Battle Beasts

Battle Beasts is a line of small 2" tall action figure toys, in the form of anthropomorphised animals with body armor and a unique weapon. Several figures have their left hand replaced by a weapon of some kind. Battle Beasts were created and largely produced by Takara and distributed by Takara in Japan and by Hasbro outside Japan, beginning in 1987.

History

Battle Beasts were created by Takara of Japan in 1986. Tomy still owns the worldwide rights to the property. The heyday for the toyline came during the period in which it was licensed to Hasbro for distribution outside Japan when Hasbro marketed the toys in America and many other parts of the world. Although in the Japanese market Takara branded the toys as a spin-off of Transformers and even named the toys "BeastFormers", their tie-in to the Transformers universe was not part of the Hasbro story or marketing.
As part of the Takara strategy, many of the Battle Beasts appeared in the episode "Rebellion on Planet Beast" of the Japanese Transformers cartoon series Transformers: The Headmasters. The Battle Beasts reside on the planet Beast.
Four series were released overall. The first three contain beasts 1–76. Each figure has a heat sensitive rub sign on his/her chest and a hand-to-hand weapon. Three pull-back vehicles and three transforming bases were also released. The fourth series had 36 figures and was renamed Laser Beasts, the renaming corresponded with some minor changes to the figures. The entire Laser Beast line was released in Japan, and in small numbers in America and Europe. These figures have orbs in their chest instead of rubs and each came with a gun that resembled the creature who held it. Some small chariots were also released as part of the Laser Beast line in Japan. In addition to these figures, some promo figures were also made. These were made of clear plastic and were available only in special sets.
The figures were released in Japan in small boxes of individual figures and in larger multi-packs. In America Series 1, 2 and the 12 Laser Beasts were released on blister cards with two figures per card. Series 3 figures were only available in boxes of eight per package. The vehicles came in boxes and each came with a figure.

Story

The universe history of 2011 takes place in the galaxy territory of the Decepticon's "Planet Beast".
The intelligent race of animals called BeastFormers lived in peace on Planet Beast. However, the scheming evil hand of the Decepticons bent on domination of the entire universe to the peaceful Planet Beast was fast approaching.
To defeat the Lion Family that ruled Planet Beast, Galvatron supplied Alligatron with weapons in order to overthrow the Lion family. Alligatron was given the Sharkticons, who were the military escorts of the Decepticons to fight in the rebellion. This is how the BeastFormer war began.
The Beast Star was suddenly engulfed in war. Before Alligatron the wielder of the Decepticon Power and his Decepticon Beast's could capture the Cybertron Beasts, they were able to escape into the forest. In order to ask for help from the Autobots, the Cybertron Beast's strongest warrior Platinum Tiger had to make his way to the occupied communication room of the palace.
Alligatron planted a trap there called the "Holography Mirror". As soon as Platinum Tiger unwittingly set foot in the palace, a sudden flash of light trapped the strongest warrior in the holography mirror.
Is Planet Beast going to remain under occupation? What about the fate of the Supreme Commander White Leo's Cybertron Beasts? Can Platinum Tiger escape from the power of the Holography Mirror? Right now, the battle and mystery of the BeastFormers is just beginning.

Series 1–3: Battle Beasts

Battle Beasts came out in the late 1980s and like most toys of the era, had a gimmick to help sales. Each Battle Beast had a heat sensitive sticker on his chest which, when rubbed would reveal the warrior's strength. The symbols would represent either fire, wood or water and could be used in a rock, paper, scissors type game—fire beats wood, wood beats water, water beats fire. Later a fourth emblem was added, the Sunburst, and it would beat all other types. The Sunburst was extremely rare, in a ten pack in Japan, or Pirate Leo was available in America as a variant, despite claims that there were others of that affiliation. Each Beast also carried his own distinctive weapon which could be identified to its Beast with the corresponding number.
In the U.S. Battle Beasts came in packages of two, usually in numerical order. It was impossible to tell which figure had a rub of fire, wood, or water until the package was opened. That came in handy with marketing, as their slogan was, "Fire! Wood! Or Water!... You'll never know until you own them!". Also listed on the packages starting with Series 2 was the possibility of getting the Sunburst Warrior. There was a total of three series adding up to 76 Battle Beasts beginning with #1, Pirate Lion and ending with #76, Ossified Orangutan.
Series 1 & 2 were released in Japan, Europe and North America while Series 3 was only released in Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.

