# The History of the Giant Robot **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888 "2001-04-30T21:29:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/21 "2001-05-01T21:22:33Z")
As far as I can tell, furry’s right about the original Ultraman. There have been, OTOH, [a whole lot of them](http://www.waynebrain.com/ultra/all.html) and none of them seem to have been robots, though I could’ve sworn one of them was (something to do with motorcycles or something). Well, nobody ever accused me of having a good memory… ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/22 "2001-05-01T21:23:47Z")
**Zarathustra** , I’m not even going to pretend that I finished _Leviathan_ or can remember what little I read, but Hobbes was speaking metaphorically, wasn’t he? I remember that he speculated that the collective human mind, through the use of their machines, would eventually produce a machine intelligence greater than our own, or something like that… but he wasn’t talking about literally building a Johnny Sokko, was he? ---
**Author:** ![Zarathustra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/898d66/32.png) [@Zarathustra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zarathustra)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/23 "2001-05-01T22:26:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\ ***Zarathustra** , I’m not even going to pretend that I finished _Leviathan_ or can remember what little I read, but Hobbes was speaking metaphorically, wasn’t he? I remember that he speculated that the collective human mind, through the use of their machines, would eventually produce a machine intelligence greater than our own, or something like that… but he wasn’t talking about literally building a Johnny Sokko, was he? \*\* I dunno, when I read the OP for some reason the first thing that came to my mind was that picture of a giant king looming over the horizon, a king made up of a bunch of little people. If “doing a Homer Simpson” is making a mistake that nonetheless saves the day, then there must be some phrase for inadvertantly dropping a highbrow reference and having people assume you’re making kind of deep and esoteric point . . . when you really don’t know what you’re talking about. Doing a Zarathustra? Doesn’t roll off the tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/24 "2001-05-02T00:36:56Z")
Heck, no, don’t get me wrong, here. That’s a totally cool picture. I just don’t don’t know my Hobbes, outside of the funny pages. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/25 "2001-05-02T03:14:35Z")
Dijon: See my reply to your message in the new Moller Skycar thread, which I started to avoid hijacking this one further. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/26 "2001-05-02T14:04:49Z")
Hmmm, I wonder if Leviathon was where “Parasite Eve” got their idea for that cool scene where all the members of the concert merge and form a giant golden glop. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/27 "2001-05-02T20:41:04Z")
So, why (according to Anime and sci-fi) is the giant rock-um sock-em robot always used as a war machine? With the possible exception of the walking forklift in Aliens, you never see anything close to a civilian giant robot (like a Farm-plow-a-saurus or a Construct-o-bot, or a Mecha-container-ship-loading-man ). I would think a 50 foot robot would be better suited to building skyscrapers or (un)loading ships than as a super weapon. Think about it like this. A giant robot is not stealthy or quiet. It has to be more expensive to build than a company of conventional tanks because of the complex walking mechanisms. And they always seem to get tripped up by cables and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/28 "2001-05-02T20:47:01Z")
Before Gigantor, there were not true giant robots. He is the father of them all. ---
**Author:** ![Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/29 "2001-05-03T00:34:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by msmith537 \* > \*\* > So, why (according to Anime and sci-fi) is the giant rock-um sock-em robot always used as a war machine? \*\* I believe that in _Patlabor_ the giant robots are construction equipment. Also, in Lem’s _Fiasco_ the “Diglas” were industrial giant robots, too. -Ben ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/30 "2001-05-03T02:40:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\*In 1903’s, “The Land Ironclads,” H. G. Wells described something that nowadays is likened to a tank, but his actual description of the vehicle matches somewhat to the dog-like at-ats from **The Empire Strikes Back**. \*\* Why not the Martian War Machines from Wells’ _The War of the Worlds_, published in 1896? Giant machines that walk on three legs, manned (Martianed?) by a crew of three. Besides the famous heat-ray, don’t forget those nifty metal tentacles. The At-Ats looked more like camels to me; single-humped dromedaries, to be precise. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/31 "2001-05-03T06:25:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by msmith537 \*\*\* > So, why (according to Anime and sci-fi) is the giant rock-um sock-em robot always used as a war machine? With the possible exception of the walking forklift in Aliens, you never see anything close to a civilian giant robot (like a Farm-plow-a-saurus or a Construct-o-bot, or a Mecha-container-ship-loading-man ). > > I would think a 50 foot robot would be better suited to building skyscrapers or (un)loading ships than as a super weapon. > > Think about it like this. A giant robot is not stealthy or quiet. It has to be more expensive to build than a company of conventional tanks because of the complex walking mechanisms. And they always seem to get tripped up by cables and stuff. \*\* I think the rationale is that they can be better armed/armored and, to a certain degree, more maneuverable than most tanks. Of course there is the matter of balancing such a thing, and this is generally explained by some sort of gyroscopic device (or a telepathic bond to the pilot, take your pick). Well, I’m sure there’s at least a couple Battletech devotees in here somewhere, so I’ll step aside and wait for them to answer. