I tried rubbing the sign on my classics Cliffjumper, as the name suggests, but the Autobot symbol didn't show up. >_>

They work by heat. Rubbing the the rub-sign a little longer should get it to work. There have been G1 toys that I ordered in the summer time, and the symbol on the rub-sign was already visible just because of the heat outside. The opposite happens in the winter.

You can also just press them for a few seconds - it can depend on climate as MagnaVolt said - and also some stickers are more or less sensitive than others. Although ever since Beast Wars, rub stickers have improved with better consistency in sensitivity - they were more haphazard in the old G1 days.

 

It's fun during mid-summer when the rub stickers are just automatically lit up. :)

I have found that the rubsigns on the Classics figures are a little harder to "activate" than the ones on my G1 figures. On my G1 figs, I can put my thumb on it for half a second and they're already bright yellow. On my Classics figures, I have to hold it there for a good 5 seconds or so to get any reaction at all.

 

Really, those rubsigns are the only complaint I have about the Classics figures. I wish they had tampographed faction symbols.

I never really understood their purpose personally. More times than not I forget most of my guys have em.. :redface

They're part of the whole "robots in disguise" theme that Transformers started with. Aside from being a vehicle that was really an alien robot, you didn't know whether they were really Autobots or Decepticons until you rubbed the sticker. It worked particularly well with the Mini-Spies where the same mould could be Autobot or Decepticon depending solely on the rub sign.

 

The idea did become kinda redundant and the gimmick was abandoned from 1988. We saw rub signs resurrected in 1997-98 during Beast Wars where rub signs were placed on some figures, the Transmetals and Fuzors. But this didn't last long and in 1999 they introduced Spark Crystals instead. Car Robot saw rub-signs with the Spychangers, but not as stickers but actually on the toy's surface... appears to be in the actual paint itself - so you rubbed the side of a Spychanger and an Autobot insignia would appear.

 

But we didn't see rub-stickers again until Classics - which has obviously been done for GeeWun fan wankage.

As I understood it, the rub signs were introduced at least partially because of bootleg (or at least copycat) figures that came out after the Transformers started to get successful. It was sort of a "look for the sign of a genuine transformer" type of thing. Of course they worked it into the sales pitch in other ways as well.

They're part of the whole "robots in disguise" theme that Transformers started with. Aside from being a vehicle that was really an alien robot, you didn't know whether they were really Autobots or Decepticons until you rubbed the sticker. It worked particularly well with the Mini-Spies where the same mould could be Autobot or Decepticon depending solely on the rub sign.

 

The idea did become kinda redundant and the gimmick was abandoned from 1988. We saw rub signs resurrected in 1997-98 during Beast Wars where rub signs were placed on some figures, the Transmetals and Fuzors. But this didn't last long and in 1999 they introduced Spark Crystals instead. Car Robot saw rub-signs with the Spychangers, but not as stickers but actually on the toy's surface... appears to be in the actual paint itself - so you rubbed the side of a Spychanger and an Autobot insignia would appear.

 

But we didn't see rub-stickers again until Classics - which has obviously been done for GeeWun fan wankage.

 

Ya know I keep forgetting about the mini spies.. I never had a single one of those things..

 

I just think its a lil redundant when you got an autobot decked out in faction symbol decals.. and then a mystery black square rubsign - as if you didn't already know Optimus Prime was a good guy, for example..-

 

Yeah maybe it is more quality control than anything.

It was marketed as a mark of authenticity by Hasbro, so it did work on that level. Now that I think of it, I guess it was a good way to separate Transformers from Diaclone, Microman and other licensed versions of those moulds that weren't from Hasbro - e.g.: Shackwave - not actually a KO, it was manufactured under licence from Radio Shack (hence the name), but it certainly wasn't a Transformer. I also got a version of Microman Perceptor from the Sydney Royal Easter Show back in 1985, like Shackwave, not a KO but manufactured under licence from another company. But I used those toys as Perceptor and Shockwave (who was never released in Australia) as a kid - so Magnificus has a special place in my heart. :)

 

Ya know I keep forgetting about the mini spies.. I never had a single one of those things..

I still don't have any. :P But I wouldn't mind getting some eventually. I've seen/played with them IRL but I've never owned any.

It was marketed as a mark of authenticity by Hasbro, so it did work on that level. Now that I think of it, I guess it was a good way to separate Transformers from Diaclone, Microman and other licensed versions of those moulds that weren't from Hasbro - e.g.: Shackwave - not actually a KO, it was manufactured under licence from Radio Shack (hence the name), but it certainly wasn't a Transformer. I also got a version of Microman Perceptor from the Sydney Royal Easter Show back in 1985, like Shackwave, not a KO but manufactured under licence from another company. But I used those toys as Perceptor and Shockwave (who was never released in Australia) as a kid - so Magnificus has a special place in my heart. :)

 

Ya know I keep forgetting about the mini spies.. I never had a single one of those things..

I still don't have any. :P But I wouldn't mind getting some eventually. I've seen/played with them IRL but I've never owned any.

 

I too always perceived it as a way of fighting the KOs and asserting the brand name and image. It was probably not a bad way to market the mini-spies, either.

 

In 1985, this "ad" appeared in the instruction booklets of most figures: