The Hasbro Cartoon Universe

HECTOR RAMIREZ

Created by series writer Buzz Dixon, and voiced by Neil Ross, Hector Ramirez appeared occasionally through-out various cartoons created by Hasbro and Sunbow. An obvious jab at news-reporter Geraldo Rivera, Ramirez was the stereotypical “scummy journalist” always looking to do a shocking exposé wherever necessary for the sake of ratings.

I: G.I. Joe

He first appeared in the season one G.I. Joe episode “Twenty Questions” and would proceed to appear in other episodes including “Not a Ghost of a Chance” and “The Traitor part 2”.

He was originally written and story-boarded to appear in “G.I. Joe the Movie”, but had his scene cut at the last minute. Surprisingly, Neil Ross was still credited at the end of the movie for Hector Ramirez, even though the character does not actually appear in the film.

II: The Inhumanoids

First appearing in the episode “Cypheroid”, Hector Ramirez would proceed to feature most prominently in this series above all others, appearing in virtually every single episode as a regular character.

III: Jem & the Holograms

In the episode “One Jem Too Many”, an imposter masquerades as the title character, throwing public tantrums in order to garner negative press for the good guys. Hector Ramirez is seen in the episode interviewing the “Fake Jem”.

IV: The Transformers

Early in the season 2 episode, “Prime Target”, an unnamed news-reporter appears on a television screen covering a recent crisis between the United States and Soviet Union governments. The reporter is considered by many to be Hector Ramirez (due to his bearing many of the character’s physical features) even though he is not voiced by Neil Ross.

The episode was written by Buzz Dixon, who wrote all of Ramirez’s other appearances. Also keep in mind that Ramirez looks slightly different in every show he appears in. The only main-stay of his appearance is the moustache and hairstyle, which the unnamed news-reporter bears (though his hair is brown rather than black).

V: Transformers 2010 DVD Fact Booklet

In the fact booklet written by Hirofumi Ichikawa (author of the Transformers Binaltech storyline) included in the Transformers 2010 DVD box set, Hector Ramirez is listed among the many incidental characters who appeared in the show and is referred to specifically as a “Crossover Character”.


THE TRANSFORMERS and BATTLE BEASTS

I: “Rebellion on Planet Beast”

Called “Beastformers” in Japan and advertised as a spin-off of the Transformers line, the Battle Beasts only crossover with the rest of the Hasbro animated universe was in the Japanese-exclusive Transformers: Headmasters series.

In the episode “Rebellion on Planet Beast”, the Autobot Headmasters come into contact with anthropomorphic animal warriors from Planet Beast. They tell the Autobots that their planet is under attack from the Decepticons who have allied with a legion of evil Battle Beasts. The Autobots and the good Battle Beasts duke it out with the Decepticons and the evil Battle Beasts and eventually emerge victorious. After driving the Decepticons away, the Autobots leave a subgroup called the Monsterbots behind on Planet Beast to help battle the evil that still dwells there.

II: “Great Deciding Battle of the Beast Lifeforms!”

The only other crossover between the Transformers and the Battle Beasts was in a short manga originally published by Terebi Magazine in Japan. The early Transformers manga, at least through Headmasters, acted as a supplement to the animated series, often continuing story elements from certain episodes. In the case of this extra-long special; the return of the Battle Beasts.

In this story, the Autobot Headmasters receive an SOS from the Battle Beasts on Planet Beast. The Autobots go to investigate and find that Alligatron (“Gruesome Gator” in America) and his evil Battle Beasts have once again joined forces with the Decepticons. Hardhead and Chromedome are captured by the villains, while Highbrow and Brainstorm meet up with the good Battle Beasts and their new human companion, Cain (whose parents had been killed by the Decepticons).

They join forces and preoccupy the Destrons while Chromedome makes a bid for escape. White Leo (“Pirate Lion” in America) and the rest of the good Battle Beasts show up just in the nick of time and the Decepticons are driven away from Planet Beast once more.

G.I. JOE and THE TRANSFORMERS

I: “Only Human”

In the season 3 episode of the Transformers, “Only Human”, G.I. Joe lead villain, Cobra Commander, makes trouble for the Autobots under the guise of “Ole Snake”. In the episode, Cobra Commander is seen as a senile old bum who is hired by mob boss, Victor Drath, to trap the Autobots in Synthoid bodies so that they might be easier to destroy. The Synthoids were clones made from proto-plasmic goop that were featured in the G.I. Joe episodes “There’s No Place like Springfield” and “The Synthoid Conspiracy”. Needless to say, Mr. Drath’s plot fails, the Autobots get their robotic bodies back at the end and all the villains are arrested. All, that is, except “Ole Snake”, who is last seen walking into the sunset muttering “They just don’t make terrorists like they used to”, topping it off with a hoarse Cobra battle-cry.

