Hobbies And Interests
Origins
The original Rock'em Sock'em Robots set was released in 1966 by the Marx toy company. Today, there still are two robots that sit upon a plastic boxing ring. The red robot is Red Rocker, the blue robot is Blue Bomber. Players grab two buttoned joysticks and use them to move the robots' arms. The goal: knock an opponent's head up and win the round.
Designs
The release of "Star Wars" and other science fiction films infused the toy industry, including the Rock'em Sock'em Robots franchise. For a brief time during the 1970s, Rock'em Sock'em Robots were changed to the Clash of the Cosmic Robots. The robot names and color styles remained, but the robots were flashier and featured more gadgets. The 1990s brought a change to the color theme: The red robot was changed to silver, while the blue robot became a darker shade of blue. After Mattel acquired the robot game, however, it returned to the original classic design.
Spin-Offs
The robots' popularity led to many spin-off products. Using a mix of Twisted Metal and wrestling games, the Rock'em Sock'em Robots Arena was released for the Sony Playstation. And an updated Rock'em Sock'em Robots game was released for Game Boy Advanced, featuring multicolored robots, to help expand the franchise. Other Rock'em Sock'em Robots items include action figures, folders and posters.
Pop Culture
This popular toy is often a part of pop-culture parody. TV shows and movies, including "Hawaii Five-O," "Beavis and Butthead," "Toy Story," "Futurama," "The Simpsons," "Home Improvement" and "Sweet Home Alabama," have used the toys in some fashion. People also collect Rock'em Sock'em Robots figurines, such as bobble heads, as a pop-culture tribute.
Availibility
Modern Rock'em Sock'em Robots can be found in toy stores, including Toys 'R' Us, or at other retailers such as Wal-Mart. But if you are looking for older versions of the toy, you'll need to shop on the Internet. Websites such as eBay list Rock'em Sock'em Robots for sale, but customers should be aware that older robots might not be in good condition. A spring could be broken, the boxing ring might be missing or decals could be ripped. To check for authenticity, look for a molded date to see when the figures were made.