Robots in the Skies

That’s what I thought the phrase was when I first saw an episode of the cartoon series ages ago. It was only some months later, when I got my first (and only) Transformers action figure, that I found out that the phrase actually read “robots in disguise”. Some relatives had just come from the UK, and they brought everyone gifts for Christmas. Although I knew that the Optimus Prime toy was not really meant for me, I had lain claim to it with the zeal of a toy-deprived seven year-old as soon as I found out what was underneath the cheap gift wrapping paper.

I was addicted to the Transformers for the longest time: the cartoons, the toys, and everything that had anything to do with it. I remember how pissed I got whenever my dad would rather watch the prime time news instead of the Transformers, how I had to go to my aunt who lived just a block away and beg her to let me watch the show on their TV. I remember how I had to settle for the cheaper and far less classy Gobots toys because we couldn’t even afford to buy Bumblebee while my grade school classmates were bragging about their new Grimlocks and Soundwaves (Optimus had pretty much gone out of commission by then). I remember not seeing the Transformers movie (where Megatron pretty much killed everyone, Cybertron was on the brink of being eaten by Unicron, and Hot Rod turned into Rodimus Prime by using the Matrix) because we did not have a Betamax or VHS player.

That was the story of my youth: barely any Transformers, no He-man, no GI Joe, no Figurine-Panini sticker album of the Thundercats or the Care Bears. But I had my Optimus Prime. And I had tex (or teks or text—I won’t even bother explaining what these are to those who haven’t got a clue), I had trumpo, I had basketball, I had patintero, I had habulang base, I had langit-lupa, I had touching ball (fuck dodge ball)—shit my pants, I guess I did not have a very unhappy childhood after all!

Earlier today I went to Toy Kingdom at Robinson’s Galeria to look at some new Transformers toys for the upcoming live-action movie (remember 747—July 4, 2007). Sad to say, I was quite disappointed. The new versions were made of cheap plastic (unlike the toys of 20 years ago which were mostly made of die-cast metal) and were of questionable quality and origin. Even though I have enough money now to satisfy my once-deprived longing for Transformers toys, I never, even for a moment, thought of buying one.

I can’t remember what had happened to my Optimus Prime: I guess I simply grew up and completely forgot about it. Then again, we never really completely grow up, do we?

I still have my PS2, my comic books, my World of Warcraft cards, my anime… And as I am writing this, I can see my Devastator (which I bought at some obscure mall in Pasay late last year) and the complete Transformers collection which Jollibee sold with its Jolly Kiddie Meals some months back. Whoopie-doo!