Lot 111: Red Astroboy, 2005

Red Astroboy, 2005
Fiberglass. 24 in. (61 cm) high.  Signed. This toy is unique.

Astro Boy - known to the Japanese as Tetsuwan Atom (meaning "Mighty Atom") and created by Osamu Tezuka ("god of manga") - tells the story of a robot boy fighting evil and crime. Begun as a manga (Japanese comic book) series (1952), it became a hugely successful TV series in Japan from 1963 - 66. As the first Japanese TV cartoon series in this original style (later known as "anime"), Astro Boy would become enormously popular worldwide. The sweetness, goodness and super strength of this "hi-tech / little boy''has elevated him to lengendary and mythical status making him one of the first of the 20th century's popular icons. Carlos Enriquez-Gonzalez's Astro Boy, a unique and giant figure in sleek fiberglass matches his stature one of the earliest examples of pure Toy Art.
Astroboy is known to the Japanese as Tetsuwan Atom, meaning mighty atom.