14 DAY TRIAL // The movie “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction” isn't the only thing that the long-standing trademark will spawn this year. If we're interpreting things right, there might soon be a website dedicated to the 3D printing of transformers.
There have been a bunch of cartoon series and films based on the concept of robotic aliens that can take the shape of cars.
During the past decade alone we've seen three films and two TV series starring the autobots and their human friends.
In the end, though, it all comes back to Hasbro. After all, transformers are, at the core, toys, and the TV series and films exist to sell toys.
And now that there is an actual source of transformer sparks and frames in the Transformers cosmology, so to speak, we have a concept that can be translated into a “source” for the toys themselves.
In other words, since factories and assembly lines aren't exactly the sort of thing that kids are interested in, Hasbro is creating an AllSpark.
Only instead of a giant cosmic cube, the new trademark (written as ALLSPARK in ALLCAPS for some reason) refers to a website where customers will be able to place orders and customize their action figures.
You will even be allowed to download a three-dimensional model, share it with others on the Internet for use with your own 3D printer (if you have one) and even place orders.
Moreover, Hasbro intends for the AllSpark to host some multiplayer online games, which everyone from around the globe can access.
And it's not just toys that the outfit is thinking of either, but also hobby models, office products, household goods, ornaments, jewelry, etc.
That leaves only what can be read between the lines. Hasbro hasn't actually stated this, but the AllSpark website will probably become a means to gauge customer interest and base its next toys (and, by extension, the next transformers to show up in a film or TV series) on the ideas of the visitors.
After all, if consumer feedback drives your business, then the logical thing is to get as much of it as possible. Having long-running fan favorites/stars like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee can only do so much, and even they need a frame / alt-mode change once in a while.
Through the AllSpark website, Hasbro will be able to learn what its potential buyers would like to see next without actually asking the question. A solid business plan if ever there was one.