Robot Identification Filter
August 12, 2010 3:08 PM Subscribe
Robot identification help?
On the poster for this year's National Book Festival, there is a yellow robot at the top of the crowd. Middle of this page, click to enlarge. It is driving me insane that I can't place him. Can you help?
On the poster for this year's National Book Festival, there is a yellow robot at the top of the crowd. Middle of this page, click to enlarge. It is driving me insane that I can't place him. Can you help?
I was thinking Marvin from Hitchhiker's Guide maybe? I can't recall what he was supposed to look like, but we're looking for books children might read, and I don't think the event sponsors would lump King in there. Maybe something from Asimov?
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:20 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:20 PM on August 12, 2010
My first reaction was a very early cover to I, Robot by Asimov or an illustration to Robie, the Robot" in that book, but I can't find it.
posted by Some1 at 3:29 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by Some1 at 3:29 PM on August 12, 2010
Okay, see the guy with the white moustache? His hat has a crescent shape to it. That crescent looks like a smile, coming as it does in front of what looks like a robot head. I would really like a bigger version of the image, even the enlarged is not too large.
Are you sure that isn't some kind of scepter? With the crescent in front of it, those four knobs coming off look like two ears and two eyes.
posted by adipocere at 3:30 PM on August 12, 2010
Are you sure that isn't some kind of scepter? With the crescent in front of it, those four knobs coming off look like two ears and two eyes.
posted by adipocere at 3:30 PM on August 12, 2010
I'm with adipocere. I don't think that's a robot at all. I think the "mouth" is part of that other guy's hair/hat/head, and once you take that away you realize that the other protrusions are identical and radially distributed (like there would be two more in the back) rather than being ears/eyes.
posted by madmethods at 3:41 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by madmethods at 3:41 PM on August 12, 2010
Those are all classic characters interpreted by the illustrator. An Asimov robot wouldn't be far fetched by any means. but it's not Robby the Robot.
posted by Max Power at 3:41 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by Max Power at 3:41 PM on August 12, 2010
The old man in front of the robot seems to be Don Quixote (note the shield and spear). I don't think the robot is a sceptre; maybe a proto-Tin Woodman from the Oz books? Doesn't look much like the original illustrations, but most of the characters in the poster seem to be from pretty old, classic literature rather than modern stuff.
posted by Gator at 3:45 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by Gator at 3:45 PM on August 12, 2010
Are you sure that isn't some kind of scepter? With the crescent in front of it, those four knobs coming off look like two ears and two eyes.
Man that's a robot just like the ent is an ent, and Tom Sawyer is Tom Sawyer, and the raven is "The Raven" etc.
posted by Max Power at 3:46 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Man that's a robot just like the ent is an ent, and Tom Sawyer is Tom Sawyer, and the raven is "The Raven" etc.
posted by Max Power at 3:46 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Who says it has to "be" anybody specific. There are lots of robots in literature. This guy just stands for all of them.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:50 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:50 PM on August 12, 2010
10% larger image here.
Suppose we do go with robot as an explanation: subtract the golden glow from the picture, as the characters are in the sun. Might that be a little like ... tin? A rather radical reinterpretation of the Tin Man?
posted by adipocere at 3:58 PM on August 12, 2010
Suppose we do go with robot as an explanation: subtract the golden glow from the picture, as the characters are in the sun. Might that be a little like ... tin? A rather radical reinterpretation of the Tin Man?
posted by adipocere at 3:58 PM on August 12, 2010
Looks to me like a scepter or something the "Ent" is holding in his left hand.
posted by xedrik at 4:06 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by xedrik at 4:06 PM on August 12, 2010
I was thinking Tik-Tok from Oz rather than the Tin Woodman, but no mustache makes that seem unlikely.
posted by ecurtz at 4:08 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by ecurtz at 4:08 PM on August 12, 2010
Someone braver than I could contact the artist and ask.
posted by agatha_magatha at 4:25 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by agatha_magatha at 4:25 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Someone braver than I could contact the artist and ask.
Done and done. I'll let you all know if he writes back.
posted by cooker girl at 4:50 PM on August 12, 2010
Done and done. I'll let you all know if he writes back.
posted by cooker girl at 4:50 PM on August 12, 2010
What a beautiful poster. I can't wait to learn the identity of the robot. I'm hoping for Klapaucius.
posted by rlk at 5:02 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by rlk at 5:02 PM on August 12, 2010
My immediate thought was something from the old Oz books as well. My mom had all of the originals, and though I never read them I used to pull them off the shelf to look at the pretty cover illustrations. It's definitely not Tik-Tok (he's far too portly), but I suppose it could be the Tin Woodsman (both characters shown here). It's still not exactly right, but an Oz character was my gut reaction.
posted by phunniemee at 5:03 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by phunniemee at 5:03 PM on August 12, 2010
Wasn't there a wind-up man in the later Oz books? It's been so long...
posted by lumpenprole at 5:24 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by lumpenprole at 5:24 PM on August 12, 2010
I was hoping for Sir Mac Hinery, but he was too short, and wrong generation, I guess. (Although The Scarlet Letter? Really? For kids?)
posted by mittens at 5:31 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by mittens at 5:31 PM on August 12, 2010
It doesn't remind me of any literary robot so much as it reminds me of Greg Peltz's Victorian C3P0. Although I'm sure it's an actual storybook character, those images made the rounds recently. Maybe that's why it's pinging something in your head?
posted by donnagirl at 6:08 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by donnagirl at 6:08 PM on August 12, 2010
I don't know much about the various kinds of scepters that exist, but it looks kind of big and unwieldy for a scepter. Plus, the angle makes it look like the top is pointing towards the "camera" instead of away from it, and if the guy in front is holding the scepter against his shoulder or straight up, it shouldn't be that away. It does look like a robot peering downward like everyone else.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:58 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:58 PM on August 12, 2010
How about Ted Hughes' Iron Man (Iron Giant if you're American)?
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 1:40 AM on August 13, 2010
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 1:40 AM on August 13, 2010
Best answer: I emailed the artist too. Don't know if he responded to anyone else, but he writes back to me:
posted by Gator at 6:25 AM on August 13, 2010
Actually, the robot is the only character there that isn't any one in particular--I just like painting robots !So, yes it's a robot, not a sceptre, but no, it's not a specific robot!
posted by Gator at 6:25 AM on August 13, 2010
Best answer: He responded, much like Gator reported:
Hi, *name redacted*, the robot isn't any specific character, I just wanted to have something there that represented the realm of science fiction---(and I really like drawing robots) !
Cheers, Pete!
posted by cooker girl at 7:18 AM on August 13, 2010
Hi, *name redacted*, the robot isn't any specific character, I just wanted to have something there that represented the realm of science fiction---(and I really like drawing robots) !
Cheers, Pete!
posted by cooker girl at 7:18 AM on August 13, 2010
Response by poster: Thank you everyone. My gut reaction was similar to TheSecretDecoderRing in that it was someone from Oz, but thanks for all of your feedback.
I had looked at the artist's website, but am not as brave as those of you who did the contacting. So thank you for doing that as well.
posted by librarianamy at 7:22 AM on August 13, 2010
I had looked at the artist's website, but am not as brave as those of you who did the contacting. So thank you for doing that as well.
posted by librarianamy at 7:22 AM on August 13, 2010
Response by poster: Wait, sorry, that was phunniemee who had the gut feeling. My bad.
posted by librarianamy at 7:23 AM on August 13, 2010
posted by librarianamy at 7:23 AM on August 13, 2010
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posted by sanka at 3:12 PM on August 12, 2010