COMPANY NAME CHANGE
The company originally named "Monster 500" altered its name to "Monsters 500" following the recognition of name similarities by attorneys of a well-known energy drink brand.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In 2013, Invasion 1&2 was released at Toys R Us, quickly becoming the focal point in several stores. However, because Toys R Us did not release Monster 500 in certain locations and marked them for clearance shortly after release, the product line failed at Toys R Us and was subsequently removed from all stores. The toy company also canceled it.
In 2018, a company called Magic Makers acquired the franchise and began reselling the remaining toys using cheaper materials and inferior designs.
DISCLAIMER: The failure of the franchise was not related to the closure of Toys R Us. The issues with the franchise at Toys R Us were due to mismanagement and neglect.
INVASION 3&4
After Toys R Us parted ways with Monster 500, the company found another supplier, Hijink.
At that point, Monsters 500 had ceased sales in the USA, and no official update was provided by the company.
In the spring of 2018, Monsters 500 transferred all its toys to Magic Makers an Argentinian company, and launched Wave 2 concurrently with a re-release of Wave 1 and The Dragster Dungeon.
INVASION 5&6
Following the cancellation of Monsters 500, I reached out to an employee of Monsters 500 who provided me with all the information I have today. This individual also shared leaked details about Wave 3, which was supposed to launch in Spring 2015 before its cancellation. The only items produced for "Wave 3" were prototypes, including five die-cast cars from Invasion 5, large models, and five Dino Destroyers cars. Invasion 6 never materialized due to the high cost of the prototypes.
NEW TEAM
Before the company's cancellation, Monsters500 had plans to create a sixth team called "Dino Destroyers," featuring six dinosaur characters, slated for release in the Fall of 2016. Prototypes of numbers 1-5 were produced for the team but were never released.
MICRO MONSTERS
Tucked away in the depths of the Monsters 500 archives lie the "Micro-Monsters!" These are miniature renditions of the full-sized "Monsters 500" car toys. As depicted in the photographs, these toys were intended to be sold in both "Three Pack" and "Single Pack" configurations, complete with trading cards. Regrettably, it appears that prototypes were never produced, at least none that have come to light.
ANIMATED TELEVISION SERIES
As indicated above, "Monsters 500" was being proposed as a mini-TV series. Quoted by a Monster 500 employee, (in 2018) "It is currently being pitched as an animated television series." This also sheds light on why the company produced a Zoom Zombie webisode and an animated introduction for the toy franchise.