Godzilla battles Kong in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures' action adventure ???Godzilla vs. Kong.??? (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/TNS)
Godzilla turns 70 on Sunday. On Nov. 3, 1954, director Ishiro Honda unleashed a monster on the world.
Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, is a pop culture icon today, with over 30 films as well as television shows, video games, comic books and even novels. Known as Gojira in Japanese, Godzilla even has a website: www.godzilla.com.
In honor of Godzilla Day, here are seven facts you might not know about this monster antihero:
1. Godzilla has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2. Patrick Stewart gave Godzilla an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
3. A Triassic dinosaur discovered in New Mexico in 1997 is named after Godzilla — Gojirasaurus quayi, named by paleontologist and founder Kenneth Carpenter.
4. Scientists say Godzilla could never actually exist, because it would be crushed by its own body weight.
5. Godzilla made a commercial for Dr Pepper soda in 1985.
6. The beast appeared in a Nike commercial with Charles Barclay in 1992.
7. On YouTube, there are several videos of how Godzilla’s roar has changed over the years. Search for “Godzilla roar” to find them.
Over its cinematic lifespan, Godzilla has changed in appearance as well as in sound. The original movies featured scale models, as well as a costume worn by live actors who acted out the reptile’s wrathful destruction. The costume, made of rubber and metal, weighed over 200 pounds.
Godzilla’s size and appearance have changed from movie to movie, but the monster is always amphibious and reptilian and walks upright, in the manner of a T. rex. Its signature weapon is an “atomic heat beam” (or “atomic breath”) that is nuclear energy generated in its body. Indeed, Godzilla is sometimes described as a metaphor for atomic weapons.
Godzilla’s allegiances vary, too — sometimes within one movie. It attacks humans and their cities but sometimes defends humans from other monsters — but never without significant property damage.
The library has Godzilla graphic novels for children and adults, as well as novels and an encyclopedia. There are parodies, including a children’s picture book called “Codzilla” by David Zeltser. Pop a bowl of popcorn, and stream or watch a Godzilla movie this week — or check one out from the library. Here’s a list of the library’s Godzilla DVDs and Blu-rays:
Gojira (1954, Blu-ray)
Godzilla (1998, DVD)
Godzilla, the complete animated series (1999, DVD)
The Toho Godzilla Collection Vol. 2 (1999-2004, DVD). This contains seven Japanese films; two have English subtitles, and five are dubbed in English.
King Kong vs. Godzilla (2005, DVD)
Godzilla (2014, DVD)
Godzilla, King of the Monsters (2019, DVD)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021, DVD)
Three-film collection: Godzilla vs. Kong; Godzilla, King of the Monsters; and Kong, Skull Island (released 2022, DVD)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024, DVD)
Beth Wood is the senior collection development librarian for the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries. Email her at readingforfun@fvrl.org.
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