Hasbro has announced that both the original Transformers and G.I. Joe animated series are going to be on DVD again, brought to us via Shout! Factory and should be available later this year.

This is extremely welcome news to me, because both series have been out of print on DVD for years. As a Joe fan it was even worse than not simply being able to buy them. While the Transformers animated series saw a full release, the G.I. Joe series was never completed before the rights went from Rhino to Sony. Sony, for whatever crazy reason, sat on the license and completely missed the perfect windows for a releases like during the G.I. Joe 25th anniversary and the release of the first Transformers live action movie. In the mean time many fans spent a fortune for the out of print DVDs. For example, the final Joe season was going for over a hundred bucks on Amazon when it originally retailed for around 30 dollars, and the original Joe film was going for double it’s original retail price. Many fans who couldn’t afford the ridiculously inflated prices turned to bootlegs. Hopefully, those that turned to other methods to get their classic toon fix will reinvest in either animated series, so Joe fans can finally complete their collection.

Original Hasbro press release after the break:

SHOUT! FACTORY AND HASBRO ANNOUNCE
US and Canada HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEAL ON
HASBRO’S CLASSIC ANIMATED SERIES TRANSFORMERS AND G.I. JOE

Multi-Property, Multi-Year Agreement Includes My Little Pony Direct-to-DVD

Los Angeles, CA and Pawtucket, RI – Shout! Factory and Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) today announced a multi-year, multi-property alliance to bring the original animated TV series THE TRANSFORMERS and the G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO animated series, along with MY LITTLE PONY Twinkle Wish Adventure to the home entertainment marketplace. The announcement was made today by Shout! Factory founding partners Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos, and Lisa Licht, General Manager, Entertainment & Licensing, Hasbro.

Under the multi-year agreement, Shout! Factory will be the exclusive U.S. and Canada home entertainment distributor for the original animated TV series The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO DVD franchise properties, and a MY LITTLE PONY animated direct-to-DVD release.

“TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY are three uniquely celebrated brands and are part of the American cultural fabric,” stated the Shout! Factory founding partners. “Given the breadth of Hasbro’s toys, games, television and live-action feature films, we are thrilled with this premiere alliance and to be able to bring these timeless original animated series and new titles to multiple generations of fans.”

“Shout! Factory has a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for our brands and we are very pleased to be aligning ourselves with them,” said Lisa Licht, Hasbro’s General Manager, Entertainment & Licensing. “This agreement is in sync with our strategy of working with premier companies to provide people with a wide-range of entertainment beyond traditional toys and games.”

Shout! Factory plans an aggressive rollout of these Hasbro titles later this year utilizing the same sales and marketing strengths that has made them one of the leading independent DVD suppliers in the home entertainment industry.

Over the years, Shout! Factory has cultivated strong relationships with major Hollywood studios and organizations through a series of strategic content partnerships with ABC Studios, DIC Entertainment, DIRECTV, Dreamworks Television, MGM, NBC Universal Consumer Products Group, Nelvana, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Jetix, 4Kids Entertainment and others.

About HASBRO
Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children’s and family leisure time products and services with a rich portfolio of brands and entertainment properties that provides some of the highest quality and most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world. As a brand-driven, consumer-focused global company, Hasbro brings to market a range of toys, games and licensed products, from traditional to high-tech and digital, under such powerful brand names as TRANSFORMERS, PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. (C) 2009 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit www.shoutfactory.com