Transforming toy robots were a very popular toy concept in the 1980s. The main feature was that an everyday object, machine or animal could transform into a robot. Toylines that used this concept include

• Transformers (Hasbro/Takara) a very popular franchise pitting two robot factions against each other. The robots could transform into a wide range of things, like animals and vehicles.
• Machine Robo/Gobots (Bandai/Tonka) mostly die-cast toys where the robots could transform into machines like cars, boats and airplanes
• Rock Lords (Bandai/Tonka), a spin-off of Gobots which featured robots that could transform into rocks
• Changeables, created by the McDonald's company to capitalize on the transforming robot boom - here robots could transform into company products such as french fries or a hamburger.
• Webdiver and Daigunder (Takara) were series of transformable toys with built in TV interactivity that were created while there was a lull in Takara's Transformers sales.
• Tobot (Young Toys) a Korean series that features robots that can transform into vehicles.