If you were a kid in the 60's, and wanted frequent visits from your buddies, all it took was for you to own one of these babies.
Rockem Sockem Robots were advertised on commercials that thoroughly entranced their intended young audience. The robots would mercilessly hammer each other until one of them popped the spring-loaded head of the other and it would fly straight up about an inch.
You knocked his block off!
Many toys were a bit of a letdown after their spectacular commercials. Not this one. It was a real rip to play with. You could spend an hour sparring with your pal. That was an eternity in kid-attention-time.
This well-designed plastic toy seemed to last forever. It was made for hard play, and it delivered!
It was such a kid magnet that even the dweebiest kid was guaranteed visitors if he was the fortunate owner of one of these.
They still make Rockem Sockem Robots, as should be the case with the greatest toys. You can order them from several online stores, ask Google.
But they no longer have a hold on a young generation like they once did. Those classic commercials made it a must-have. Many a harried parent gave in to relentless begging from tots who just couldn't get that image of the popping robot's head out of their minds.
Comments (4)
There WAS something really engaging about those commercials. I don't think I ever owned this toy, but I still have such a strong image of it.
Posted by Rhea | December 17, 2006 9:58 AM
Posted on December 17, 2006 09:58
I just saw a commercial on TV that shows what a part of out culture the Rockem-Sockem's have become. It's a Dodge pickup ad that shows a robot trying to spar with a truck, getting his block knocked off in the process!
Posted by Ron Enderland | December 25, 2006 9:43 AM
Posted on December 25, 2006 09:43
I remember the commercial! You knocked my block off! I never had one of these but knew kids who did! It was definately fun and was a great stress reliever! The only stress a kid had back then was Batman shirt am I gonna wear? Right? This is a classic game and am glad it is still around.Did everyone want to play with the red robot more??
Posted by Rivers End | May 26, 2009 12:30 AM
Posted on May 26, 2009 00:30
We did not own one till we found it in a Goodwill store maybe about 1971 or so. It was fun for a few times but it got boring fast. But it does seem to have a remarkable lasting impression. It has a strong curiosity factor about it. Everyone wants to at least try it. It just seems to represent the whole period of the 60s and the commercial was pretty cool and memorable. The sound the head makes when it pops was great!
It fascinates me how what I see as a gimmicky sort of toy could make such an impression but it is hard to deny. I see our culture as having a bit of that stamped on it. Gimmicky, tacky, campy, but oh so irresistible and ya just gotta try it.
Posted by Scott Irv | May 26, 2009 1:40 AM
Posted on May 26, 2009 01:40