THE ORIGINAL GIGANTOR was "born" in New York City during the summer of The Original Gigantor1963. 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 5 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.Gigantor circa 1993

 

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! --

a great departure from "the Space-Age Robot" of old! -- for Gigantor G3 is more than a robot,- he's a meld of robot and cyborg. Driven by a complex neuro-system of DNA-impregnated neurochips, Gigantor G3 is a living Cybot!

 
 

 
  GIGANTOR G3, the latest Gigantor -after the Original Gigantor and the New Gigantor- powering up to zoom into action!


 
 
Fred Ladd's Official Gigantor Website
Fred Ladd's Official Gigantor Website
Fred Ladd's Official Gigantor Website
THE OFFICIAL GIGANTOR PROGRAM GUIDE AND COMPENDIUM by Fred Ladd. Everything you want to know about the original GIGANTOR. Full synopses and illustrations of all 52 Programs in the classic Series! Plus intimate, never-before-seen 'behind-the-scenes' stories revealed here for the first time-- a Must-Have for the true GIGANTOR Collector and Fan!

 
And, to add to your GIGANTOR Collection--great Videos, Limited-Edition Animation Cels,
T-Shirts, and more:
  Gigantor 302 Space Age Robot Tshirt
Gigantor and Jimmy Sparks new Black T-Shirt.
Gigantor Cel #1 [Flying Robot]
Gigantor Cel #2 [Characters in Hall]
Gigantor Laser Disc (D) [Episodes 1-4]
Gigantor Retro/30 Vol. 1 (D) [Eps 10-11]
Gigantor Retro/30 Vol. 2 (D) [Eps 12-13]
  Gigantor Retro/30 Vol. 3 (D) [Eps 14-15]
Gigantor Retro/30 Vol. 4 (D) [Eps 16-17]
Gigantor Retro/30 Vol. 5 (D) [Eps 18-19]
Gigantor Volume 1 (D) [Eps 1-3]
Gigantor Volume 2 (D) [Eps 4-6]
Gigantor Volume 3 (D) [Eps 7-9]
 
 
Gigantor Part 1
Gigantor Part 2
Pinocchio in Outer Space
Image Entertainment DVD
April 15, 2003
 
Fred Ladd
Fred Ladd    

For more about Fred Ladd's impact on anime, read
"Fred Ladd: An Interview"
by Harvey Deneroff.

click here

Visit Chuck Scholtz' site
"The Space Explorers" and
"The New Adventures of the Space Explorers"

www.thespaceexplorers.com
 
    Email Gigantor