If you're old enough to remember the original Transformers, He-Man and G.I. Joe toy lines, then chances are you'll also be aware of Battle Beasts. These small plastic figures were launched back in the late 1980s and came with heat-sensitive stickers on their chests which revealed the figure's affinity, such as wood, fire and water. The same kind of "rub-sign" was used on early Generation One Transformers toys — in fact, in Japan, Battle Beasts occupied the same universe as the famous morphing robots.
Takara Tomy still owns the rights to the Battle Beasts line, and has revived the toys — in Japan, at least — as Beast Saga. Predictably, the 3DS is getting a licensed video game tie-in, which is expected to launch in July.
Beast Saga: The Strongest Clash in the Colosseum is unlikely to see a release in the west, so for the time being you'll just have to make do with those dusty Battle Beast figures you have stashed away in that shoebox in your cupboard, next to the mint-in-box Optimus Prime and your Tomytronic 3D game.
In the meantime for all you nostalgia junkies, here's a real blast from the past:
[source siliconera.com]
Comments 35
I only vaguely remember them. I was born in '88 but I watched a lot of old cartoons and stuff.
YES!!!! I still have tons of Battle Beasts stored in a shoebox somewhere. They were basically like my first Pokemon... elemental affinities and all. The heat-sensitive stickers on their chests were totally RAD!
Yes... I am OLD. Which is also RAD!
You're not old, you're retro!
So that what pokemon used to be in B.V. (Before VideoGames)
I used to love these things!
Interesting... It might be a good game.
My brother and his mates used to play Battle Beasts football using my subuteo pitch.
@PeterW77 Lol, made me laugh, mainly cause I'm old 35, gamer for life
Ahh sweet memories : )
(I did not know they were called Battle Beasts though)
Oh yeah I remember them well! Think I had quite a few!
I was alive through the whole of the 1980's. I don't remember this at all.
ahahaha my brothers used to play with these when i was very young x'D i might get them this game for old times =)
I'm too young to remember Battle Beasts since I was born at the tail end of '87. My earliest television memories are of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and an old anime called Samurai Pizza Cats. I'd never heard of Battle Beasts till reading this article, but the old-school Transformers fan in me is suddenly intrigued.
@zemus-dj I'm 35 too, 36 later on this year.
I did have a couple of these. I wasn't a big fan back then, however I would love some toys and games like this to be releasd outside if Japan.
I take back what i said before. Today's product placement cartoons aren't the worst ever.
HECK YEAH BATTLE BEASTS
I just re-discovered these recently and I'm dying to collect the old figures again. The only one I remember owning was Major Moose, and my wife managed to find his figure complete with his weapon and a working rub on eBay. What a great birthday present.
Too bad the 3DS is region locked, otherwise I'd be all over this.
If you're old enough to remember the original Transformers, He-Man and G.I. Joe toy lines, then chances are you'll also be aware of Battle Beasts. >> i remember the first 3 but not battle beasts. i don't recall them being popular in the U.K.
game looks interesting though.
So where is Waveboy? I am sure this is his kind of article and surprised that he hasn't comment yet.
As for Battle Beasts I remember them. I didnt remember the name until now. I two have to of the figures that I don't even remember where or how I got them. One is an orange bear with a gun for one of his arms and he wears a respirator like mask and his symbol is wood. The other was a blue dragon lizard like thing that is water.
I actually made a small game using game maker for C64 with the bad guy being based directly on the white and purple fish looking guy. I only had a few but I'd stare at them for a long time. Very cool.
@misswliu81
Thanks, at least I'm not the only one then!
Man I used to love these! With the resurgence of other 80's like Transformers, GI Joe, etc I'm supprised that they haven't been brought back in the States yet, hopely they will be really popular in Japan and will make their way here again.
"in Japan, Battle Beasts occupied the same universe as the famous morphing robots."
They appeared in an episode of The Transformers.
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rebellion_on_Planet_Beast
I miss those, they were neat. I recall being somewhat bothered by the lack of articulation, but at the same time, there was nearly nothing available that had a decent range of movement. I think I had my batch of Battle Beasts be minions for some of my larger, more sinister looking toys.
That being said, I really didn't remember any commercials at all. It was equally dumb and awesome. Ahhh, 80's.
@misswliu81 I'm old enough to remember all three of those but can't remember these. Then again, I preferred toys that actually did something.
I loved these! They were beast!
@SpaceKappa you are living the life with your rad nerd wife! Right on!
@cornishlee: Same here, what the hell are these things?
I was born in 1980, I don't remember these.
yep, i had most of the figures, and this game was un released back in the day so this is cool news
I'm 35 as well. I didn't like these though. If they were going to do a video game out of an old toy line, I'm voting for MASK. It could play like Master Blaster with vehicle and non-vehicle segments. With multiple playable characters, That would be AWESOME!
@Rerun
Oddly enough, I was just trying to explain MASK to my girlfriend the other day ('no, not The Mask, MASK').
I have four of those figures (just to have the rabbit, but lost it). I never know what it was when I was a kid and I first got them second hand but I though they were awesome. Now, many years later I looked them up and found what it was. Would be cool if the game reaches Europe, and be good of course .
Wow, it's great reading everyone's memories of these toys. I loved them, but since my parents were pretty tight with the toy money, I only had 10 of them. I didn't think I'd wouldn't see them again after a couple of years (they wound up soon at the Thrifty Drug Store toy section). I remember the commercial vividly and only found out last year they were related to the Transformers.
Just last year I looked them up on Ebay and yep, out of my price range. But I still have my toys somewhere in my parents's garage. At least, I'm pretty sure. I would love to own them all someday!
wow i do remember having some of these.. didn't recognize the name till it mentioned the elemental rub signs..
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