Robocop statue plan nixed by Detroit mayor
Robocop statue supporters may have to wait before a life-sized Robocop replica shows up in Detroit.
Robocop fans in Detroit are raising money for a Robocop statue. At left, a still from 1987 film.
Newscom
Well, as fundraising initiatives go, this one is certainly interesting. Over at Kickstarter – that stepping stool for upstart artists and would-be social media kings everywhere – a group called Imagination Station Detroit is soliciting cash for a life-sized Robocop statue, which would apparently be erected in the midst of downtown Detroit, the hometown of the fictional cyborg lawman.
As of this afternoon, supporters had pledged upward of $23,000 toward the Robocop statue; in order for the project goal to be realized, Imagination Station must rack up $50,000 in pledges by March 26. (It's worth noting here that the official motto for the Robocop statue push reads as follows: "Part man, part machine, all crowd funded.")
"You wouldn't believe some of the offers people have reached out with," Jerry Paffendorf, the chief Robocop statue evangelist, wrote on Kickstarter. "I don't want to jinx anything so I won't be specific yet, but I'm talking about things like in-kind donations, interest from RoboCop cast members who want to get involved, advice and assistance on the highest quality sculptural production, locations, and more."
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Unfamiliar with Robocop? Basically he was this guy, who used to be a real live human police officer, before he was shot and killed by criminals. He was then brought back to life – sort of – and put in a kind of metal sardine can, and given a scary-looking gun, which he used to dole out justice to the robber barons of a futuristic, dystopian Detroit. His first movie debuted in 1987. So, you know, clearly we need to make a Robocop statue, and the sooner the better.
But don't hold your breath. MTV reports that Dave Bing, the mayor of Detroit, has nixed the Robocop statue plans. "There are not any plans to erect a statue to Robocop," Bing wrote on Twitter. "Thank you for the suggestion." Robocop fan? Sign up for the free weekly Innovation newsletter, which is emailed out every Wednesday morning. Depending on how things shake out, the newsletter may contain updates on the Robocop statue. Hey, if Robocop can come back from the dead, why can't his statue?