Buzz
After attending a monster truck event in the late 1980s, Doug Malewicki left unimpressed, dismissing the spectacle of oversized trucks crushing junk cars as absurd.
Yet, Malewicki's mind buzzed with ideas. What if he could design a robotic car-eater? What if it took the form of a Tyrannosaurus rex, breathed flames, and could even convert into a trailer?
These were the kind of wild ideas typically scribbled by teenagers in their notebooks. However, Malewicki was no ordinary dreamer—he was a seasoned inventor. Two years later, his childhood vision became reality with the creation of Robosaurus.
From Board Games to Vehicle Devourers
Born in Illinois, Malewicki began his engineering career at North American Aviation, where he contributed to the design of escape pods for NASA's Apollo astronauts during the 1960s. Relocating to California, he founded AeroVisions, a hub for numerous innovations. Among his creations were the Skycycle, a jet-propelled motorcycle famously ridden by stuntman Evil Knievel during his unsuccessful attempt to leap over Snake River Canyon; the California Commuter, a prototype vehicle achieving 157 miles per gallon; a 400-horsepower electric car capable of reaching 250 miles per hour; and his most successful venture, the dystopian card game Nuclear War, which soared to bestseller status.
Robosaurus was a groundbreaking endeavor. Inspired by a monster truck exhibition, Malewicki gathered a team of collaborators and engineers. Alongside Gary Cerveny and Mark Hays, he established Monster Robots, Inc., securing around $2 million to bring his vision to life.
Malewicki tackled the hydraulic systems required for Robosaurus, a towering 40-foot, 56,000-pound robot. The objective was to design a machine capable of lifting a car, “chewing” it by crushing it with its jaws, and then discarding it. For an added spectacle, the robot could unleash flames from mouth-mounted flamethrowers to “cook” the vehicle before consumption. Two operators would be concealed within the robot’s head to control its actions.
“It’s a fusion of King Kong, Godzilla, and Star Wars,” Malewicki remarked in 1990.
A Single Robot, Dual Patents
Hays envisioned Robosaurus as a tribute to Transformers, the iconic robot toy series that became a cultural phenomenon in the 1980s. After devouring vehicles, Robosaurus could fold itself into a trailer, enhancing its portability. This innovation led to two patents: one for a “trailerable robot designed for crushing vehicles” and another for a “monster toy robot.”
Robosaurus left a lasting impact upon its 1990 debut. “It can shoot flames up to 20 feet and release red smoke from its head-like structure,” noted Los Angeles Times columnist Scott Miller. “Equipped with hidden woofers for sound effects, it resembles a creature from a sci-fi film and sounds like a colossal video game.”
Robosaurus became a star at events such as the Coors Extra Gold Motor Spectacular. While it could move short distances on its rear tires, it was often towed by a vehicle for longer trips. Though it couldn’t fully “transform,” it could fold down for easier transportation.
Once positioned, Robosaurus sprang into action. Its rear tires allowed it to maneuver into place, where its claws could lift a car like a jack. With lobster-like pincers and foot-long teeth, it would “bite” into the vehicle’s chassis, often crushing it after just a nibble. At air shows, it would sometimes feast on small propeller planes, adding to its spectacle.
Some children, intimidated by the sight of a fire-breathing, car-devouring monster, were initially fearful of Robosaurus. However, as Hays later noted, the kids would be “eager to return” the following day.
Justice Unfulfilled
Hollywood quickly recognized Robosaurus’s potential as a multimedia phenomenon. In 1992, it inspired the NBC television pilot Steel Justice. Set in the near future, the story follows cop David Nash, who mourns the death of his young son at the hands of a violent gang. David meets a shaman named Jeremiah, who magically transforms his son’s Robosaurus toy into a 40-foot-tall machine of vengeance. Despite (or perhaps because of) its over-the-top premise, the series never made it to television.
In 2008, Malewicki and his team decided to sell Robosaurus. They listed it at Barrett-Jackson’s car collector auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, where it was anticipated to sell for up to $5 million, the estimated cost of building it anew. However, it sold for $632,500 to Brooke Dunn from Las Vegas. Dunn later showcased it on the Vegas Strip during another Barrett-Jackson event, where the colossal machine accidentally damaged a streetlight but caused no further harm.
In 2011, Robosaurus made an appearance on The History Channel’s Pawn Stars, priced at $1 million. The show’s owners passed on the offer. While the robot continues to appear at events, its official Facebook page has seen little activity since 2020.
What caused Robosaurus to lose its 1990s appeal? Perhaps the slow, methodical process of devouring a car—taking several minutes to grasp and lift its target—lacked the thrill of its fiery spectacle. In an age dominated by CGI dinosaurs, Robosaurus might now seem charmingly outdated. Yet, its creation remains a uniquely American tale: a man envisioned a world in need of a car-eating robotic dinosaur and brought that vision to life.
