The 80s was the era of the dual-personality toy and accompanying cartoon series. With the enormous popularity of everyone’s favorite robots, The Transformers, it was a given that the imitators would be following closely behind, in shows like M.A.S.K. and Challenge of the Gobots. And, of course, replicas of each shows vehicles were ready for purchase at the local toy store. One particular show with a unique twist was Voltron: Defender of the Universe. And the key to the show’s and the toys success was that all of the collective vehicles in the series could be joined together into one massive robot!

Voltron was a hybrid of two different Japanese cartoon series: Dairugger XV and Golion. The Harmony Gold Company managed to edit the two cartoons together, dub them in English, and create Voltron: Defender of the Universe for American audiences. The premise was simple – the planet Arus was under constant threat from the sinister planet, Doom. The survival of Arus depended on the skills of five pilots who had the advantage of being able to link their spacecraft together into a formidable robot called Voltron. And if there were ever a show perfectly suited for a line of toys, it was Voltron.

Matchbox Toys jumped on the Voltron bandwagon in the mid-eighties, creating five die cast and uniquely colored ships to correspond with each team member. Buy all five, and voila, instant Voltron robot. Action figures for each of the cartoon cast, both good and evil, were also available for purchase.

And with the success of both the toys and series, it was time to roll out the sequels. Voltron: Defender of the Near Future told a similar story as the original, although this time there were fifteen vehicles that could be combined to create a bigger and better Voltron. Talk about marketing genius at work. Matchbox did their part by introducing the prized Deluxe Warrior Set, containing all fifteen vehicles - everything one needed to assemble their very own die-cast super Voltron. These Deluxe Warrior sets were simply a must have for any serious collector of Voltron accessories and remain highly-prized to this day.

By the end of the 80s, the toys were no longer available but that didn’t do much to diminish Voltron’s popularity. Through the magic of reruns, new fans, adult and kid alike, were continuously being exposed the allure of Voltron. By 1998, popularity still hadn’t died down, so it was time to bring back an old favorite in a new series, Voltron: The Third Dimension. This time, tradition animation was combined with modern CGI, and celebrities such as Tim Curry even lent their vocal talents to the new series. This third incarnation managed to pick up an Emmy Award, and one might easily predict, it was time to roll out a whole new set of Voltron-based toys, this time from the company, Trendmasters – same basic concept but updated with both high-tech weapons and lion helmets.

While the newest generation of Voltron toys continue to enjoy success, they are no match for the original Matchbox toys, which are now highly-sought collectors items among the die hard fans of the show. It’s the robot that just keeps giving and giving and giving, and shows no signs of slowing in popularity. And if a class is ever taught on the successful marriage between television show and toy, it is certain that the epic adventures of Voltron will me a major chunk of the curriculum.