Johnny Sokko and Giant Robo—Theme Song, The History, and The Giant Monsters
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Today is Johnny Sokko Day!
Celebrating the Japanese giant robot TV series that came out on this day in 1967—but still lives on in our hearts.
In this article:
Celebrating Johnny Sokko and his giant robot
Classic TV Theme: Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot
The Monsters That Giant Robo Faced
The impact of Giant Robo
13 Giant Heroes Who Fight Giant Monsters—including Ultraman, King Kong, and Frankenstein(?)
Celebrating Johnny Sokko and his giant robot
An action-packed1960s TV show featured a giant robot—controlled by a kid—battling giant monsters. Today is the anniversary of the TV show Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot, which launched October 11, 1967 on Japanese television. Adapted from the 1967 Japanese comic book series Giant Robo by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, the show featured the Unicorn agency saving the world from the terrorist alien terrorist Gargoyle Gang.
When a boy named Johnny Sokko and a member of the Unicorn agency named Jerry are shipwrecked, they find themselves at a Gargoyle base. Fleeing from the bad guys, they stumble across a giant robot being built for Gargoyle by a captive scientist. Johnny speaks into the robot’s control device (a wristwatch), which activates the robot’s loyalty.
Johnny and Jerry use the robot to escape, after which Johnny is inducted into the Unicorn agency. Now he and the giant robot can help protect the Earth from the Gargoyle Gang.
As a boy, when I first watched this show, it was shown next to another giant monster show, Ultraman. While I liked the second series quite a bit, I loved the Johnny Sokko series with its weird monsters, gathering of threatening bad guys, and the fact that a 10-year-old boy got into gunfights.
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Classic TV Theme: Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot
The Monsters That Giant Robo Faced
Over the course of the series, Giant Robot faced…
Dracolon (monster in the ocean)
Nucleon, the Magic Globe (a giant, flying robot mine)…
the Gargoyle Vine with its lava bombs…
the Gigantic Claw (a giant robot hand that flies)…
the Two-Headed Monster…
the Flying Jawbone…
and way more.
In the series finale, the leader of the gang, Emperor Guillotine, stepped out of hiding and threatened Giant Robot personally. He was GIANT SIZED and the season—and the entire series—is STUNNING.
The impact of Giant Robo
Back 2012 when Shout Factory was going to release the series on DVD, August Ramone said on his blog:
“Back in the days when ULTRAMAN and THE SPACE GIANTS were all the rage on syndicated television, JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT struck a special cord with kids. Why? Because it tells of the adventures of a youngster and his giant robot in their fight to save the world—the ultimate boy’s wish-fulfilling fantasy.
“JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT has not lost any of it’s outre, mondo-offbeat style nor it’s earnest, tongue-in-cheek charm—accompanied by a swingin’ jazz spy soundtrack—which set the stage for the pantheon of Toei Superheroes to come.”
Ragone knew what he was talking about. In fact, he was working on the official liner notes for that DVD box set.
13 Giant Heroes Who Fight Giant Monsters
This is a list focusing on heroes who are (or can become) giant-sized to deal with giant threats. This is how you can make a list that includes BOTH Giant Robot and Ultraman...
Godzilla (became a hero in 1964 with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster)
Giant Robot (1967’s Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot)
Ultraman and family (1966 and on, starting with prequel series Ultra Q and then original Ultraman)
The Space Giants (AKA Ambassador Magma in 1966)
Gamera (starting in 1966 with Gamera vs. Barugon)
Gigantor (AKA Tetsujin 28-go which became the 1963 series Gigantor)
King Kong (was the hero in 1966 with King Kong Escapes)
Jet Jaguar (from 1973’s Godzilla vs Megalon)
Frankenstein in Japan (with 1965’s Frankenstein vs. Baragon)
Toei Spider-Man (the 1978 Japanese TV show where Spider-Man pilots a giant robot)
Shogun Warriors (the giant robot toys got a Marvel Comics series in 1979)
Power Rangers (starting with TV show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993 and then more)
Pacific Rim (starting in 2013 and then there was more)
Further reading online
Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: A Complete Guide to Toei’s 1960s Sci/Fi Series (The History Vortex)
Top 10 Best Mecha & Robot Anime of All-Time (Twinfinite)
Decades of Stomping: A History of Giant Monster Movies (Bloody Disgusting)
Retro-Musings: “Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot” (1967) was a goofy staple of childhood… (Musings of a Middle-Aged Geek)
6 Influential (and Awesome) Giant Japanese Robots (Mental Floss)
The 16 Greatest Giant Monsters in Movie History (Sharp Magazine)
Ranking 26 Giant Robots From Film and TV (Rotten Tomatoes)
11 Mecha Anime Series That Aren’t Gundam To Revive Your Childhood Robot Dreams (TheSmartLocal Japan)
The Complete History of Kaiju (Sideshow)
Top 20 Best Mecha & Robot Anime To Check Out (FandomSpot)
The cultural impact and meaning of monster movies (Far Out Magazine)
19 Must-See Anime Series With Giant Robots (LiveAbout)
After Watching 'Marvel's 616', Take a Deeper Dive into "Japanese Spider-Man" (Marvel)
The Rondo Awards honor the best in classic horror research, creativity and film preservation. This year's winners include the reissue of ROBOT MONSTER, the movie GODZILLA: MINUS ONE, the TV series WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and more! Find out the details here.