Background information

Johnny 5 – Short Circuit the Movie

This page contains background information and links, check out the main project index for the rest

This is a summary page about a potential future project – to build a replica of Johnny 5, from 80’s movie Short Circuit

There’s a YouTube video about this

Background – Short Circuit the Movie

Check out the IMDB and Wikipedia articles for Short Circuit 1, and it’s sequel Short Circuit 2.

This movie was released in 1986, about a military robot which gets struck by lightening and develops a personality of its own, escaping from the facility. Of course the military want it back, sending personnel and more robots after it. It’s inventors played by Steve Guttenburg and Fisher Stevens sympathise with the robot, and somehow Ally Sheedy gets mixed up in it all.

What’s important here are the characters and relationships that develop – particularly that of the robot, Johnny 5, which wouldn’t have been possible if it were simply a trash can on wheels. The design of Johnny 5 was greatly influenced by famous effects guy Eric Allard. A team of puppeteers controlled Johnny 5, and although it was essentially a puppet it was also an incredibly advanced dexterous robot capable of whisking eggs amongst other things. It’s facial features alone allowed for a great deal of personality to be shown, making the film an emotional experience for the 80’s child.

Some Sample Clips from the movies:  YouTube Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 3

 

Where is Johnny 5 now?

The original and only known surviving robot, which was used in the movie, was located at home with Eric Allard for a number of years. However it was assumed to have been sold in around 2007. Johnny 5 is now rumoured to be resident in the UK, either with a private collector or in a museum, but details are scarce.

Do you know where Johnny5 is? – if you do then please let me know.

 

Current replica builders group

There’s a facebook group dedicated to building Johnny 5 robots, mostly building and modifying small scale versions, however there are some members building life size also. At the time of writing there are a small number of CAD files for Johnny 5’s head in the files section. In the photos section you can find over 1000 very detailed photos of the actual Johnny 5 in pieces, taken at the time Eric Allard was in possession of the robot, provided by a guy called Terry Andrews who visited Eric to document the robot. Also check out the Input-Inc facebook page where you can also obtain video of Terry Andrews measuring every piece of Johnny 5.

There are some YouTube channels of existing builders below. If you’re building a Johnny 5 robot and want me to feature your channel then let me know.

J5Guru – Terry Andrews / Input-Inc’s channel

Johnny Five – The channel run by the builders facebook group

Quadrant 2005 – Richard’s channel, from the UK

Mini Johnny 5

For now here are some pictures of an approx 13″ tall mini Johnny 5 which I acquired through the facebook group.

Watch out for more updates