Kid Stuff

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The Transformers

Raise your hand if you know what one of these is.

Kid Stuff was a publisher of children's read-along audio storybooks in the 1980s. They published innumerable titles based on franchises such as G.I. Joe, the Care Bears, Garfield, My Little Pony, and many others. The storybooks typically came with an audio cassette or 45rpm record. They also released VHS versions of some of their titles.

1 Transformers books
2 Titles
- 2.1 Adapted Big Looker books
- 2.2 Kid Stuff originals
3 External links

Transformers books

Kid Stuff published a number of Transformers titles in 1985. There were two sets of books; one consisted of adapted Big Looker stories previously published by Marvel Books, while the other group contained original stories. Many of the original stories are not credited, but similar plot elements and dialog styles make it seem likely that they were all written by John Braden.

The original stories form their own little continuity, with a common set of oddities. Among the defining aspects of the stories:

Only Optimus Prime, Prowl, Megatron and Soundwave speak in most adventures. But there are exceptions.
Soundwave is a simpering toady.
The Dinobots fly around in their beast forms.
There exist literally hundreds of Dinobots.
The Autobots fly around in their robot and vehicle forms.
Every Transformer jet is a "Superjet". Not only the Seekers and Skyfire, but a mysterious team of Autobot superjets unique to this continuity.
Megatron is obsessed with mole-boring machines.
Megatron is obsessed with calling Soundwave a "tape-filled idiot" and variants thereof. In fact, Soundwave is treated as the Decepticons' whipping boy instead of Starscream.
Megatron is obsessed with acquiring oil, to the exclusion of all other fuels. Energon is never mentioned.
Events tend to occur in obscure geographic locations, all of which are specified by name, with a particular focus on the Pacific Rim.
Violence on a massive scale is disturbingly common. The Rocky Mountains are melted into a molten puddle, massive volcanic eruptions are triggered, entire jungles are leveled, the Andes Mountains collapse into the sea, world weather patterns are violently altered, coastal cities are flooded, and thousands of human slaves die in a huge explosion. Nobody seems very much bothered by any of this.