APPEARANCE AND INFLUENCE IN POPULAR CULTURE
Godzilla has developed into a cultural icon in not just Japan, but in America and across the world. Ever since its first appearance in the original 1954 film Godzilla has popped up in commercials, TV shows, music and much, much more.
Any child from the 1990s will remember “Reptar” the large Godzilla like creature from Rugrats based on Godzilla. Godzilla since its inception has been memorialized and made into memorabilia in the form of toy action figures. Children all over the planet use their toy Godzilla to destroy their own little Tokyo (Pike 4).
Godzilla has appeared in countless movies and television spawning a whole genre called “kaiju” films. These films all have giant alien like creatures all tracing their origin back to Godzilla. The most recent of this genre was the Hollywood blockbuster Pacific Rim.
Ever since video games gained popularity, Godzilla has made his impact known in the realm of virtual gaming. Godzilla has had games with him on almost every console, from PS4 to Gameboy. The most successful Godzilla video game was the Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters game for X-box and Gamecube in which players battle as monsters made famous by Godzilla movies throughout the years.
Musicians worldwide feel the need to sing about the glorious nature of Godzilla, as we can see in the 1977 hit song “Godzilla” by the Blue Oyster Cult. Godzilla has popped up a lot in music over the years. A French metal band’s name is Gojira, after the original 1954 film. Godzilla’s enemy Mothra is referenced in the Book of Mormon song “Two by Two” (Tsutsui 65).
1992 Nike Commercial
A famous advertisement aired during the 1992 MTV Music Video Awards depicting Charles Barkley battling Godzilla in a one on one basketball game, with Barkley winning and asking Godzilla to join the team. The commercial was a radical success spawning a t-shirt line and a comic book adaption. But Godzilla did not stop there. Godzilla received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1996 MTV Movie awards, one of only three fictional characters to ever win the award (Nike). Godzilla’s resurfacing time and time again throughout the 20th century in pop culture shows the impact and resonance of this monster. Whether Godzilla strikes fear into the hearts of children or fascinates them, no one can deny the fact that Godzilla has been present in pop culture worldwide. The relevance of Godzilla has never disappeared since its creation and will be present in pop culture for years to come. |
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