Zoltar: The origin of those fortune-teller robots
The predecessor of Zoltar the fortune-telling robot got his start in the ’60s, but the modern counterparts stem from a family-owned company.
You’ve probably seen a Zoltar fortune-telling arcade machine somewhere in your travels. They’re in theme parks, arcades, stores, and even on cruise ships. And if you’re of a certain age, or watch old movies, you’ve probably seen Zoltar turn a kid into an adult in the 1988 Tom Hanks movie “Big.” But there’s an interesting story behind how the movie version of Zoltar became real.
Let’s start with the first “character in a box,” said to have debuted in the 1960s. His name was Zoltan, and according to StarNews Online, he was created by Robert Bourque and Robert Cottle. Only about 50 of them were made for a short time. When the writers of the movie “Big” were naming the arcade machine that transforms the kid into an adult, assumedly they knew about Zoltan, but wanted to make it their own, so they changed the name to Zoltar.
Olaf Stanton owns Characters Unlimited, a company that makes all sort of animatronic figures. In 2002, 14 years after the movie “Big,” Stanton decided to make a Zoltar-like figure, but assuming the copyright was owned by the movie company, he called his Swami. A few years later, Olaf spoke with a lawyer and found out the movie company, nor anyone else, ever trademarked “Zoltar,” so he was able to get it and start making actual “Zoltar Speaks” machines. According to Olaf’s son Gunnar, Characters Unlimited wanted to distance themselves from the movie and have their own version of the machine, so theirs looks a bit different.
Characters Unlimited continues to make Zoltar machines, as well as other fortune-telling characters in boxes — everything from mermaids, to Bigfoot, and even celebrities. If you have the money, you can even order a custom fortune-telling box with your likeness.
Here’s our video interview with Gunnar Stanton at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando:
Characters Unlimited can be found at CharactersUnlimited.com and on social media. “Zoltar” himself also has some official social media accounts.
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