was "born" in New York City during the summer of 1963. That is when Fred Ladd first saw artwork of a giant, needle-nosed robot remotely controlled by a young boy. The artwork had been created in Japan some 7 years earlier by Tokyo-based artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama; the adventures of the robot (in Japanese, "Tetsujin 28," translated as "IronMan 28") had appeared in a boys' magazine (Shonen) and were successful enough to generate a black-and-white animated TV Series called "Tetsujin 28-Go".

Ladd, then working simultaneously on an animated feature called "Pinocchio In Outer Space," on animated TV series "The Big World of Little Adam," and on the Japanese animated TV series "AstroBoy," was immediately intrigued by the notion of an empowered youngster controlling an enormous robot. With his late partner Al Singer, Ladd formed a corporation called Delphi Associates, Inc., specifically to acquire and produce, in English, fifty-two episodes, each approximately thirty minutes in length, which would be called "Gigantor."

Ladd re-named the robot "Gigantor"; the 12-year old boy who controlled the robot became "Jimmy Sparks"; Jimmy's guardian and mentor, Dr. Shikishima, emerged as "Doctor Bob Brilliant"; and the robot's mission became a crusade against crime. In this pursuit, Jimmy worked hand in hand with oft-inept detective chief inspector Otsuka, known in English as Inspector Ignatz J. Blooper.

A theme song, "Gigantor!" was composed for the fifty-two programs, and "Gigantor," the series, became a reality in 1964, appearing throughout the late 1960s on television stations in the U.S.A. and abroad.

THE NEW GIGANTOR
In 1993, Ladd and Tokyo-based TMS animation studio joined forces to convert TMS' 51-episode color series of 'Shin Tetsujin 28' to "The New Adventures of Gigantor." Character designs are based upon the same drawings seen earlier in the b/w series, but are more sleek, more modern.

What's next for GIGANTOR? The next generation: GIGANTOR G3 -- a Gigantor for the New Millennium.

-- Gigantor G3! --

In the 21st Century it became clear that robot technology had progressed at breakneck speed, Gone were the mighty rockets of the 20th Century,- rockets that could propel a spaceship as far away as Mars. . In their place came powerful anti-gravitational pods with compact engines that could boost a great spaceship,or giant robot, into space-- at speeds once believed unobtainable! Voice recognition made it possible to guide giant robots in space simply by speaking commands. Such a robot is Gigantor G3, built with artificial intelligence and programmed by its maker, Dr.Statiky Sparks, to obey only those commands coming from Jimmy Sparks, son of the aging scientist. For security, Dr. Sparks laced Gigantor G3's brain with a living neuro-system containing traces of young Jimmy's DNA. How well the new robot worked would have to be tested, adventure by adventure.

New Gigantor robot to be made in America as Gigantor G3 with latest digital technology.

The  famous robot GIGANTOR, invented in 1956 and animated in Japan under the name Tetsujin 28 Go, comes to America, updated with today's new break-through  digital technology, and ready for action! Designed by young Jimmy Sparks, son of the inventor of the original Gigantor, and designated Gigantor G3, the new robot has design features undreamed-of in the 1950's: Gone are the bulky rocket engines that enabled the old  robot to fly no high than the clouds; the new re-designed  robot, christened Gigantor G3, flies into deep space with radical new engines powered by Quantum Field Energy. Human brainpower, with an assist from the robot's futuristic artificial intelligence, enable Gigantor G3 to operate on the far side of the moon and outlying planets. Officials here hail "a world of difference between Gigantor G3 and all  those early models that preceded it"!