Reptar

Reptar
First appearance At the Movies (Rugrats, 1991)
Last appearance Curse of Reptar (All Grown Up!, 2005)
Created by Klasky-Csupo
Portrayed by Ben Ulman
Busta Rhymes (The Rugrats Movie)
John Schuck ("Reptar on Ice")
Information
Gender Male
Occupation Kid Hero/Villain

Reptar is a fictional character from the American animated television series Rugrats. Reptar is a green godzilla (and sometimes appears in red-violet and lilac) with rounded, blue spike-like appendages on his back, which intentionally causes him to resemble and spoof Godzilla.[1]

Contents

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The Rugrats films

Reptar appeared in the first Rugrats film as a wagon built by Tommy's father Stu Pickles. The Reptar Wagon was no ordinary wagon. It was made like a high-tech car that can do various things such as talk and turn into a boat (Aqua Reptar) when in water. The Rugrats took him along with them on a journey to the "hospickle " to return Tommy's newborn brother Dil, but they wind up getting lost in the forest. In this appearance, Reptar is voiced by rapper Busta Rhymes of Flipmode Squad.

He had a more important role as a giant robot in Rugrats in Paris, when he was again built by Stu. His head fell off twice in the film, although Stu fixed it the first time for the play. The Rugrats also took him to the church to stop the wedding.

The Reptar Wagon is seen in the background in Rugrats Go Wild near the beginning of the film in the Pickles' backyard. Unlike in the previous films, neither Reptar nor the wagon have any relevance to the plot.

The Reptar Wagon appeared in several episodes of Rugrats following the release of The Rugrats Movie once again voiced by Busta Rhymes. However, the wagon's voice was actually re-used recordings from the film. The Reptar Wagon is rarely seen in the later episodes.

Depiction

Occasionally, Reptar is seen as a hero who helps save the world, and on other occasions he is seen as a villain, reflecting the different ways Godzilla has been portrayed; however, since the kids all love him and look up to him, he is more often than not shown as heroic. Reptar first appeared as a Rugrats character on the packaging of a cereal box. He gained popularity as he became a more important part of the storyline. In the world of the Rugrats, Reptar has excellent marketing presence; he appears in movies, ice skating shows, food packaging, TV shows, action figures, amusement parks and other forms of merchandising. A common misconception is that Reptar is a dinosaur, but it is clear; from the cereal box episode and "Reptar on Ice!", that he is indeed a godzilla, not a dinosaur.

The Rugrats would often meet Reptar, or someone dressed like him, in their adventures. Most often, it would be at some sort of public event featuring a slightly-cranky man in a Reptar suit, with his face visible through the opening for the mouth. Sometimes, the costumed character would do something dramatic and be regarded by the kids (and sometimes adults) as a hero, such as when a Reptar actor stopped Stu's out of control robotic godzilla at a medieval faire. At the Reptar on Ice! stage show, the man playing Reptar (wearing a more realistic Reptar costume and mask than other actors usually did) had a strong fear of lizards and disliked kids. There is also the Reptar Wagon designed by Stu Pickles, which says "I Am Reptar, Hear Me Roar!," a parody of the feminist catch phrase and song "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar."

Reptar also appears in the All Grown Up! episode Curse of Reptar, when the Pickles family builds a pool. While digging, one of the workers finds a Reptar toy hidden in the ground by Spike. At that point, Reptar seems to have lost popularity as Dil Pickles has no memories of Reptar, and the rest of the kids only remember him from their early childhoods. Despite his drop from stardom, the gang still has fond memories of him. Despite originally calling it an old toy, Tommy, the first member of the gang to become a fan, was clearly still a big fan of his, as he secretly fished the toy out of the hole and hid him under his bed for safekeeping.

As an amusement park attraction

Rugrats Runaway Reptar
Status Active
Opened 2001-2005 (see Appearances)
Type Steel - Inverted
Manufacturer Vekoma
Model Family Suspended
Lift/launch system Wheeled lift hill
Height 48 ft (15 m)
Drop 23 ft (7.0 m)
Length 1,013 ft (309 m)
Max speed 26 mph (42 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 1:30
Capacity 650 riders per hour
Max G force 2.2
Amusement Parks Portal

Rugrats Runaway Reptar is a collection of several different junior inverted roller coasters designed by Vekoma, which first debuted in 2001 at Kings Island. It was the first inverted coaster designed specifically for children. The years 2002 and 2003 saw the coaster open at Dreamworld and Carowinds.

Ride description

The ride has one train, which has 10 cars with two seats on each car. The safety system consists of over-the-shoulder restraints that lock into place and a belt-type connector that attaches the seat base to the over-the-shoulder restraints.

Riders are taken up 14 metres (46 ft) by a wheeled lift hill, and go through a tight helix, followed by a series of small turns and drops. Upon approaching the station, the ride is slowed by a magnetic brake run.

Often, two staff members are required to operate the ride. One is designated as the ride operator and is responsible for checking the restraints on the first six rows and operates the ride and safety mechanisms. The other employee is designated as a ride attendant and is responsible for letting guests into the loading platform, ensuring the guests are of the proper height, making seat assignments, and checking the restraints on the last six rows of the coaster. In order to launch the coaster both the ride operator and attendant must verify that the coaster is ready to launch. However, some parks require three staff members. One person checking restraints on the load side, one to check restraints on the unload side, check for proper height and operate a dual dispatch function, and one stationary driver. In such cases, all three operators must verify that the coaster is ready to launch.

Appearances

Name↓ Amusement Park↓ Location↓ Opening Date↓ Track Color↓ RCDB page↓
Rugrats Runaway Reptar Kings Island Mason, Ohio, United States of America 2001 Yellow/Green [2]
Rugrats Runaway Reptar Dreamworld Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia 2002-12-26 Orange/Green [3]
Rugrats Runaway Reptar Carowinds Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America 2003-03-22 Orange/Green [4]

Rugrats Runaway Reptar (Kings Island)

Rugrats Runaway Reptar at Kings Island, installed in 2001, was the park's fourth kids' coaster. Silver Streak at Paramount Canada's Wonderland opened at the same time as the identical coaster at Kings Island.[5] The height restriction for riders is between 44 and 77 inches (110 and 200 cm). It is rated as a Type 4 or High Thrill ride.

They were billed as the first inverted kids' coasters in the world.[5]

References

  1. ^ West, Mark I. (2008). "2. Reptar - The Rugrats Meet Godzilla". The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture: From Godzilla to Miyazaki. p. 7. ISBN 0810851210. http://books.google.com/books?id=yuYcFUYvkkQC&pg=PA7&dq=reptar. "Yet one of the significant secondary characters in The Rugrats is Reptar, a green dinosaur styles monster that is modeled after godzilla" 
  2. ^ Flying ACE Aerial Chase (Kings Island)
  3. ^ Rugrats Runaway Reptar (Dreamworld)
  4. ^ Flying Ace Aerial Chase (Carowinds)
  5. ^ a b Rugrats Runaway Reptar, Kings Island, Coaster-Net