Buzzworthy Bumblebee

Mega 1-Step Bumblebee, old product in new packaging, a staple of earlyBuzzworthy.

The "Troop Builder Multipack", more indicative of what the line became. Also, one of the namesGrimlockcalledFortress Maximus.

Buzzworthy Bumblebeeis avery confusingtoyline with a focus that has shifted over time.ExclusivetoTargetin the United States andToys "R" Usin Canada, it was initially a cross-toylinesubline imprintthat focused on various incarnations of everybody's favourite yellow Autobot,Bumblebee.Toys from this line began appearing both in stock at online retailers and on store shelves in late2020and early2021,whileHasbronever officially announced the line properly. With vibrant yellow packaging like the previousTransformers: Bumblebeetoyline, and package art prominently featuring an "Evergreen"-styledBumblebee,Buzzworthy Bumblebeecentered around versions of Bumblebee from across the brand's history, as well as his closest human allies and most heated Cybertronian foes.

In 2022, the line began to diversifyconsiderably,with the product output of figures thatweren'tBumblebee or even Bumblebee-associated outnumbering those that were by a large margin, due to otherwise unrelatedredecosof figures from the contemporaryStudio SeriesandLegacylines utilizing theBuzzworthy Bumblebeebranding simplybecause.2022 was also when Hasbro actually bothered to officially acknowledge and announce these redecos in advance.

As of early 2024, the line's future is... uncertain. In 2023, a few items were canceled, and alotofBuzzworthyproduct ended up in clearance outlets for the holiday season. As of mid-2024, no newBuzzworthyproduct has been seen or announced since October 2023, but other Target-exclusive products that would nominally fall under the branding have been revealed, and they're main-line-branded. So it's not looking good.

Toys

Owing to the...unsystematiclayout of theBuzzworthy Bumblebeeline, as well as its general lack of any advance notice in terms of release schedule, we've elected to delineate this page into what toylines each figure (or multi-pack) supplements. The alternative would be to try and force a structure onto something that plainly doesn't have one, and that way lies madness. That said, the toylines being supplemented are listed in rough order of their introduction into theBuzzworthyline.

War for Cybertron Trilogy

Core Class Bumblebee

TheWar for Cybertron Trilogyportion ofBuzzworthy Bumblebeefeatures the majority of the subline's new tooling, including two all-new molds: a diminutive Core Class Bumblebee (retailing for five (or more) bucks more than the regular Core Class, owing to an included Spike Witwicky mini-figure), and a Deluxe Class "Origin Bumblebee", representing the character's Cybertronian mode from "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1"for the first time in toy form. A" Worlds Collide "multi-pack also falls under this banner, and its selection of characters, combined with the volcanic environment depicted on Core Class Bumblebee's card art, more specifically ties these toys to the concurrentWar for Cybertron: Kingdomsubline in all but name.

Studio Series

Deluxe ClassRevenge of the FallenBumblebee

Voyager ClassThe Transformers: The MovieIronhide

Tying intoStudio Series,this assortment copies that line's packaging design – including the cardboard diorama backdrops – but replacesStudio's ubiquitous red design elements with a friendly yellow. The first Deluxe Class assortment consists of figures mostlyredecoed and/or retooledfrom previousStudio Seriesreleases, with each toy gaining a "BB" as part of its ID number to differentiate it from its mainline release. The 74BBRevenge of the FallenBumblebee actually ended up coming outearlierthan its"regular" counterpart.2021 saw the addition of "Battle Packs", comprising of new backdrops and re-releases (or minor redecoes) ofStudiotoys dating back three years prior, and even a redeco ofa toypredatingStudio Seriesentirely! A second Deluxe Class assortment followed in late 2021, now diversifying, like the mainStudio Seriesline, into screen-accurate toys of characters fromThe Transformers: The Movie.2023 saw multiple new releases that resulted in all seven live-action movies being included in the line.

Age of Extinction

Outside of the "Generations"-branded toylines,Buzzworthysaw the surprise return ofAge of Extinction'sRobots in DisguiseMega 1-Step Bumblebee.The new packaging still features the iconography of that movie's toyline.

Cyberverse

Spark Armor Bumblebee and Trash Crash

Buzzworthy Bumblebeemostly goes for re-releases to represent theCyberversecorner of the franchise, with the only exception so far being "Spark Armor" Bumblebee's smaller partner, a redecoed version ofGrimlock's partnerTrash Crash.In addition to the Spark Armor assortment, this segment of the toyline also includes a boxed set of four unchanged Warrior Class figures, an assortment of thus far eight equally unchanged 1-Step Changers and a boxed set of three unchanged Deluxe Class figures – the packaging for which doesn't actuallysay"Cyberverse"anywhere, but we've put them all here for the sake of convenience.

Bumblebee

The then-recentBumblebeemovie toyline was represented inBuzzworthythrough unchanged re-releases starting with a repackagedPower Charge Bumblebee.

A two-pack consisting of two "Energon Igniters" figures was listed at Target's website as being co-branded as part of the seventh installment in thelive-action film series,Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,ahead of the official announcement ofanytoys connected to it. Later on, when the two-pack was listed again on theToys "R" UsHong Kong page, the branding on the packaging was changed to that of theBumblebeefilm, presumably due to the one-year delay of theRise of the Beastsrelease date.

Robots in Disguise(2015)

By this far down the page, the word "Bumblebee" has lost all meaning.

Apparently leaving no stone unturned,Buzzworthy Bumblebeereaches into the 2015Robots in Disguisetoylineand brings back someCrash Combiners,now rechristened as "Crash & Combine" toys. These partially automorphing toys curiously make use of "evergreen"designs for each individual character art – though the combiner identities are rendered in the characteristicRobots in Disguiseart style. We've elected to keep things simple and put them on theRobots in Disguisecharacters' pages.

Legacy

Deluxe Class Autobot Silverstreak

TheLegacyportion ofBuzzworthy Bumblebeefeatures aDiaclone-styled redeco to complement theLegacy-brandedGenerations Selectsline, as well as redecoes ofKingdomfigures based on theoriginalBeast Warstoyline.

Rise of the Beasts

Beast Weaponizer Scorponok

Of course, with a big new movie in theaters,Buzzworthywasn't going to get left out ofRise of the Beastsproduct.

Notes

• The "Worlds Collide" multi-pack made headlines for suddenly appearing at aWalmartstore (due to an apparent shipment error) in the U.S., rather than the line's exclusive retailer, Target.^[1]Similarly, the two "Crash & Combine" sets popped up at aToys "R" UsinCanadabefore anyUSsighting.
• TheBuzzworthy Bumblebeetoyline's exclusivity was split between two stores inNew Zealand,withKmartonly carrying figures aimed at younger audiences such as the "Mega 1-Step Bumblebee", and even the Core Class "Bumblebee / Spike Witwicky" two-pack, whileFarmerscarried the rest. On the other hand, several items, such as the "Worlds Collide" pack, never saw release in New Zealand, but theStudio Series-branded "Battle Packs" did, and were sold through Farmers. While likewise not receiving all items,Australiasaw a similar release split between Kmart andits version of Targetfor the majority of the line, with larger items like the "Worlds Collide" set instead appearing at Mr Toys Toyworld,JB Hi-FiandEB Games/ZiNG Pop Culture.

References