We want the 30-foot robot elephant

It's official. We are completely over the death of Aibo. If, that is, we can get our hands on this 30-foot robot elephant. The beast was apparently built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Jules Verne, and was paraded through the streets of Nantes, France. Our question: where is it now, and how can we get our hands on it?

[Via the Red Ferret]

[drenei @ Jan 26th 2006 11:42PM]

you'll have to beat me to it... ;P
good luck with the new year!

[Scott Stevenson @ Jan 26th 2006 11:42PM]

That would be Th?re Royal de Luxe's robot elephant. They are out of Nantes... you can see some high quality photos here:

http://www.pbase.com/ericdeparis/royal_de_luxe_a_amiens

Here's how to find my photos, etc.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&client=safari&rls=en&q=%22Royal+de+Luxe%22+theatre&btnG=Search

Here's a model they did of Jules Vernes' low-tech "bullet powered" rocket ship that has 'landed' in Nantes:

http://www.nantes.fr/ext/royal_de_luxe_2005/index.asp

Here's some Flickr joy of the Nantes event:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ggtr1138/sets/359838/

And MORE VIDEO of the event featuring a massive walking marionette they did:

http://www.dailymotion.com/tag/nantes/video/26039

More photos high quality photos:

http://jwz.livejournal.com/488113.html

and more Elephant video:

http://www.lean.to/albums/royaldeluxe/211_1163_mvi.avi
http://www.lean.to/albums/royaldeluxe/211_1185_mvi.avi
http://www.lean.to/albums/royaldeluxe/211_1194_mvi.avi

found here:

http://www.lean.to/gallery/royaldeluxe?page=1

Very very cool!

-Scott Stevenson
Paris, France

[starpause @ Jan 26th 2006 11:42PM]

i'm only interested if it provides the same therapeutic benefit as a live one.

[Scott Stevenson @ Jan 26th 2006 11:55PM]

Not sure what happened to some of the links I posted above but here they are again.

www.pbase.com/ericdeparis/royal_de_luxe_a_amiens

www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&client=safari&rls=en&q=%22Royal+de+Luxe%22+theatre&btnG=Search

www.nantes.fr/ext/royal_de_luxe_2005/index.asp

Oh and I didn't mean to type 'my photos' but "more photos" in my post above.

-Scott

[Dave @ Jan 27th 2006 1:24AM]

I was there. I didn't even know it was going to happen (I was in Nantes for work), but it was one of the most brilliant pieces of theater and technical wizardry I've ever seen.
The whole elephant is operated manually, via pneumatic levers. There were two people inside the body of the elephant (one just to control the fully articulated trunk - it even ate hay!), and a trailer being towed behind it to power it. All built of salvaged heavy machinery parts. Incredible.

[Si @ Jan 27th 2006 2:20AM]

http://homepage.mac.com/sibuckmaster/royaldeluxe/

Some more photos.

[Si @ Jan 27th 2006 2:23AM]

http://homepage.mac.com/sibuckmaster/royaldeluxe

[Jean @ Jan 27th 2006 7:49AM]

Some pictures I took during the Nantes event
http://jbblog.typepad.com/photos/a_royal_deluxe/index.html

[anonymous @ Jan 27th 2006 9:34AM]

The Royal De Luxe show is due to come over to London sometime in May. It will move slowly acroos most of central London - imagine the traffic chaos. :)

[Galto @ Jan 27th 2006 11:21AM]

a la Bart Simpson...

Where's my Elephant???
Where's my Elephant???
Where's my Elephant???

[Road Tester @ Jan 28th 2006 8:38AM]

From the first picture, I was wondering if this was a joke, and someone had just photographed a real elephant in very bad quality.

But this is terrific. A very nice idea to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Jules Verne.

[Grimm @ Jan 28th 2006 6:39PM]

Some video of the elephant...
http://www.youtube.com/?v=sYbaIla2hB0


Some video of the giant marionette...
http://www.youtube.com/?v=AMt8ncAkI38