Another crew of robotic warriors from the ’80s is powering up for a new generation.
The Nacelle Co. — producers of Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us, The Movies That Made Us, and the multiplatform A Toy Store Near You — are relaunching Robo Force, a transmedia property that originally debuted in 1984. The Ideal Toy Co. produced Robo Force toys that had a companion animated special — Robo Force: The Revenge of Nazgar — from Ruby-Spears productions that aired on CBS. The Nacelle Co. acquired the rights to Robo Force from Toyfinity, which had been producing collector-focused toys based on the property since 2013.
“Acquiring Robo Force is a significant step forward for our company and we want to be respectful of its past while making sure the characters and storylines are exciting to people who aren’t old, like me,” says Brian Volk-Weiss, founder and CEO of The Nacelle Co.
In the mid-’80s, Robo Force, led by Maxx Steele, spawned a short-lived licensing boom that included trading cards from Topps, recorded stories from Disney’s Buena Vista Records, books from Random House, and more. The Nacelle Co. says that the brand took “a page out of the Star Wars game plan” plastering “the Robo Force logo on everything from lunchboxes and books, to pillowcases and bedsheets.”
The franchise relaunch plans include a new TV series, publishing, and, of course, toys. Look for the rollout to begin later this year.