Hasbro’s Marie Navarro discusses 40 years of TRANSFORMERS – and the nostalgic appeal of vinyl

Marie, it’s great to connect. This is the first time we’ve spoken to you for Brands Untapped, so before we talk TRANSFORMERS, can you tell us a little about how you came to be working in licensing?
After working at a record label for several years, I came to Hasbro to manage and grow our music catalogue, as well as our relationships with both our distribution and publishing partners. This progressed into also working in location-based entertainment, focusing on building our live show, pop-up and traveling experience categories.

Music is integral to setting the tone of any live experience, making it more immersive, communal and memorable, so there is natural overlap between the two areas which I love.

“In 2023 alone, our Hasbro-branded properties have attracted 55 million visitors!”

You are Senior Manager for Location-Based Entertainment & Music at Hasbro. What does that entail?
That’s right! Our Location-Based Entertainment (aka Global Experiences) and Music divisions are key franchise growth drivers at Hasbro, and I’m so proud to be part of these teams.

Through Global Experiences, our goal is to deliver unique branded experiences for our fans and families to help them connect with their favourite characters, stories and settings. Ultimately, we want consumers to create deeper emotional connections with our brands through these immersive in-person settings.

To-date, we have over 500 annual events globally and over 125 licensee-led properties open, including theme park attractions, branded hotels and restaurants, interactive life-sized games, family entertainment centres, live theatrical stage shows and more. In 2023 alone, our Hasbro-branded properties have attracted 55 million visitors!

You’ve been busy! Can you talk me some highlights?
This year, I had the pleasure of seeing our CLUE live show kick off a successful US tour which will continue to run through 2025. Our interactive D&D stage show – Twenty-Sided Tavern – is headed to Sydney Australia this December after its successful NYC off-Broadway premiere. PEPPA PIG also continues to shine on stage with a network of partners who activate theatrical productions across the globe. We’re always looking for ways to innovate and provide audiences with unique experiences on stage so watch this space!

As for our Music business, we’re expanding these offerings across the Hasbro portfolio, currently holding the largest content pipeline and investment to-date with over 400 new tracks due for release across TRANSFORMERS, PEPPA PIG, MY LITTLE PONY and more.

Hasbro is marking 40 years of TRANSFORMERS with the launch of Hasbro Presents: The Transformers: Music from the Original Animated Series. Can you talk us through this release? Why was it apt for this anniversary year?
This special music release brings fans back in time with tracks from 1984’s The TRANSFORMERS classic animated series – seasons one to three. In 2019, we released the original version which featured over 45 minutes of music, and for this year’s album we’ve upgraded to include bonus tracks and a mixture of remastered orchestral and Eighties-inspired synth tracks from the original tapes by composer, Rob Walsh. In addition to a vinyl version, the album is available digitally for everyone to enjoy. We thought this was such a nice way to pay homage to TRANSFORMERS’ beginnings.

And it’s gone down well?
The fan response to the album has been amazing, landing it the number one spot on the Billboard Kids chart for two consecutive weeks!

Fantastic! What does vinyl as a medium offer Hasbro in terms of creatively showcasing your brands, that maybe other types of music doesn’t?
It’s no secret that vinyl records have been making a comeback. Nostalgia plays a huge part in this, as consumers resort back to familiarity and things in the past that have brought them such positive and unforgettable memories. At Hasbro, we’re constantly leaning into the nostalgia factor across many of our programs to spark that joy! After all, our mission is to create joy and community for all people around the world, one game, one toy, one story at a time.

“It’s no secret that vinyl records have been making a comeback.”

The artwork on the album looks terrific.
I think it’s stunning as well. We collaborated with the renowned artist, Matt Ferguson, to create the album artwork, and I think it perfectly represents the original TRANSFORMERS characters that fans know and love from the original animated series, which again ignites that warm, nostalgic feeling.

Before we wrap up, why do you feel TRANSFORMERS continues to thrive four decades on?
The TRANSFORMERS brand has always been unique in its ability to adapt and change, while still staying true to its core concept that robots can convert into other forms. I think this sense of sparking imagination among fans of all ages has allowed the brand to thrive and see such great success in a multitude of formats.

From the robot-toy figures in 1984 and the Beast Wars toy line, to “dream” HasLab items for fans, premium auto-converting Robosen robots and current toy lines themed to the latest entertainment like TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK and TRANSFORMERS ONE… TRANSFORMERS products have always delivered on innovation, continuously reinventing itself to offer a variety of ways to play. This ability to evolve with our surroundings enables the TRANSFORMERS franchise to resonate with fans over the years.

“At the end of the day, I believe it’s the fans that have kept the brand alive!”

Beyond toys, we’ve brought the TRANSFORMERS franchise to live through wide-ranging mediums including in-person attractions, music, fashion, digital games, entertainment and so much more. We’ve been expanding the TRANSFORMERS universe through these fantastical touchpoints, and all these programs are grounded in our consumer insights and bringing branded experiences that our fans and families are searching for.

At the end of the day, I believe it’s the fans that have kept the brand alive! It’s not only Hasbro that believes that TRANSFORMERS is More Than Meets The Eye – the fans truly believe that too.

Good answer! Looking ahead, what other highlights should we look out for on the music side of things from Hasbro?
Recently, we announced the album Dungeons & Dragons – Bardic Inspiration: A Musical Journey through the Forgotten Realms, created by acclaimed composer Michael Gatt, in celebration of D&D’s 50th anniversary. Presenting 12 original tracks created to evoke locations within D&D’s Forgotten Realms, the special album will be available November 15th on vinyl, digital and Dolby Atmos.

2025 will see more new music for PEPPA PIG, MY LITTLE PONY and TRANSFORMERS, plus nostalgic releases from classic, iconic Eighties brands like JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS, G.I. JOE and more!

We’ll keep a look out! Thanks Marie.