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/32 "2001-05-03T06:37:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KKBattousai \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by msmith537 \*\*\* > > So, why (according to Anime and sci-fi) is the giant rock-um sock-em robot always used as a war machine? With the possible exception of the walking forklift in Aliens, you never see anything close to a civilian giant robot (like a Farm-plow-a-saurus or a Construct-o-bot, or a Mecha-container-ship-loading-man ). > > > > I would think a 50 foot robot would be better suited to building skyscrapers or (un)loading ships than as a super weapon. > > > > Think about it like this. A giant robot is not stealthy or quiet. It has to be more expensive to build than a company of conventional tanks because of the complex walking mechanisms. And they always seem to get tripped up by cables and stuff. \*\* > > I think the rationale is that they can be better armed/armored and, to a certain degree, more maneuverable than most tanks. Of course there is the matter of balancing such a thing, and this is generally explained by some sort of gyroscopic device (or a telepathic bond to the pilot, take your pick). > > Well, I’m sure there’s at least a couple Battletech devotees in here somewhere, so I’ll step aside and wait for them to answer. \*\* Well, aside from looking cool I think the main reason they use them is because of their ability to handle rough terrain. ---
**Author:** ![Linear\_Crack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Linear\_Crack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linear_Crack)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/33 "2001-05-03T08:14:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Atrael \* > \*\*Speaking about robots. Does anyone know the name of a show that I think I remember as a child? It seemed asian, as in most of the charaters had asian features. It had 3 giant robots that somehow changed into rockets. One was Gold, and the other Silver. I think they were like a matched pair, and the 3rd one was their offspring. Anyone remember anything like that? Know the name? \*\* Atrael, I’m not sure if this is the show you’re thinking of, but man does this bring back memories for me. [Johnny Sokko and his flying robot](http://www.alphalink.com.au/~roglen/johnny_sokko.htm) was a trippy movie to watch. The robot was a mix between a giant egyptian pharaoh and a “break dancer” (he did these really bizarre moves) And then his master Johnny, with his trusty remote control wrist watch, scary I tell you. “Giant Robot!, gives him your Power Punch!” ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/34 "2001-05-03T12:03:13Z")
Psychological warfare is a big reason for giant robots. a giant attacking you will ignite certain primal fears that date back to the Primitive Ape-Man in your subconcious mind. A number of these designs have what appears to be , uh, “crotch bulges”. :o The VF-1 Valkyrie from Robotech is a good example. The Freudian symbolism & significance of this is self-evident. It also gives the ladies a thrill, & robo-pilots always get dates on Saturday night. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/35 "2001-05-03T16:10:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > Psychological warfare is a big reason for giant robots. a giant attacking you will ignite certain primal fears that date back to the Primitive Ape-Man in your subconcious mind. > > A number of these designs have what appears to be , uh, “crotch bulges”. :o The VF-1 Valkyrie from Robotech is a good example. The Freudian symbolism & significance of this is self-evident. It also gives the ladies a thrill, & robo-pilots always get dates on Saturday night. 😃 \*\* Ah yes. The Ron-Jeremy-A-Tron!:o ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/36 "2001-05-03T18:43:10Z")
Quoth **msmith537** : > [@](#): > > I would think a 50 foot robot would be better suited to building skyscrapers or (un)loading ships than as a super weapon. True, of course. Ever been to Cleveland’s North Coast Harbor? Fifty-foot mechanical arms, unloading ships. Just like with industrial robots, there’s little point to building the rest of the body. If you’re ever in Cleveland, go see them (they’re visible from any of the bridges over the Cuyahoga downtown). They look like giant grasshopper legs. ---
**Author:** ![ElDestructo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@ElDestructo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElDestructo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/37 "2001-05-03T19:36:10Z")
After reading this:[http://members.tripod.com/~absoluteanime/gigantor/](http://members.tripod.com/~absoluteanime/gigantor/) I tend to agree with Scylla. At least on the anime front. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/38 "2001-05-04T13:28:47Z")
To the earlier writer who asked about the giant robot named Goldar [http://www.alphalink.com.au/~roglen/space\_giants.htm](http://www.alphalink.com.au/~roglen/space_giants.htm) “Methusan, a wizard of many powers with long white hair and beard brings to Earth two robots Ð Goldar and Silvar from the 2rf Galaxy, dedicated to stopping Rodak and defending the world. Goldar is a 50ft golden robot, 14 feet wide and weighs 20 tonnes and his wife Silvar, a silver coloured 5ft robot. They live with their son GAM (created by Methusan) in a volcano in Mt Olympian.” “The main human characters are centered around a Japanese chain smoking reporter - Ita Mura, who works for a world wide newspaper and his wife Tomoko and son Mikko whom when in trouble blows his whistle given to him by Goldar to summon Goldar or members of his family for help.” As I remember, Silvar wore an apron and did not fight nealry as frequently as Goldar. Then again, he was ten times her size. This webpage even has the theme song. Papermache Prince ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888/39 "2001-05-04T15:00:44Z")
Papermache Prince– You are increadible. That’s the series I was thinking about. Although I don’t remember them looking nearly that cheesy when I was 6. I wonder if the series is something you can buy on tape? I’ll have to search for it. Thanks again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-of-the-giant-robot/63888.md?page=1)