Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots

You know, for a society who seems to pride itself so much on teaching children not to hurt one another, we sure love giving kids toys based around hurting something.

Whether it's Sock 'Em Boppers - only mentioned in passing as it's in the same vein as this weeks toy - or this weeks toy, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, we sure love teaching kids that violence when unreal is totally fine, and I'm all for it frankly. I grew up in the 90s and 2000s, playing all the violent video games one could imagine, and I turned out exceptionally well adjusted considering, so I think if I managed to come relatively okay, kids playing with something like Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots will be even better off.

The toy, designed by Marvin Glass and and manufactured by the Marx company in 1964, has long since become a staple of pop culture, being referenced in movies such as the Toy Story franchise and spawning video game spin offs of its own. Hell, for a while I lived in Texas and regularly went to a Dave & Busters that had an enormous version of the toy you could pit yourself against someone else with. For god sakes, the movie Reel Steel is basically the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot movie, without the hassle of licensing the name outright. Hell, 2 days ago Vin Deisel announced plans to make a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot feature, so we're on our way.

And while the Marx company went under eons ago, they're still considered one of the all time great toy producers of the ages, their products still being sought after by collectors for high dollar value even today, except Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, mostly because it's still being regularly updated and released. A pretty simple idea, really, when you think about it. Kids like violence, kids like robots, why not combine the two? Essentially the same concept was applied to Transformers, but obviously on a much more grandiose and complex scale. But Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots was minimalist, it was the bare bones (or...I don't know...steel beams? What do robots have instead of bones?) and because of that it works. It's so supremely simple in its execution, and of course, the color scheme is perfection. And I don't just mean the color scheme of the robots themselves, because that's the obvious part. No, I mean whoever the genius was that suggested the arena should be yellow. It's gaudy, it's eye vomit, and it's exactly what the toy needed to stick out. You can't think of the robots without thinking about that audaciously colored arena they fight in. The two just go hand in hand, or, metal clamp in metal clamp.

Many other toys have been made using the basis of this one; not just video games based around it, but even - ironically enough - a Transformers version exists. Hell, I'm surprised what with all the hoopla surrounding Godzilla Vs Kong they didn't make a version with that. Easy money, baby.

So where did it really come from though? Well, that part's a little harder to figure out, exactly, but I've done my best.

According to an article from Global Toy News circa 2011, the man behind the robots is none other than Burt Meyer, who also created the Lite Brite and helped create Mouse Trap. Meyer, honestly, was ahead of his time. He also pitched a concept for a boys Barbie, but was turned down because the people he pitched it to feared it would "turn boys queer". A year later, GI Joe launched, and stole what easily could've, and rightfully should've, been Meyer's success.

The toy was also released in the UK during the 1970s, but with minor name changes. The toy was retitled "Raving Bonkers", and the Blue Bomber became the "Bashing Bonker" while the Red Rocker became the "Biffer Bonker". The UK has a beautiful goddamned grasp on the english language and I love it.

Oddly enough however, despite still being produced by Mattel, despite being a touchstone in many ways of pop culture, and despite a potential feature film coming up now, the Bad Boys of the Robot Fighting World still haven't been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame! Nominated a number of times, most recently - from what I could find anyway - in 2016, they've continually been passed up as an actual induction, and it's simultaneously confusing and sad.

You'd think what with their appearance in Toy Story 2 and so many other various media over the years that they'd have finally been added, but for one reason or another, they simply haven't been. Perhaps one day soon, these fine murderous metal fellows will finally be placed where they belong, in the hallowed halls of the National Toy museum, but until then, we just have to continue fighting for their presence the way they fought for our entertainment for so long...that was oddly sappy, wasn't it? I don't really know where that came from.

Anyway, there isn't a whole lot of interesting history about these guys. Frankly, I think the box art and their overall design is really the meat and potatoes of discussion regarding them, and boy howdy are they an iconic image. They're one of those things that are so visually iconic that they just sort of seem to have always been around since the dawn of time, don't they?

So here's to you, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, keep on busting one anothers craniums open for another 60 years!