RoboCop To Become A Reality! (Well, sort of... possibly...)

[Tawmis]

Detroit is taking pride in its rough and tumble reputation. Now on the table -- a proposed statue of RoboCop, the (obviously) fictional law enforcement enthusiast who was part man, part machine, but all cop.

The 1987 action film of the same name was set in the Motor City. Now a privately funded group has raised enough money to erect a statue honoring Detroit's No. 1 crime fighter.

The news set off an explosion of Web searches. Online lookups on "robocop statue" surged into Yahoo's top 100 overall search terms. Related searches on "robocop actor," "robocop sequels," and "robocop photos" posted similarly impressive spikes.

So, will the statue really become a reality? Well, at first, it didn't look likely. A fan of the flick sent a tweet to Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, saying, "Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky & Robocop would kick Rocky's butt. He's a GREAT ambassador for Detroit." Bing responded, saying, "There are not any plans to erect a statue to Robocop. Thank you for the suggestion."

End of story, right? Wrong. A group set out to raise $50,000 to build a full-scale sculpture. And with the help of a $25,000 donation from an Oakland entrepreuneur, the group has now raised well over the required amount. According to CNN, the statue would "stand on privately owned land near the Michigan Central Depot." The hope is that it will become a tourist attraction.

While the Web interest has been deafening, there are some who question whether it's wise to remind tourists of Hollywood's version of dystopian Detroit. The Christian Science Monitor quotes John McCarthy, a professor of urban history at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh: "I don’t see anything in the RoboCop image that is positive for the city of Detroit." The message such a statue would send would be at its best, "an ironic one."

Interestingly, much of "RoboCop" wasn't filmed in Detroit. Dallas actually served as the backdrop in many scenes. And let it be known that Detroit is hardly the first city to honor a fictional character. There's Rocky in Philadelphia, of course. But there's also Mary Richards in Minneapolis, Superman in Metropolis (Illinois), Ralph Kramden of "The Honeymooners" at the Port Authority in New York, and the one and only Fonz in Milwaukee. Heyyyy, sit on it!

[gumby]

Now why would anyone think that a statue of Robocop would be appropriate? Of any fictional character born from a film? My opinion is that if Detroit or any city wants to erect a statue, choose someone of non-fictional historical significance for the city. This whole idea just seems like a cop-out (no pun intended).

[Rath Darkblade]

I've read about this before. They've raised about $50,000 for this statue so far.

[Tawmis]

Now why would anyone think that a statue of Robocop would be appropriate? Of any fictional character born from a film? My opinion is that if Detroit or any city wants to erect a statue, choose someone of non-fictional historical significance for the city. This whole idea just seems like a cop-out (no pun intended).

Why? Another state has a statue of Superman.

[DeadPoolX]

Now why would anyone think that a statue of Robocop would be appropriate? Of any fictional character born from a film? My opinion is that if Detroit or any city wants to erect a statue, choose someone of non-fictional historical significance for the city. This whole idea just seems like a cop-out (no pun intended).

Probably because more people would recognize RoboCop over some relatively obscure historical figure.

[gumby]

Now why would anyone think that a statue of Robocop would be appropriate? Of any fictional character born from a film? My opinion is that if Detroit or any city wants to erect a statue, choose someone of non-fictional historical significance for the city. This whole idea just seems like a cop-out (no pun intended).

Why? Another state has a statue of Superman.

Seriously? Didn't know that, but I don't agree with it either. I'd like to go out on a limb and say that a statue of any literary character isn't appropriate - but I can't.

However, statues like 'The Little Mermaid' in Copenhagen or 'Silvius Brabo' in Antwerp don't disagree with me at all. I've got a bit of double-standard there, for sure.

[Tawmis]

Now why would anyone think that a statue of Robocop would be appropriate? Of any fictional character born from a film? My opinion is that if Detroit or any city wants to erect a statue, choose someone of non-fictional historical significance for the city. This whole idea just seems like a cop-out (no pun intended).

Why? Another state has a statue of Superman.

Seriously? Didn't know that, but I don't agree with it either. I'd like to go out on a limb and say that a statue of any literary character isn't appropriate - but I can't.
However, statues like 'The Little Mermaid' in Copenhagen or 'Silvius Brabo' in Antwerp don't disagree with me at all. I've got a bit of double-standard there, for sure.

Indeed. As the article mentions, there is a Superman statue in Metropolis, ILL (same city name used in DC Comics). So I believe Detroit is going for the same thing, since Robocop happens in "Motor City" (which is the nickname for Detroit). There's also the Rocky Statue in Philly. So it's not entirely unheard of.

[gumby]

Indeed. As the article mentions, there is a Superman statue in Metropolis, ILL (same city name used in DC Comics). So I believe Detroit is going for the same thing, since Robocop happens in "Motor City" (which is the nickname for Detroit). There's also the Rocky Statue in Philly. So it's not entirely unheard of.

And once again, that's what I get for skimming the post. Still, I'd like to know where people draw the line between 'pop-art' & 'literature'

[Collector]

Isn't there a statue of Huck Finn in Hannibal? However, that is different. There you are talking about something so deeply intertwined with Antebellum America and a significant work of American literature, not just pop culture.

[gumby]

Isn't there a statue of Huck Finn in Hannibal? However, that is different. There you are talking about something so deeply intertwined with Antebellum America and a significant work of American literature, not just pop culture.

I don't know how I feel about that. I think I'd prefer a statue of Mark Twain over Huck.

[cpages2]

My buddy and I are going to road trip up to Detroit to see it!!!! lol

[Tawmis]

My buddy and I are going to road trip up to Detroit to see it!!!! lol

If and when it happens - I might join ya!