2-D2, C-3P0, Robby, The B-9 Robot, Maria. Robots have become part of the modern cultural identity. They have become stars, in some cases greater than their human counterparts in movies and TV shows such as Star Wars, Forbidden Planet, Lost In Space and Metropolis.
One of the most recognized robotic icons ever is Gort, the guardian robot accompanying Klaatu, an alien who lands his ship in the middle of Washington, D.C., in order to send a message to mankind—stop warring or face grave consequences.
In the 1951 Cold War epic, The Day The Earth Stood Still, new arrival Klaatu is shot by nervous troops, but quickly recovers in hospital. Meanwhile, Gort stands sentinel over their ship, preparing to lay waste to the Earth if Klaatu dies. Showing only a tiny hint of his power, he disintegrates several tanks and military vehicles. Klaatu warns that if provoked, Gort will destroy his attackers with Terminator-like resolve, and no power would be able to stop him.
There are so many robot toys that there are specialists in toy collecting whose entire collections center around nothing but our robot slaves and/or masters. But throughout the last half-decade, very few toys or other representations of Gort have surfaced in comparison to other more well-represented mechanical men. And those that do exist are rare and expensive.
Rocket USA, specialists in tin toys and wind-up walkers, has now introduced Gort, Klaatu's loyal guardian. Gort stands nearly 9 inches tall, and winds up with a large removable key to activate his arm-swinging walking action. Gort also has a protective visor that can be raised, as it does in the film when he unleashes his horrible disintegration ray.
Gort is packaged in a simple box with graphics by George J. Eisner that harkens back to simpler times when toys were less complex, but more fun.
Gort! Klaatu barada neato!
In a time when toys hold more microchip CPU power than the Apollo ships that landed man on the moon, and likenesses are laser-generated to be exact, expectations on toys are high. But often those promises of high-tech excitement fail to live up to the expensive TV ads they feature in. Often, the simpler toy has more play value.
So it is with Gort. There are no outlandish promises here, no poorly degraded sound-sample chips, no L.E.D. lights. Just shaped tin, paint and a standard wind-up mechanism that allows Gort to walk across the floor on ratcheted rubber wheels in bulky metal feet. Beneath the visor is a printed image of his disintegration ray.
Where Gort disappoints, even if only slightly, is in some of the functionality that is somewhat hindered by the inaccuracy inherent in working with tin, and not precision-molded plastic. The visor is difficult to lower using the suggested method of pivoting the ear caps. Pulling the visor down manually works, but even then, it sits unevenly on Gort's face.
The visceral feel and sound of this toy make it completely worthwhile. There is a vague quality to the sound of the wind-up motor—an underlying hum that sounds exactly as if it belongs in a 1950s science fiction film.
This toy is obviously intended for the mature collector's market, specifically to aficionados of tin toys, or fans of classic science fiction films, but this one can be fun for kids of all ages (8 and up). Parents may regret giving this toy to a child if they like a nice, quiet environment, because Gort is anything but quiet. True to the best of the wind-up tin toys, Gort is loud.
Once again, Rocket USA delivers a classic toy that feels as if it were pounded out of tin in 1951, and deserves a spot on any collector's shelf.
