For 30 years, the memory of an androgynous golden robot who lost an arm each Saturday morning has been ingrained in my mind.
The robot’s name was Astar, an impish golden acrobat from the Planet Danger. Exuding incredible dexterity, Astar would pass through a series of spinning blades, only to have one errant saw slice off its arm. Astar would quickly reattach the dismembered limb and stare out from the TV screen with its hypnotic black eyes back to offer a chilling message: “I’m Astar, a robot. I can put my arm back on, you can’t. Play safe.”
Saturday mornings would never be the same.
A fixture of 1980s Saturday morning television, the iconic public service announcement from the War Amps of Canada was in fact created here in Ottawa in 1984.
It was the brain-child of the late Hugh Clifford Chadderton, a Canadian Second World War veteran and chief executive officer of The War Amps.
Cliff Chadderton, then War Amps CEO.
Astar was brought into our world at The National Headquarters of the War Amps. The character was envisioned by Chadderton as the spokesman for the Playsafe program that had been initiated in 1978 — a program that continues to this day.
Rob Larman, current director of the Playsafe/Drivesafe Program, says Astar was born to “creatively illustrate a strong message” and was meant to be “a captivating character who had much in common with the increasingly popular science fiction personalities of the time,” most notably Star Wars, whose C-3PO character had a similar golden robot appearance.
The storyboards of the Astar the robot safety campaign.
From the War Amps Ottawa offices on Riverside Drive, Astar moved into production with detailed storyboards drawn up that outlined action sequences for a 30-second TV spot. Using conventional early-1980s special effects techniques, a gold formed robotic suit was fabricated. It was worn by a gymnast actor interacting with a bluescreen set of full-scale prop saw blades in order to bring Astar’s safety message to life.
Larman explained that Astar from the Planet Danger “related to kids and warned them of the dangers that exist here on Earth.” According to an original War Amps 1984 Astar promotional brochure, the finished production was screen tested in several classrooms and children’s homes to determine the impact of its “innovative message.”
The results were overwhelming: Youngsters were fascinated by Astar.
The robot continued to build its legacy outside of television. The character participated in parades and in-classroom programs, spreading the play safe message until the late 1990s. Astar was later resurrected in 2000 using computer animation techniques, but its robotic duties came to and end when the War Amps decided to go with different kind of spokespeople: real kids who had lost limbs. Called “Champ Safety Ambassadors,” these children now speak directly to audiences of their peers, making them aware of the potential dangers that Astar once related.
Astar endures as a memorable piece of Canadian pop culture for the many of us who witnessed the robot putting its arm back each Saturday morning between cartoons and bowls of sugary cereal. This year Astar celebrates his (or her, I’m not sure if Astar had a definitive sex) 30th birthday, an icon of Canadian culture that I hope will safely blow out the candles on its birthday cake, wherever he or she is.
