The Transformers was one of several syndicated half-hour cartoon series of the 1980 designed to promote a line of toys. In this instance, the playthings, marketed by Hasbro, were tiny robots that could be "transformed" into automotive vehicles. An old battle between two branches of the Transformer family: the Autobots, mentored by Optimus Prime, and the Deceptions, headed by Megatron. After battling for centuries on their home planet Zobitron (also known as Cybertron), the two warring factions decided to move their battleground to another world.