The Legacy of Optimus Prime : an Exhibition Guide
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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Library and Community-based Exhibits Library Outreach 7-10-2012 Transform and Roll Out : The Legacy of Optimus Prime : An Exhibition Guide Anthony J. Casale, James Anthony Schnur, Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/npml_outreach_exhibits Scholar Commons Citation Casale,, Anthony J. and Schnur,, James Anthony, "Transform and Roll Out : The Legacy of Optimus Prime : An Exhibition Guide" (2012). Library and Community-based Exhibits. 24. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/npml_outreach_exhibits/24 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Library Outreach at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Library and Community-based Exhibits by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. An Exhibition Guide by Anthony J. Casale Graduate Student USF School of Information 2 June—3 August 2012 Nelson Poynter Memorial Library University of South Florida St. Petersburg Transform and Roll Out: The Legacy of Optimus Prime This exhibit was planned, arranged, and designed to inform and educate the University of South Florida St. Petersburg community and members of the general public. Exhibition Design Team Anthony J. Casale, Curator and Display Coordinator James Anthony Schnur, Special Collections Librarian/ Faculty Advisor With special thanks and appreciation to Regina Casale The Nelson Poynter Memorial Library Our exquisite library anchors scholarship and research at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. The current library building opened in 1996. In addition to comprehensive mono‐ graphic and scholarly collections, the Poynter Library supports distance education initiatives on campus, offers our students and faculty access to electronic resources available through the USF System, and includes a Special Collections and University Archives reading room with excellent sources related to Floridiana and local history. An Exhibition Guide by Anthony J. Casale Graduate Student USF School of Information edited by James Anthony Schnur Associate University Librarian 2 June—3 August 2012 Nelson Poynter Memorial Library University of South Florida St. Petersburg © 2012 Display cases on the first floor Since 1984, Transformers has been an inescapable part of our culture, with its toys, television shows, comic books, movies, video games and more providing a continuous wellspring of captivating stories and memorable characters. Unarguably, of all the many characters that have left their mark on the Transformers universe, none is as recog‐ nizable, more beloved, or as celebrated as the leader of the heroic Autobots, OPTIMUS PRIME. Optimus Prime is the embodiment of compassion, honor and cour‐ age. He believes that freedom is everyone’s right, and he will fight tirelessly to protect his troops and any and all innocent creatures—to the extent that he would sacrifice his own life if it meant saving an‐ other. His wisdom, patience and charisma make him a role model for many of the Autobots under his command who want nothing more than to make him proud. To the people of Earth, as well as beings from other cultures who have encountered him, he is a friend, a champion and a true hero. Originally relegated to a group of beloved characters from 1980s pop culture, Optimus Prime has managed to maintain a high profile with subsequent generations, and while Transformers has been rebooted and rewritten many times over the years, Optimus Prime—who he is, what he stands for and believes in—has remained consistent throughout. Today, he can sit comfortably among an elite group of fictional heroes with household names and long‐term relevance, e.g., Superman, Spider‐Man, Captain America, Luke Skywalker, etc. With Transformers nearing its 30‐year anniversary, there is little doubt that Optimus Prime will continue to inspire children and adults for many years to come. 1984‐1991: THE HEYDAY OF THE ORIGINAL G1 OPTIMUS PRIME Casale Anthony by Photograph The first Transformers toys, later referred to as Generation 1 (G1), were sold by Hasbro in 1984 and consisted entirely of toys that had previously been offered in Japan as part of Ta‐ kara’s Diaclone and Microchange lines; the first Optimus Prime toy was based on the Diaclone Battle Convoy figure from 1983. When the Transformers concept and characters were imported back to Japan, Optimus Prime was renamed Convoy as an homage to his Diaclone roots. As Optimus Prime, this toy has been reissued more times over the years than any other single Transformer. X ‐ Counter Source: Photograph Diaclone Battle Convoy (1983) Decepticon Heroic Source: Photograph Boxed sample of Transformers (aka Generation 1) Optimus Prime (1984) TFWiki.net Source: Photograph Generation 1 Optimus Prime (1984) In the original Transformers animated series (1984‐87), Optimus Prime began life as a naïve dock worker named Orion Pax. Nine mil‐ lion years ago, Orion was befriended, then betrayed and nearly de‐ stroyed, by Decepticon leader Megatron. After being renamed and rebuilt into a powerful warrior by Alpha Trion, Optimus Prime was granted possession of the fabled Matrix of Leadership. His strength and leadership soon gave new hope to the Autobots, who had been crippled in the war against the Decepticons. Once the war found its way to our world, Prime swore to protect the planet and all its in‐ habitants from the wrath of the Decepticons, who sought to steal all of Earth’s energy resources. Optimus Prime as Orion Pax, circa 9,000,000 B.C., TFWiki.net as seen in the G1 episode Source: “War Dawn” (1986) Photograph Optimus Prime on Earth, TFWiki.net circa 1984, as seen in the G1 cartoon Source: Photograph The U.S. Transformers comic book series by Marvel, which debuted in May 1984 and ran concurrently with the animated series, told a very different story—setting the stage for the Transformers brand today being peppered with different continuities and multiple takes on the same events. The comic book did not shed much light on Optimus Prime’s past, but the books published by Marvel UK delved more into his back story. Millions of years ago, Prime and Megatron were gladiatorial combat rivals on Cybertron. As Megatron began leading Decepticon assaults across the planet, Prime became a soldier and gradually worked his way up the ranks until the Autobot Council of Elders made him leader. TFWiki.net Source: Photograph Optimus Prime as seen in Marvel’s The Transformers #1 (1984) In 1985, Takara brought the Transformers characters and concepts back to Japan, more or less supplanting their Diaclone and Micro‐ change incarnations. Much like the U.S., the Transformers line flour‐ ished in Japan, and over the years there have been a wealth of Trans‐ formers toys, and even whole product lines, that have never made it to U.S. shores. One of the earliest Japanese‐exclusive Transformers lines was Transform Jr. (originally called Transform Gōkin), which was a series of figures recast in a slightly smaller scale. There were two versions of Transform Jr. Convoy: one that came with a cardboard version of the trailer, and one that did not. Cliffbee.com Transform Jr. Source: Convoy (1985) Photograph In 1986, Optimus Prime was killed off in the comic book as well as in the animated feature Transformers: the Movie. As far as the film was concerned, it was strictly business: many older characters died in the movie in order to make room for a new cast of characters whose toys were just arriving in stores. However, intense outcry from upset chil‐ dren and angry parents led to his being resurrected in the TV series seven months later. (derivative) TFWiki.net TFWiki.net Source: Source: Photograph Photograph Prime died from the damage he …and was blown to bits in received in Transformers: the Movie… Marvel’s The Transformers #24 Unlike the cartoon, his resurrection in the comics had been planned from the outset, although it did not occur until 1988. His return coin‐ cided with the release of the Powermaster (PM) Optimus Prime toy. An impressive figure in its day, PM Prime featured two different ro‐ bot modes: a “regular” robot mode made from the cab of his tractor trailer mode, and a larger “Powermaster” robot mode formed by combining the cab with the trailer. Beginning in 2000, a string of Op‐ timus Prime/Convoy toys would borrow this design feature. G1 Powermaster TFWiki.net Optimus Prime (1988) Source: Photograph Optimus Prime as a Powermaster in Marvel’s The Transformers #42 (1988) TFWiki.net Source: Photograph The final run of G1 figures in 1990 focused largely on Action Masters, Transformers figures whose weapons and vehicles transformed, while the figures themselves did not. Armored Convoy with Optimus Prime was the largest Action Master set released. In popular fiction, this version of Prime made it into the very last issue of the U.S. comic book. TFWiki.net Source: Photograph G1 Action Master Armored Convoy with Optimus Prime (1990) The popularity of Transformers, which had peaked with the release of the 1986 film, had begun to taper off more and more with each passing year. Despite the ap‐ pearance of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and many other early G1 characters, the ill TFWiki.net ‐received Action Masters were seen as the Source: final nail in the coffin of a dying fad; thus, Hasbro pulled the plug on Transformers in the U.S. by the end of 1990. The line con‐ Photograph tinued in other parts of the world, how‐ ever. In Japan, the 1991 Return of Convoy line saw the release of Star Convoy, a gi‐ Optimus Prime returned gantic, futuristic new version of G1 Op‐ in his Action Master form timus Prime that, as of 2012, has never in Marvel’s The been released in the U.S. Transformers #80 (1991) TFWiki.net Source: TFWiki.net Source: Photograph Photograph G1 Star Convoy (1991) Star Convoy, as seen in the Battlestars story pages in TV Magazine 1993‐1995: GENERATION 2—A MINOR COMEBACK… AND A WEALTH OF NEW OPTIMUS PRIME FIGURES Casale Anthony by Photograph In 1993, Hasbro decided to revive the brand in the U.S.