is a 1963 anime adaptation of Tetsujin 28-go, a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. It debuted on US television in January 1966. As with Speed Racer, the characters' original names were altered and the original series' violence was toned down for American viewers. The dub was created by Fred Ladd distributed in the US by Peter Rodgers Organization. A new series was produced in Japan in 1980 and was later shown as The New Adventures of Gigantor, on the Sci Fi Channel from 1993 to 1997. Plot The Gigantor series is set in 2000. The show follows the exploits of little Jimmy Sparks, a 12-year-old boy who controls Gigantor, a huge flying robot, with a remote control. The robot is made of steel and has a rocket-powered backpack for flight, a pointy nose, eyes that never move and incredible strength, but no intelligence (although he started to tap his head as if trying to think in one episode). Whoever has the remote control controls Gigantor. Originally developed as a weapon by Jimmy's father, Gigantor was later reprogrammed to act as a guardian of peace. Jimmy Sparks lives with his uncle, Dr. Bob Brilliant, on a remote island. Jimmy usually wears shorts and a jacket, carries a firearm and occasionally drives a car. Together, Jimmy and Gigantor battle crime around the world and clash with the many villains who are always trying to steal or undermine the giant robot. History In 1963, Fred Ladd, while working on the animated feature Pinocchio in Outer Space and on the animated TV series The Big World of Little Adam had seen artwork of Mitsuteru Yokoyama presenting a giant robot remote-controlled by a young boy. The Tokyo-based artist had designed the robot for a Japanese shōnen manga series Tetsujin-28 and later a black-and-white animated TV series called Tetsujin 28-go. Ladd, who had produced the successful international, English-language adaptation of Astro Boy, and Al Singer formed a corporation called Delphi Associates, Inc. to produce and distribute an English-language version of Tetsujin 28-gō. They took only 52 episodes of the black-and-white Japanese series for the American market and renamed the series Gigantor. Peter Fernandez wrote much of the English script and participated in the dubbing. Delphi then sub-licensed worldwide distribution rights to Trans-Lux Television. The series became an immediate hit with juvenile audiences, though adult reactions were sometimes hostile. Despite the fact that the Tetsujin