Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots- put into production in 1966 by Marx Toys of Erie, PA, a company who also produced popular toys and games such as Mouse Trap and Operation. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots came at a point in history when boxing was reemerging as a popular sport. Some of the most famous names in boxing would emerge in the 60's, names that are still recognizable by those outside of major boxing fans. In 1960, Muhammad Ali would win his first professional fight, and would go on to trump many other boxing greats. Rocky Graziano, middle-weight boxing champion in the 1940's, would appear on ads for the toy. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots would allow children a chance to be like the sports champions they looked up to in a time when cultural values among America's youth were changing quickly. According to The American Journey, "Millions of young people expressed their alienation from mainstream American society" (Goldfield).
via videosift.com
A commercial for the original Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots in the 1960's
Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots would entertain children well into the 70's. The two toy robots were set in a miniature boxing ring, and the controls were weilded by two opposing players. The players were able to control (to a certain, jerky degree) the movements and strikes of the plastic robots, until one child controlled robot managed to hit the other on the chin. It was from this that the infamous phrase and slogan "knock his block off" emerged. Around the mid-70's interest in Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots would dwindle, but in the 1990's Mattel brought the game back to the market. Video games were developed for both the Playstation and the Gameboy Advance, but they were not well recieved. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots will always have a fond place in the hearts of those who pine for vintage toys. However, due to the decline in popularity of boxing as a sport as well as the invention of newer, sleeker toys that included actual robotic toys, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots saw their golden days in the 1960's, when boxing was popular and little boys were eager to imitate their idols.
More About Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots
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Works Cited:
Goldfield, David, Carl Abbott, Virginia Anderson, Jo Ann Argersinger, Peter Argersinger, William Barney, and Robert Weir. The American Journey. 4th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007. 853.
"Rock Em Sock Em Robots (1960)." VideoSift. 10 Aug. 2006. 9 Nov. 2007 <http://www.videosift.com/video/Rock-Em-Sock-Em-Robots-1960>.
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