Robosaurus is a transforming dinosaur robot created by inventor Doug Malewicki in 1989 and originally owned and operated by his company, Monster Robots, Inc. [1] Robosaurus is modeled after Transformers toys with the driver sitting in the head of the robot, and the ability to transform from a 48-foot semi trailer into a mechanical Tyrannosaurus rex . It has hydraulically activated arms, grasping claws, and jaws, and a flame thrower in the head to give the effect of breathing fire out of its nostrils. It is used at motorsport events (particularly monster truck events) and air shows to "eat" and burn vehicles such as automobiles and small airplanes.[ citation needed ]
Robosaurus took two years and $2.2 million to build, stands at a height of 40 feet when transformed and fully extended and weighs 31 tons. It is powered by a 500-horsepower, turbo charged, Cummins diesel engine. Four hydraulic pumps are used to manipulate the claws, which can exert 24,000 pounds of force. It houses two 20-gallon propane tanks to produce the fire breath effect, and houses air cannons that can be used to fire confetti, fireworks or missiles. [2]
Similar machines based on the same concept[ citation needed ] include Megasaurus and Transaurus, as well as less direct imitators,[ citation needed ] such as "Draco the Dragonator" and "Tranzilla". A parody of Robosaurus, called Truckasaurus, is also present in the TV series The Simpsons in the episode "Bart the Daredevil", and in the video game based on the franchise, Simpsons Hit 'n' Run .
Robosaurus was auctioned off at the Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson auction on January 19, 2008. [3] Bidding saw the robotic dinosaur sell to gambling industry veteran [4] Brooke Dunn [5] for US$575,000. [6] Dunn's company, Action Robo LLC, [7] now owns and operates Robosaurus. [8] [9]
Robosaurus starred in Steel Justice , a made-for-TV movie on NBC in 1992. It centered on a cop with the magical ability to turn his deceased son's Robosaurus toy into a real fire-breathing robot to help him fight crime. No TV series resulted.
Robosaurus featured in three episodes of the 2010 Travel Channel reality show, America's Worst Driver , including the series finale.
It appeared in "Robosaurus", a 2011 fourth-season episode of the History Channel reality series Pawn Stars , wherein its owner brought it to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop and after demonstrating what it can do tried to sell it to the Harrisons at an offer of $1,000,000, which they refused. [2]
Robosaurus was featured on "Larry's Vegas Hangover", an episode of Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy . It was co-piloted by Larry the Cable Guy's friend and fellow comedian Carrot Top.
Robosaurus is featured in the movie Waking Up in Reno where Robosaurus eats the vacationing couple's Chevy Suburban.
An animated version of Robosaurus tears the roof off of the trailer belonging to Pete White and Billy Quizboy in "Maybe No Go", a season 6 episode of The Venture Bros .
Robosaurus was featured on "Child at Heart", an episode of Jay Leno's Garage .
Robosaurus was featured on Penn & Teller: Fool Us Episode 505, "Psych!!" which aired on July 23, 2018, when magician Seth Grabell was handcuffed and escaped from a police car as Robosaurus destroyed it.
A parody of Robosaurus, named Truck-o-Saurus, appears in The Simpsons episode "Bart the Daredevil", in which it ends up damaging the family's car.
Robosaurus appeared in the episode "You Decide LIVE!" of the Disney Channel series Just Roll with It , which aired on October 4, 2019. [10]
Grimlock is the name of several fictional robot characters in the Transformers robot franchise. He is usually portrayed as the leader of the Dinobots, which are a subfaction of Autobots who can transform into metal dinosaurs. Grimlock is known for his dialogue being spoken in the third person. He appeared on screen along with other Dinobots in the fourth installment of the Transformers film series.
Gaiking is a Japanese Super Robot mecha anime series produced by Toei Animation. For distribution purposes, Toei refers to this television series as Dino Mech Gaiking.
Monster Garage is an American reality television series that aired on the Discovery Channel and hosted by Jesse James. Each episode was an hour in length and was conceived and produced by Thom Beers.
"Treehouse of Horror II" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on October 31, 1991. It is the second annual Treehouse of Horror episode, consisting of three self-contained segments, told as dreams of Lisa, Bart and Homer and is the only Treehouse of Horror episode to date where each segment name is not stated inside the episode. In the first segment, which was inspired by W. W. Jacobs's short story "The Monkey's Paw" and The Twilight Zone episode "A Small Talent for War", Homer buys a Monkey's Paw that has the power to grant wishes, although all the wishes backfire. In the second part, which parodies the Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life", Bart is omnipotent, and turns Homer into a jack-in-the-box, resulting in the two spending more time together. In the final segment, Mr. Burns attempts to use Homer's brain to power a giant robotic laborer.
"Bart the Daredevil" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 6, 1990. In the episode, Bart decides he wants to become a daredevil after watching famous stunt performer Lance Murdock at a monster truck rally.
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Megasaurus and Transaurus are transforming robotic dinosaurs. Megasaurus is owned by Mike West and Transaurus is owned by Rick and Sheri Dorritie. They are modeled after a Tyrannosaurus rex and have hydraulically activated arms, grasping claws, and jaws, as well as flame throwers set up in the head to give the effect of breathing fire from the mouth. They both fold up into a vehicle based on a tank and when the robots perform they initially appear as a box on tracks decorated as either a military vehicle (Megasaurus) or a dinosaur (Transaurus). Each robot is roughly 30 feet tall at maximum extension. They are used primarily to destroy cars by "eating" them at motorsport events, especially monster truck competitions.
Barrett-Jackson is an American collector car auction company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded by Scottsdale business partners Tom Barrett and Russ Jackson. They initially launched a car show, Fiesta de los Autos Elegantes, in 1967 to raise money for local facilities. The first Barrett-Jackson auction, originally meant as a one-time event, was held in December 1971. Due to its success, it became an annual event, eventually prompting the creation of other collector car auctions in the Scottsdale area.
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