Upper Deck announced a new multiyear global licensing agreement with Hasbro on August 26, bringing trading cards and tabletop games to some of the biggest names in toy history: Transformers, Power Rangers, G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., Jem and the Holograms, and more.
The debut set: Transformers 40th Anniversary
The collaboration kicks off around a genuine milestone — the 40th anniversary of The Transformers: The Movie (1986) — timed to land alongside the nationally celebrated "Transformers Day" on September 17.
There are actually two related releases:
- Transformers 40th Anniversary Special Edition — a Target-exclusive set launching mid-September, with an 80s-inspired "Gen 1" aesthetic, cinematic poster-style card art, and a "Stellar System" insert series.
- Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary (Fleer brand) — a separate, larger 100-card set releasing later this year specifically for hobby shops, under Upper Deck's retro Fleer branding. This one includes "From Screen to Page" inserts pulling artwork from the 20th anniversary IDW comic series, "More Than Meets the Eye" flip lenticular cards, and "Instruments of Destruction" 3D lenticular Decepticon cards.
The hobby-shop Fleer set is the one worth watching for us specifically — we'll share ordering details as soon as they're available through our distributors.
What's coming after Transformers
Upper Deck has confirmed the partnership extends well beyond this debut: Power Rangers, G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., and Jem and the Holograms are all named as franchises getting future trading card and game releases, with more still to be announced.
Worth knowing
This isn't Upper Deck's first swing at a major licensed partnership recently — they also produced the Skybox Metal Universe Batman set with DC Comics in late 2025. A company with that kind of momentum in licensed collectibles landing the full Hasbro portfolio is a genuinely big deal for the trading card side of this hobby, not just a one-off product.
In the meantime
If you're excited about Transformers heading into this anniversary, the current ongoing comic series is a good place to be reading right now.
Shop Transformers #35 Cover A · Shop Transformers #34 Cover A
Details sourced from Upper Deck and Hasbro's official press release, and reporting from ICv2, The Toy Book, CBR, and Forbes.