It was Father’s Day last Sunday here in NZ and my family, knowing me like they do, gave me a DVD containing the three “robot” episodes of the Six Million Dollar Man. I have been since explaining to my children that when I was their age the show permeated all of my childhood existence. We played Six Million Dollar Man in school lunchtimes, there were branded ice creams with stickers, board games and posters (I remember sending off to TV One to get one).
And there were the action figures! 12″ high with the rubber skin you could peel back to see the “bionics” and the glass eye to look through, mine came with the engine that Steve Austin would lift if you used the ratchet button on the back. And the trendy 70’s tracksuit! If only I’d saved mine – I see they’re collectors items now.
I really, really wanted the Bionic Transport and Repair Station, but apart from that add-on (and some of the board games) I can’t remember seeing any of the other merchandise here in NZ. I was pretty happy though to go through the spinning tunnel from the Bigfoot episode at Universal Studies a few years later though (as was my sister when she got to sit in KITT and it conversed with her).
Maybe it was Steve Austin who shaped my ultimate direction to researching the religious implications of cyborgs? I must make a note of what my children are watching.
