Hasbro Kicks Off Transformers 35th Anniversary with Angela Bassett

How are you “more than meets the eye?” That’s the question Hasbro posits in a new campaign launched today in honor of the Transformers franchise’s 35th anniversary.

Fans, celebrities, and those who’ve worked on the Transformers franchise will embrace and showcase the secrets that make them More Than Meets the Eye through a series of videos. The campaign begins with a video featuring Academy Award nominee Angela Bassett (Black Panther, American Horror Story) discussing how, in addition to being a Golden Globe Award winner, she is also a graduate of Yale College and Yale University. In the recent film, Bumblebee, Bassett takes her place in Transformers lore by voicing the Decepticon character, Shatter.

New videos in the More Than Meets the Eye campaign will be released throughout the year. Hasbro promises that “familiar faces – both new and old” who have impacted the franchise over the last 35 years will appear — including individuals involved in the creation of the Transformers: The Movie (1986), along with Transformers game designers, comic book creators, and more.

Transformers fans are encouraged to share their own hidden talents, passions, and endeavors using #MoreThanMeetsTheEye on social media.

The success of Bumblebee has been fueling Transformers sales at retail, as noted in Hasbro’s strong first quarter performance this year.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.