Looking Back: 1983- Famous Robot Entertained Kings Island Guests
Kings Island Team
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A 6-foot, 300-pound rolling, kissing, conversing, singing "mechanized humanoid" once entertained guests at Kings Island. In between stints on the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" and Sylvester Stallone's Rocky IV, the famous robot SICO (pronounced SEE-KOE) greeted guests on the amusement park's International Street for more than two weeks in June and July 1983. The robot, which was invented to help people, used appearances like the one at Kings Island to help fund the company's charitable outreach and autism research.
In a Kings Island press release, former Vice President and General Manager F.R. Bush conveyed his excitement for the park's robot visitor.
"We are looking forward to having SICO at Kings Island," said Bush. "It will give our visitors a chance to see up close and converse with the most sophisticated robot-to-people communications tool in the world. It should be entertaining, informative and a great deal of fun."
The Cincinnati Enquirer's Angie Cannon captured a conversation for her July 1983 article, "Talking Robot Soaps Up Crowd in Computerized Conversation."
"OOOOOOOOHHH, check this ooouuut. Good morrning, huumans of Kings Island. Taakke me too your leeeaderr. I am robot SICO, Lord of the Sky, Prince of all Robots and generally a wiilldd and craazzzy guy. I am the intergalactic ambassador here at Kings Island. Does anyone wish to interact with me?"
A Kings Island guest reacts to SICO:
"Okay, is there a man in there or what? Who's operating you?"
An offended SICO responds:
"Who's operaaaating youu?!"
According to International Robotics founder, Robert Doornick, SICO was created to give researchers more insight into Autism which was extremely underfunded in the 1980s. Doornick observed how children with autism came out of their shells when interacting with SICO.
SICO's Celebrity Credentials:
- Only Robot in the world who is a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
- Cast member on NBC's, "Days of Our Lives" for an entire season.
- Appearance on MTV's "Punk'd" with Hillary Swank
- Opening Act for a nationwide concert tour for the late James Brown.
- Music Video with Carly Simon
Watch this clip from Rocky IV, featuring SICO:
According to the International Robotics website, Today SICO delivers Keynote Addresses and hosts events on behalf of his Corporate Sponsors through a combination of programmed features and memorable extemporaneous interactions. The money raised through these events helps SICO continue to fund its visits with children who are sick or have special physical needs.
*SICO images from International Robotics, Inc. Learn more about the robot and the company by visiting the website's blog.