Lukis Bros Transformers Collector Site

News Item

Subscribe to our news feed, and get our updates sent to you.

Old-School McKnockoffs!

Posted by:

Perceptor at 2008-12-10 10:48 pm (site update)

You thought the Animated Happy Meal toys were cool? HA! Back in the 80's your Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, french fries, McNuggets, even your "hot cakes" & cup of coffee were not safe! They were ALL robots in disguise! Not quite Transformers, the "Changeables" were among the most bizarre Transformers knockoffs to ever have been created! Check out the all new ~character page, now linked in the 1988 Transformers Section!

For those of us old enough to remember when McDonald's packaged every one of their cheeseburgers in 'not-exactly-Earth-friendly-styrofoam' containers, we thought you would get a kick out of this!

You can also view the original TV commercial on X-Entertainment.com. Thanks to Ben Yee , encyclopedia of Transformers (and related toy!) knowledge, for helping me identify these crazy things and pointing out the article on x-entertainment.com!

Comments

Overhaul said, - 2008-12-10 21:34:37

OMG!!! I remember these guys!!!
As I recall, they were called the "Food Changeables"!.
Considering that as a kid, my family didn't have much money, I played with whatever transforming toy I could find, including some of these.
If memory serves, there were at least three waves of these: The "Food Changeables", the "New Food Changeables", and the "Dino Changeables" (where they transformed into dinosaurs). I'm sure you've got some of each in the pics.
BTW, the link to view the comercials seems to be forbidden... at least right now. I shall try later.
But thanks for the piece of nostalgia from my childhood, Perceptor!

Agent X said, - 2008-12-10 22:39:49

ah, flashing back to my childhood

Byrer prime said, - 2008-12-11 05:47:21

I was never sure if these were official Transformers or not. My mom always liked Burger King, so we didn't make the big M too often. Does anybody remember the Wendy's Gobots?

Emma said, - 2008-12-11 06:06:05

I think I still have a few of those things sitting in my old crate of transformers at my parents' place. I remember by brother and I got all the dino ones during a family holiday to York.

Looking at them, that one that's listed as 'Coffee' dino is actually just a regular drink. Also, its been transformed wrong. The whole cup split along it it's length with a hinge at the base so you had the head at the top, the tail (right in front of the face in the picture) at the bottom, and the dino standing almost twice as tall as the cup mode.

skywarp1985 said, - 2008-12-11 06:28:51

these were great premiums. from what i can tell your missing at least two there is a cheese burger that is a robot and another frech fry that becomes a dino.

Brian said, - 2008-12-11 08:15:39

I remember these too. Gosh. Looks like they were spread across 1987, 1989 and 1990. Looks like these are a mix of the ones from 1987 and 1989.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changeables

Sabrblade. said, - 2008-12-11 10:36:04

I had the Quarter Pounder and two of the McNuggets guys.

I remember that I always had trouble getting the Quarter Pounder open as a kid.

I also remember having this happy meal toy of a Happy Meal box that would turn into a computer. Does anyone know what year and set this toy came with?

Cheetor2 said, - 2008-12-11 11:02:33

Ah the memories... I remember having the drink, the quarterpounder the Big Mac and the Fries. Kinda still wish I had them. Just a cool novelty item to have around.

Jumpercliff said, - 2008-12-11 17:38:50

Awwww, so cute! These would make great stocking stuffers!

Veeble fetzer said, - 2008-12-14 15:21:17

x-e is a great site. Lots of tf and other stuff too. And the admin Matt is very funny in his articles.(search for the "Decepticon backpack!)

I hope yee gets bwtf back on line soon! Best of luck!

kup said, - 2009-01-05 05:50:47

kup mus say it

Return to Lukis Bros Transformers Collector Site