The third season of the Transformers takes place in the year 2006 (or 2010, if you go by Japanese continuity) and actually works into the continuity of the G.I. Joe cartoon very nicely.

After the events of “G.I. Joe the Movie”, Cobra Commander is left mutated into an actual cobra. The season following the movie (produced by DiC, rather than Sunbow) began with Cobra Commander being returned to a humanoid snake-form in the mini-series “Operation: Dragonfire”. Cobra Commander is shown to still retain a layer of yellow scales all over his body after being transformed back to “normal”. While watching “Only Human”, if you look closely at Cobra Commander’s fingers sticking out of the holes in his gloves, you’ll notice that, yes, they are covered in yellow scales!

Also of note, Cobra Commander’s last appearance prior to “Only Human” (continuity-wise) was in the “Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles” OVA. There, he was shown being cut-off from General Blitz, leader of the IRON Armies, who apparently funded the Cobra organization and provided state-of-the-art weaponry (I thought that was Destro’s job?). The next time we see Cobra Commander, he’s a crazy old hobo, selling his knowledge to the highest bidder.

And although it should go without saying, Chris Latta reprised his role as Cobra Commander when he voiced “Ole Snake” in the episode.

II: “The Killing Jar”

In the season 3 episode of the Transformers, “The Killing Jar”, series regular Marissa Faireborn is shown a hologram of her father by the evil Quintessons. Her Father bears a nearly identical, if some-what aged, resemblance to the G.I. Joe character, Flint. In addition, her Father is voiced by Bill Ratner, who also provided the voice of Flint.

Also of note, Flint’s real name is Dashiell Faireborn. So it would seem more than obvious that Flint was intended to be Marissa’s Father.

III: “Prime Target”

In the beginning of the season 2 episode of the Transformers, “Prime Target”, the evil Lord Chumly shoots down the jet of Oktober Guardsman, Red Oktober One. The Oktober Guard were recurring characters in the G.I. Joe series

IV: “Cold Slither” and “Autobop”

In the season 1 episode of G.I. Joe, “Cold Slither”, Cobra attempts to conquer the world by placing a brain-washing secret message in a chart-topping rock song, Cold Slither. The instrumentals for Cold Slither appear numerously through-out the Transformers, but are featured most prominently in the season 2 episode “Autobop” where they play it non-stop at a disco secretly run by the Decepticons, called the Dancitron.

Incidentally, the Decepticons use the music to brain-wash the disco-dancers into working as their slaves.

And just for the sake of providing it, here are the lyrics to Cold Slither:

We're cold slither
You'll be joining us soon
A band of vipers
playing our tune

With an iron fist
and a reptitle hiss
we shall rule!

We're tired of words
We've heard it before
We're not gonna play the game no more

Don't tell us what's right
Don't tell us what's wrong
Too late to resist
Cause Cobra is strong

We're cold slither
Heavy metal machine
Through the eyes of a lizard
In you will dream

When the venom stings
A new order brings
our control

V: The Binaltech Story

The storyline for the Transformers Binaltech toyline (called Alternators in the US) was written by Hirofumi Ichikawa and borrows numerous characters and devices from not only the Transformers cartoon series, but various G.I. Joe cartoons as well.

The chapter included with the Meister toy focuses on a secret investigation into the origin of the Destron Binaltechs being headed by government agent, “D.R. Faireborn”. G.I. Joe character, Flint, bears the real name Dashiell R. Faireborn and is also the father of the Transformers character, Marissa Faireborn.

The chapter included with the Swindle toy focuses on the origin of the secret society known as “The Concurrence”; the organization that created the Destron Binaltechs. As it turns out, the Concurrence was founded by Count von Rani (the secret identity of Iron Klaw, the leader of SKAR and arch enemy to G.I. Joe Extreme) and General Kreiger (secret identity of General Blitz, the leader of the IRON Army and arch enemy to Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles).

VI: “My Brother’s Keeper” and “Blaster Blues”

Though not much of a connection, both the season 2 episode of G.I. Joe, “My Brother’s Keeper”, and the season 2 episode of Transformers, “Blaster Blues”, featured the villains using a super weapon called The Voltronic Galaxer. While the Decepticons’ Voltronic Galaxer and Cobra’s Voltronic Galaxer had nothing in common save for the name, both episodes were written by Larry Strauss. So perhaps it was just an in-joke.

Also in the G.I. Joe Episode “My Brother’s Keeper”, G.I. Joe member Sci-Fi is watching a television screen featuring the Autobot Prowl. One might assume that it’s a news report, much like the Inhumanoid Decay appearing on a television screen in an episode of Jem & the Holograms.

