Robosaurus is a transforming

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

created by inventor Doug Malewicki in 1989 and originally owned and operated by his company, Monster Robots, Inc. Robosaurus is modeled after

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, suc ...

toys with the driver sitting in the head of the robot, and the ability to

transform Transform may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Transform (scratch), a type of scratch used by turntablists * ''Transform'' (Alva Noto album), 2001 * ''Transform'' (Howard Jones album) or the title song, 2019 * ''Transform'' (Powerman 5000 album ...

from a 48-foot semi trailer into a mechanical ''

Tyrannosaurus rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...

''. It has hydraulically activated

arm In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...

s, grasping

claw A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes (mammals, reptiles, birds). Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or tarsus ...

s, and

jaw The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term ''jaws'' is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serv ...

s, and a

flame thrower A flamethrower is a ranged weapon, ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet (fluid), jet of fire. Greek fire, First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during Wo ...

in the head to give the effect of breathing fire out of its nostrils. It is used at

motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

events (particularly

monster truck A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pic ...

events) and

air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show m ...

s to "eat" and burn vehicles such as

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

s and small

airplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spe ...

s. 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. Similar machines based on the same concept include Megasaurus and Transaurus, as well as less direct imitators, such as "Draco the Dragonator" and "Tranzilla". A parody of Robosaurus, called Truckasaurus, is also present in the TV series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' in the episode "

Bart the Daredevil "Bart the Daredevil" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 6, 1990. In the episode, Bart decides he wants t ...

", and in the video game based on the franchise, '' Simpsons Hit 'n' Run''. Robosaurus was auctioned off at the Scottsdale

Barrett-Jackson 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 19 ...

auction on January 19, 2008. Bidding saw the robotic dinosaur sell to gambling industry veteran Brooke Dunn for US$575,000. Dunn's company, Action Robo LLC, now owns and operates Robosaurus.

Appearances in media

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 Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...

reality show, '' America's Worst Driver'', including the series finale. It also appeared in "Robosaurus", a 2011 fourth-season episode of the

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

reality series ''

Pawn Stars ''Pawn Stars'' is an American reality television series shown on History and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24 ...

'', 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. Robosaurus was also featured on "Larry's Vegas Hangover", an episode of ''

Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy ''Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy'' is an American travel documentary series that aired for three seasons from 2011 to 2013 on History. It premiered on February 8, 2011. Premise In the series, Larry the Cable Guy Daniel Lawrence Whi ...

''. It was co-piloted by comedian and

Larry the Cable Guy Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), known professionally by his persona Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, country music artist, and former radio personality. He was one of the members of the ...

's old pal Carrot Top. Robosaurus is also 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 ''The Venture Bros.'' is an American adult animated action comedy TV series created by Chris McCulloch (also known as "Jackson Publick") for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. Following a pilot episode on February 16, 20 ...

. Robosaurus was also featured on "Child at Heart", an episode of ''

Jay Leno's Garage ''Jay Leno's Garage'' is an American web and television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars and motorbikes starring Jay Leno, the former host of ''The Tonight Show''. Originally a web series for NBC.com, a special aired on CNBC in August ...

''. Robosaurus was also featured on Penn & Teller: Fool Us Episode 505, "Psych!!" which aired Monday, 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 ''

'' episode "

", in which it ends up damaging the family's car. Robosaurus appeared in the special live halloween episodes of

Just Roll with it ''Just Roll with It'' is an American family comedy television series created by Adam Small and Trevor Moore that aired on Disney Channel from June 14, 2019 to May 14, 2021. The series stars Ramon Reed, Kaylin Hayman, Suzi Barrett, Tobie Windham ...

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References

External links

{{Commons category
Michael A. Ryder
Robotic dinosaurs 1989 robots Entertainment robots Robots of the United States