The Protectobots were a gestalt team of Autobot emergency vehicles added to the Transformers toy line in 1986. The team consisted of First Aid, Streetwise, Groove, Blades, and the leader Hot Spot. Together, they combined to form the super-robot Defensor.
Unlike the gestalt teams that preceded them, the Protectobots never recieved an origin in the Transformers cartoon. They were introduced casually in the episode "The Revenge of Bruticus" which immediately followed the introduction of their Decepticon counterparts, the Combaticons, and given a larger role afterwards in "B.O.T." They appeared from time to time afterwards, including in the post-movie episode "The Ultimate Weapon" and a cameo in "Rebirth", but rarely with a high profile.