the 80s, and those toys were immensely popular. Yet so many other toylines with cartoons ended up failing.