Series 4: Shadow Warriors

The fourth and final series released was named Shadow Warriors, or Laser Beasts in Japan. The heat sensitive sticker was replaced by an orb that could be seen through, depicting which clan the Beast represented.
The Shadow Warriors had a new slogan on the American package that read "Fire! Wood! Water!... Only the crystal shield will reveal their strength!". Shadow Warriors carried guns instead of the hand-to-hand weapons that the Battle Beasts had, and each gun resembled the creature to which it belonged.
The entire new series of 36 Laser Beasts and new sleds were released mainly in Japan. North America only received 12 of the new Laser Beasts, which were packaged as "Shadow Warriors" in two-pack blister cards. These were mainly sold by Value City stores. No accessories, such as sleds or shields, were released, although they appeared on the packaging. Some of the lower numbered Lasers were produced in Europe and a few came with unique shields and sleds that like the guns, resembled the animal it belonged to. The sleds from Japan were available in two colors and both were included in the Six Shield Battler set. In France a third color, purple, appeared. This exclusive color was included in the blister packs of Laser Beasts #93 to #96, the grey one was available with Beasts #89 to #92, and the bordeaux was available with Beasts #97 to #100. The main color of the sled is not the only difference. The color of the wheels change too. The grey sled has orange wheels, the bordeaux sled has black wheels and the purple sled has yellow wheels.
Six of the 12 shields were released only in Europe; #89 Brown Lion, #92 Hustlebear, #95 Dragon Seahorn, #97 Seapanic, #98 Puzzlecolor and #100 Scope Cougar.

List of Battle Beasts

All races are taken from the Battle Beasts/Laser Beasts Japanese Cards:

Series 1

Autobots

White Leo - An anthropomorphic white lion who is the eyepatch-wearing leader of the Autobot-aligned Battle Beasts and the King of Historam, North Snarl. Birth Place: Layku City. Role: His English name is Pirate Lion. He is the eleventh King of the Lion family, which has existed for thousands of years. Besides excelling in martial arts, he has supernatural abilities that allow him to use the ancient arts of universal creation that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Big Serow - An anthropomorphic serow who is the King of Saitan, Kantonia. Birth Place: Saitan. Role: . During the Great War, he served as White Leo's advisor. He has an excellent mind for tactical planning, and is meticulous and systematic in his actions. He is always calm, friendly, and kind. His English name is Deer Stalker.
Golder - An anthropomorphic tiger and the Emperor of Gun Marino, Kantonia. Birth Place: Gunmarino Plateau. Role: . He has a serious and strong sense of justice, and has the physical strength and tenacity to persevere in whatever he believes in. However, he also has a stubbornness that makes it difficult for him to change his opinion once he has decided to do something. His English name is Ferocious Tiger.
Fly Kick - An anthropomorphic white eagle who is the Emperor of Historam, North Snarl. Birth Place: Histrom Plateau. Role: . During the Great War, he distinguished himself as an aerial warrior. Never one to dwell on anything, he has a big heart and a strong desire to improve. The downside is that he sometimes gets carried away. His English name is Colonel Bird.
Elephan - An anthropomorphic elephant who is the King of Stoll, Kantonia. He serves as the Transportation Combatant for White Leo's forces. His English name is Sledgehammer Elephant.
Gray Sharp - An anthropomorphic rhinoceros who is the King of Petra, Muland. He serves as the Land Attack Warrior for White Leo's forces. His English name is Rocky Rhino.
Gray Ox - An anthropomorphic water buffalo who is the Emperor of Petra, Muland. He serves as the Amphibious Attack Warrior for White Leo's forces. His English name is Roamin' Buffalo.
Battle Bear - An anthropomorphic brown bear who is the Emperor of Saitan, Kantonia. He serves as the Mountains and Forest Combatant for White Leo's forces. His English name is Grizzly Bear.
Bonga - An anthropomorphic gorilla who is the King of Halas in the Uorī Archipelago. He is the Land Attack Commander for White Leo's forces. His English name is Gargantuan Gorilla.
Wild Thunder - An anthropomorphic wild boar who is the Emperor of Stoll, Kantonia. He serves at the Land Attack Warrior for White Leo's forces. His English name is Swiny Boar.
Bea Fox - An anthropomorphic fox who is the King of Ringostan, South Snarl. He serves as the Reconnaissance Combatant for White Leo's forces. Her English name is Sly Fox.
Yellow Giraffe - An anthropomorphic giraffe who is the King of Gun Marino, Kantonia. He serves as the Military Intelligence Combatant for White Leo's forces. His English name is Rubberneck Giraffe.
Hedgehog - An anthropomorphic hedgehog who is the King of Hogland, North Snarl. He serves as a Special Forces Combatant for White Leo's forces. His English name is Prickly Porcupine.
Rabbit Kid - An anthropomorphic rabbit who is the King of Rabbihos Island off the coast of North Snarl. He serves as the Communications Combatant for White Leo's forces. His English name is Hare Razing Rabbit.
Bowdog - An anthropomorphic dog who is the King of Bowdonia, North Snarl. He serves as a Science Warrior for White Leo's forces. His English name is Danger Dog.
Blue Horse - An anthropomorphic horse who is the Emperor of Rabbihos Island off the coast of North Snarl. He serves as the High Speed Warrior for White Leo's forces. His English name is Sir Sire Horse.
Giader - An anthropomorphic weasel who is the King of Sunatoria, North Snarl. He serves as the Land Attack Warrior for White Leo's forces. His English name is War Weasel.
Violet Horn - An anthropomorphic bison who is the Emperor of Bowdonia, North Snarl. He serves as the Strong Warrior for White Leo's forces. His English name is Bloodthirsty Bison.
Bomb Sheep - An anthropomorphic sheep who is the King of Sheepnia, North Snarl. He serves as the Supply Line Worker for White Leo's forces. His English name is Bighorn Sheep.