I say this with all due respect, but the classic toyline shows never make it clear to me who's who. GI Joe is okay with this sometimes, because usually the human characters all have some distinguishing feature (even if that's something sometimes very basic and cosmetic, like their hair or their clothing or something). But any problems GI Joe have are multiplied with the non human character based franchises.
Transformers is hard to keep track of names for. Oh, I can remember maybe 10 to 20 names. But ask me to place them to their characters, and it'll be hard. I don't remember Sideswipe from Windcharger. The Constructicons all kind of blur together to me. I...what are their names? I ask this rhetorically, but moreso just to prove how hard it is to remember names and designs and even character traits sometimes.
You'd think the toys would want good stories and characterization to warrant them being toys. Because who buys something with no soul? It's a toy, isn't it meant for some amount of creativity? You don't have to do all the work for everyone, but come on. Give the toys more than just toys. I think this is why I didn't love toys as a kid. I'm not super good with my hands, and I'm far better with thinking too much. Sometimes that gives me bad depression. But sometimes it gives me 50 ideas for stories I'll never write. I think I just move too fast with my mental ideas for toylines. Maybe. Honestly, I don't remember why I was never big into toys. But this sounds plausible.
