1961 monster toy commercial Great Garloo

Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, January 30, 2008 7:28 PM | permalink

This commercial from 1961 features an especially ugly robot named the Great Garloo. It was designed by Marvin Glass, the genius game designer who made Ants in the Pants, Dynamite Shack, Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, Gnip Gnop, Hands Down, Haunted House, Lite Brite, Odd Ogg, Operation, Mouse Trap, Time Bomb, Tip-It, and Toss Across, among other masterpieces of primary-colored plastic. (Via Endless Parade of Excellence)

Previously on Boing Boing:
• Robot Commando toy TV commercial
• TV commercials for 1970s Planet of the Apes dolls
• Killer reel of 1970s toy commercials
• Mr. Machine toy robot TV commercial
• Wonderfully bizarre Folger's commercial
• Creepy Crawlers TV commercial
• 1960s TV commercial for V-RROOM! tricycle noise-maker
• Early 70s Levi stop-motion commercial
• Mystery Date game TV commercial

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Discussion

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#1 posted by Antinous , January 30, 2008 7:55 PM

I had it. I was scared shitless of it.

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#2 posted by tolchocker , January 30, 2008 8:14 PM

Adjusted for inflation, this thing cost $125.95!

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#3 posted by Stefan Jones

, January 30, 2008 9:21 PM

Tolchocker beat me to it. $17.95 was pretty damn steep back then. Was this guy the equivalent of a Pleo . . . unaffordable unless daddy had deep pockets?

I know that things like chemistry sets and model railroads sets could be pretty pricey back in the day, but they had educational and hobby value.

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#4 posted by sonny p fontaine , January 30, 2008 9:39 PM

the end is almost complete rip off(homage)of(to)James Whale's Frankenstein. snuggle the monster.

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#5 posted by widgetking , January 30, 2008 10:34 PM

A couple of years ago, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago open up a collector's robot section full of 50, 60 robots toys. This Great Garloo was very prominently displayed in several areas. My wife and I wondered who this Garloo guy was, now the mystery is solved.

BTW: I recommend anyone in the Chicago land area to visit this collection, you are greeted by a life size (but motionless) Robby the Robot and there are toy robots from all over the world.

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#6 posted by devophill

, January 30, 2008 11:19 PM

Am I right in remembering this commercial in front of a Sci-Fi movie?

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#7 posted by NikFromNYC , January 30, 2008 11:33 PM

This product was just recalled for the controller having sharp corners, now that the .22 caliber rounds you put in its mouth are no longer available, which due to Second Amendment issues prevented the kid, I mean now adult who runs the Consumer Products Safety Division from acting against this product before.

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#8 posted by usonian , January 31, 2008 4:28 AM

Widgetking beat me to it, I met Garloo at the Chicago MSI last July - the Lesser toy robot collection is worth the price of admission alone!

http://flickr.com/photos/usonian/885976852/

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#9 posted by dogu4 , January 31, 2008 6:51 AM

Not as good as "Mr Machine".

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#10 posted by Bazilisk

, January 31, 2008 12:34 PM

...Marx? MARX? During the Cold War? Bold name!

-A young'un