VII: “The Primordial Plot” and “Dinobot Island”

In the season 1 episode of G.I. Joe called “The Primordial Plot”, Cobra uses the fossils of extinct dinosaurs as well as newly discovered dinosaur DNA to clone and raise an army of killer dinosaurs. They carry out this experiment on a mysterious uncharted island.

Deep-Six and Flint have the following conversation, confirming the fact that the island was uncharted:

Deep Six: “There’s something weird; an island that’s not on the map.”

Flint: “That’s impossible, the entire Earth’s been mapped.”

Deep Six: “Well then there’s something wrong with MY eyes or THEIR map!”

At the conclusion of the episode, Cobra is defeated by G.I. Joe and driven from the island. G.I. Joe decides that it’s best to leave the dinosaurs stranded there.

In the season 2 multi-parter of The Transformers called “Dinobot Island”, Bumblebee and Powerglide discover a mysterious uncharted island packed with dinosaurs and other prehistoric lifeforms. Surrounding the island are strange energy waves which appear to be tears in space-time.

As the Decepticons plunder the island for its energy resources, wormholes in the fabric of time begin to appear all over the globe as a result of their actions. The wormholes eventually disappear and the Decepticons are driven from Dinobot Island before they can do anymore harm.

So, is the island seen in “The Primordial Plot” the same as “Dinobot Island”? Well, if you go by the aerial shots of the islands, then no, they look completely different. But then, character and location models tended to fluctuate wildly through-out both G.I. Joe and The Transformers (the number of the Ark’s engine thrusters often changing, for example). Another problem is the origin of the dinosaurs. In “The Primordial Plot” they were the product of Cobra’s scientific engineering. In “Dinobot Island” it is assumed that they came from the weird space-time energies surrounding the island. And speaking of those strange energies, they were not present in the G.I. Joe episode supposedly featuring that island. Although, one could theorize that the energy waves were just a temporary phenomenon. Regardless, there really isn’t enough evidence to prove that these two islands, despite all their similarities, were the same.

Both episodes were written by Donald F. Glut, though. So perhaps it was just an “in-joke” on his part.

VIII: “The Dweller in the Depths”

In this season 3 episode of The Transformers, the Autobot’s Junkion Commander, Wreck-Gar (a character whose notable quirk was that he spoke a language comprised of television catch-phrases and slogans), screams out “Yo, Joe!” before engaging in battle.

“Yo, Joe!” is the trademark battle-cry of the G.I. Joe team, used in virtually every incarnation of the franchise since the 1980’s.

IX: “The Big Broadcast of 2006”

In the season 3 episode of The Transformers titled “The Big Broadcast of 2006”, the Junkion Commander, Wreck-Gar, is watching a television series called “Space-Age Jack”, in which a league of human warriors in whacky costumes take on the threat of “slimy reptiles” while roaring their battle-cry, “Yo, Jack!”

This was an obvious parody of G.I. Joe, in which the title characters take on a sinister terrorist organization with a slimy reptile-theme, Cobra.


G.I. JOE and THE INHUMANOIDS

I: Ace and Sabre Jet

During the G.I. Joe series, Ace was the team’s expert fighter pilot. His real name being Brad J. Armbruster, Ace appeared in several episodes, including "Arise, Serpentor, Arise" and "Sink the Montana". His last appearance in the franchise was in "G.I. Joe the Movie", though he was only given a brief cameo.

In the series The Inhumanoids, Armbruster’s squadron was shot-down by the evil Inhumanoid, Ssslither. Armbruster survived the crash but was left paralyzed from the waist down. The Earth Corps, in need of his help, crafted him a battle armor which not only allowed him to walk again, but gave him amazing flight capabilities. Adopting the code name “Sabre Jet”, Armbruster went on to fight the Inhumanoids with the rest of the Earth Corps.

Although no extremely direct reference to either series was made between the shows, Ace and Sabre Jet both share the same name, a very similar appearance, a military background and incredible piloting skills.

Ace's cameo in "G.I. Joe the Movie", chronologically, takes place after the end of The Inhumanoids. This might lead one to believe that he miraculously recovered from his condition, or more likely, his appearance was an "animation error". For example, characters Steeler and Clutch appeared in "The Viper is Coming" when they should have still been trapped in another dimension after the events of "Worlds Without End".


G.I. JOE and C.O.P.S.

I: Beach Head and Checkpoint

Beach Head (whose real name was Wayne R. Sneeden) appeared prominently in the G.I. Joe series as the team’s Ranger and hardcore Drill Instructor. Some of his most notable appearances were in the “Arise, Serpentor, Arise” mini-series and “G.I. Joe the Movie”.

The action series C.O.P.S., which took place in the not-too-distant future, contained a character called Checkpoint. Checkpoint’s filecard has this to say about his origin: “Father was a member of a top-secret military team in the 80’s and 90’s”. In addition to that tidbit, Checkpoint’s real name happened to be Wayne R. Sneeden III. Considering that C.O.P.S. took place in the near-future (“Fighting crime in a future time”), presumably around the year 2015, this would make Checkpoint the son of Beach Head. Now, who exactly Wayne R. Sneeden Jr. is remains unclear.

