BROOTS - The Mighty Orbots “Pilot” Episode

Broots (pronounced Brutes) is the pilot/demo episode that became the short lived series Mighty Orbots. The pilot is extremely similar to the final product with two major exceptions. The most obvious would be the series name change from Broots to Mighty Orbots. In the pilot the individual robots were collectively called Broots instead of Orbots and their gestalt form was known as Super Brutes instead of Mighty Orbots. The other major difference is the look of their combined Super robot form. In the pilot, it has a much closer look to the Japanese anime robot God Mars. Most likely because the creators used God Mars as the inspiration for Super Broots. The final look in Mighty Orbots has a more distinct look. Especially the head.

Mighty Orbots is an American/Japanese animated series that aired ON Saturday mornings from September 8, 1984, to December 15, 1984. The series was devolved I. The early 80s, a time when robot toys and animated shows were extremely popular. A roughly six minute pilot was created to give the general idea of the series. At the time the show was to be called Broots (pronounced "Brutes"). The series would continue to be developed from there and would eventually become Mighty Orbots. The series takes place in the 23rd Century and follows the adventures of inventor of Rob Simmons and his six robots. Ohno, a small robot who resembles a young girl and Tor, Bort, Bo, Boo and Crunch, who can combine into one giant robot called Mighty Orbots. They are secret members of an interplanetary law group called the Galactic Patrol. They primarily battle against the SHADOW organization let by an evil artificial intelligence called Umbra. The series only lasted one season of thirteen episodes. The finale episode did provide the series with a definitive ending. The series ends with a sequence in which the SHADOW homeworld is destroyed and the arch-villain Umbra defeated.

Several factors may have played a role in the cancellation of the series. The show had no toys or merchandise and only ok ratings, but the major contributing factor came from a lawsuit brought forth by toy maker Tonka. In their suit, Tonka claimed the creators were causing “brand confusion” because of the name Mighty Orbots. Tonka had already been using the tagline “Mighty Robots, Mighty Vehicles” as a major part in the marketing of their own GoBots toylines marketing and claimed the shows similar name and inclusion of robots could be confused for their product. The similarities between the two properties were negligible and a lawsuit would’ve most likely ended in favor of the shows creators. However with the show underperforming, a sizable production budget and no need to promote a none existing toyline, it was most likely just easier for the creators to leave the series where it was and not spend time and money on what could end up a costly court case even if they win.




This video is perfectly suitable for, but not intended for children. It has been shared for adults who were children when the series originated. My intent is to preserve or refresh the memories of childhoods from the past and offer some enjoyable nostalgia.

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