In the 1970s and 1980s, comic books featured an ad for plans to build a giant 7-foot-tall monster robot using cheap scrap materials. Eddie Guevara, a collector of comic book novelties, has spent over 30 years searching for these plans. Despite his efforts and pleas, he hasn't been able to find them. Boing Boing reader Jason Blakey kindly shared this story with me. I hope someone can help his friend, Eddy, find the plans for us robot! — Mark
Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, an advertisement for plans to build a "GIANT 7 FOOT TALL MONSTER ROBOT" was a common sight in comic books and Boy's Life magazine. It promised "loads of fun putting it together from cheap scrap items, available anywhere". These plans were originally created by the J-Mar Company in 1970. Later, they were sold by the Melton Company, out of Miami Beach Florida, and the Guarantee Company (aka the Melton Company), in Chicago, Illinois. It is quite probable that these plans consisted of a single piece of paper. It is also quite probable that the robot that could be built using these plans would consist of cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other.
One man, Eddie Guevara, saw these plans, wondered about them, and never ordered them. Eddie is the owner of what is probably the world's largest collection of comic book novelties. He had the habit, even as a young child, of collecting, and the luck to be blessed with enough pocket money to actually order the items from comic book ads. If you have a copy of Mail-Order Mysteries by Kirk Demarais, most of the items pictured are from Eddie's collection, and Eddie himself is there smiling out at you on page 154.
He has hunted for these plans for over 30 years. The fact that he does not possess these plans eats at his very soul. I'm quite sure he dreams about finding these plans. He's tried everything he can think of to get these plans, including harassing the original company owner's son over long distance phone calls. None of his attempts have paid off. Littered about the Internet are his pleas for any information on these plans, like messages left in bottles — small bits of his hope preserved, waiting for someone to find them.
If anyone has any information on these plans (these very SPECIFIC plans), please contact Eddie at houseoftheunusual@gmail.com or House of the Unusual. He will make you both rich* and famous**, and your every wish will come true***.
* by rich, I mean to say that Eddie would happily trade almost anything from his collection for a copy of these plans, or pay quite a large amount of money (considering that the plans are probably a single sheet of paper showing how to build a cardboard-box robot).
** by famous, I mean to say that among a very small group of novelty collectors on the Internet, your name will never be forgotten. Collectors may pray to you when attempting to track down a rare bit of ephemera. If you've read American Gods by Neil Gaiman, you may assume that this will provide you with a source of metaphysical power (but this is not guaranteed).
*** by true, I mean to say that if your only wish is that Eddie receives these plans, that wish will indeed have come true. As a bonus, Eddie's greatest wish will have finally come true also. No other wishes will be granted.