The filecards for both G.I. Joe and C.O.P.S. were written by comic book author Larry Hama, so it would appear to be more than a coincidence. And although C.O.P.S. was produced by animation studio DiC (thus, not making it a Sunbow cartoon) it was during the early 90’s when G.I. Joe was also being produced by DiC, as well.

II: Mutt & Junkyard and Bowzer & Blitz

While more of an homage than a real connection, the G.I. Joe human-canine duo, Mutt & Junkyard, and the C.O.P.S. human-canine duo, Bowzer & Blitz share distinct similarities in appearance. Both Mutt and Bowzer have the same build, black hair and thick moustaches. Their dynamic with their canine partner (or in Bowser’s case, android-canine partner) were also very similar.

As mentioned before, the filecards for both G.I. Joe and C.O.P.S. were written by Larry Hama, so this was most likely him having a little fun.


JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS and THE INHUMANOIDS

I: “Broadway Magic”

In an episode of Jem & the Holograms, “Broadway Magic”, the antagonist Eric Raymond puts a bounty out for Jem’s secret identity. In an electronics department, this news is broadcast on every television screen save for one, which happens to be a news program covering an attack by the Inhumanoids (D’Compose being the Inhumanoid featured on the television screen). Perhaps not surprisingly, the only person who seems more interested in the Inhumanoid attack than the pop-idol drama is a small boy sitting on the floor, watching the single television covering the event.


G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONIES

I: “My Little Ponies the Movie”

In an interview, Buzz Dixon describes a scene he had scripted for “My Little Ponies the Movie” which was never used:

“Funny story about an early draft of the My Little Pony movie: I was asked to punch up the original treatment. Basically this consisted of indicating where various music scenes could go, adding more magic and gee-whiz to otherwise pedestrian talking head scenes, etc. At one point one of the Little Ponies had to go looking for...something or someone, I forget. I suggested she encounter some of the Transformers and Joes in her search, specifically, a scene where she flies up to Shipwreck who is drinking some amber fluid from a bottle.

Shipwreck would just stare at her in bug-eyed disbelief and she’d fly on, then Shipwreck would smash the bottle, take his cap off his head, put his left hand over his heart and raise his right hand in an oath, muttering frantically under his breath. Hasbro said, ‘Very funny. No.’”

This scene, obviously, did not make it past the scripting stage, but shows a clear intent on the writer’s part to include the two shows in the same continuity.


SEQUEL SERIES

Below is a list of the various shows included in the Hasbro Cartoon Universe and their various sequels and continuations.

Please note that only shows that can conceivably apply to this ONE continuity are included. Alternate continuity shows are ignored as they are not a part of this single universe.

I:
The Transformers (seasons 1-2)
Transformers: Scramble City (OVA, Japan-only)
Transformers the Movie
The Transformers (season 3, AKA 2010)
The Transformers season 4 (USA-only, AKA The Rebirth)
Transformers Headmasters (Japan-only)
Transformers Masterforce (Japan-only)
Transformers Victory (Japan-only)
Transformers Zone (OVA, Japan-only)
Beast Wars (season 1)
Beast Wars II (Japan-only)
Beast Wars II the Movie (Japan-only)
Beast Wars Neo (Japan-only)
Beast Wars (season 2-3, AKA Metals)
Beast Machines (seasons1-2, AKA Beast Wars Returns)

II:
G.I. Joe: a Real American Hero (mini-series, AKA The MASS Device)
G.I. Joe: the Revenge of Cobra (mini-series)
G.I. Joe (season 1-2)
G.I. Joe the Movie
G.I. Joe (season 3-4, AKA the DiC series)
G.I. Joe: Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles (OVA)
G.I. Joe Extreme

III:
The Inhumanoids

IV:
Jem and the Holograms (season 1-3)

V:
My Little Ponies

VI:
C.O.P.S. (season 1-2)


RESOURCES AND CREDITS

http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=91453

http://www.jemunlimited.com/oneworld.htm

http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=88720&hl=hector+ramirez

http://www.joeheadquarters.com/interviews_dixon.shtml

http://joeguide.com/interviews/buzzdixon.shtml

http://firefly05.proboards39.com/index.cgi#extreme

http://www.mastercollector.com/articles/reviews/review071905.htm

http://www.yojoe.com/filecard/86/beachhead.shtml

http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=84303&st=20

http://www.yojoe.com/filecard/83/ace.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inhumanoids

http://www.binalternators.de/alternators_english.html

http://www.joeheadquarters.com/lyricscoldslither.shtml