Godzilla is 50 years old! Looking back....

[Gojira2000]

(If this is in the worng thread, would someone please move it.)

Godzilla is fifty years old today! Happy fiftieth anniversary Godzilla! Long live the King of the Monsters!


Reflecting now on the past fifty years of G-films, I find myself reflecting too upon my past eighteen years of devoted G-Fandom; it seems only yesterday that I was two years when my Oma (grandmother) told me about Godzilla at age two, as I sat on the floor playing with my dinosaur toys (I was always, and still, obbsesed with dinos). After quickly seeing my first Godzilla movies, Godzilla, Godzilla Raids Again, King Kong vs. Godzilla & Godzilla vs. Megalon, and so enough Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of Astor-Monster, and Godzilla vs. Gigan, I was forever hocked. Inside me groaned the undying need and want of Godzilla; as I beheld the great and very real giant dinosaur destroy Tokyo, battle off breathtaking enemies, and being submerged in the masterful music, I was left awe inspired. My obsession grew at an untold rate and I quickly became highly knowledgeable in kaiju eiga. I wrote books, drew countless pictures, made endless stop-motion films, I sought out every Godzilla movie, soundtrack, video game, and action figure; I’m even now in the processes of creating my own Godzilla website and making my first full-length epic CGI Godzilla film. My grandmother would take me to rental video stores and buy from them not-for-sale movies and games! I find myself looking at Godzilla items on ebay upon hours on end, and searching the web for the most minuet Godzilla information. Despite that, I have relatively little Godzilla merchandise (or, at least, not nearly as much as I’d like to have). I came to feel I knew and understood Godzilla more then anyone, that I understood what he meant, his mutable personalities, and even what kind of damage any one of his atomic rays would have on almost anything (as I’m sure we all have and do). And yet, I’ve never met face-to-face another fellow die-hard G-fan as myself, never was able to attend a G-FEST, and rarely ever get to talk openly to anyone even remotely interested in kaiju eiga. I find myself pained, with an emptiness inside me, if I think to long on such things. On the bright side of things, I’ve almost always been able to quenched my thirst for Godzilla freely, and have been able to usually without distraction expand my vast brain network of Godzilla info, and being able to work on my G-projects without interruption. I’ve all but learned to keep my dumb mouth shout about Godzilla almost everywhere, and when given the opportunity, I make my statements about Godzilla, or try too, short, simple, and to the point, as 80% of the time the person really doesn’t give a care about what I have to say. And as a child I was easily offended by the silliest things pointed against Godzilla, for fun or not, and felt the need to step on their heads for such horrible speech! When I watch a Godzilla movie, I become engrossed, mentally and emotionally, escaping for a few short hours into the Toho universe, where I can relive those precise childhood days and enjoy again that carefree feeling associated with being a long boy. So you can imagine how enjoyable it is for me to be able to come here and talk about Godzilla endlessly with my fellow G-Fans. I can’t believe it’s be fifty years. Fifty years and Godzilla is still the world’s most popular icon, an unofficial symbol of Japan, the best kaiju eiga of all time, and the most awesome creature ever conceived by mankind. I love Godzilla, and I’ll continue loving him for another fifty years. Even if G-films should stop being made, although unlikely, I feel that Godzilla well live in our collective unconscious forever; as everyone knows Abe Lincoln, Elvis, and Spock, Godzilla will always be known, be part of our lives and our imagination. Godzilla is forever, no doubt of it. Truly, in many ways, the Godzilla series are a treasure to the film world; not only is it the longest running film series in history (and likely always will be), but Godzilla also “came in a time when people experienced more uncomprehending awe of the “suitmation” monsters and miniature cityscapes then today’s infinitely more sophisticated youths do of the seamless computer-generated dinosaurs and demons that slaver and ooze their way across shrunken multiplex screens. What he may have lacked at times in technical perfection, Godzilla more then made up for in charm. Where his monstrous friends and foes came up short on scientific plausibility, they overwhelmed with the joyous inventiveness of their design. Godzilla, through his many incarnations, has come to represent a successful struggle against overwhelming odds, the triumph of good over evil, and an escape from the world of the mundane into a fantasy realm where dinosaurs spit sparkling energy beams and robots tower high into the sky, where winged monsters swoop and mere mortals take shelter as titans lock in combat all around them.” As vivid and breathtaking as the greatest of these films remain, they remain timeless, inspiring, bold, sonic portraits which, indeed, capture in all its splendor the infinite diversity of Godzilla.



I repeat:



Long Live Godzilla, the King of the Monsters!:thumbs:



Now off to watch Gojira (’54)!

[Zigra]

Happy birthday to Big G! :birthday: :birthday:

[Melkor]

Wow.. I can hardly believe it.

My childhood hero is now in his golden year. Today is the day when Godzilla was first unleashed upon the world fifty years ago. Today is that fateful day. Wow. I'm still too numb to think about what to say next. In all my 17 years of existence, I have never been obsessed with anything this much other than Godzilla and his monstrous comrades. The Big G truly had a profound impact on my life, especially in my younger years. He's waht got me started on watching movies, reading endless pages about dinosaurs [ hoping to find him in one of those books ], and writing about his adventures. I remember when I was younger I would always imagine or write this story about Godzilla battling this huge ogre, then I would come to support Goji, and he wins in the end. Those truly were the good old days, made even better by that gigantic, fire-breathing dinosaur. To conclude:

:birthday: HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE BIG G! HERE'S TO THE NEXT 50 YEARS!:birthday:



Peace,



Melkor



:darklord:

[The Great MM]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAIL TO THE KING!!!

http://img11.exs.cx/img11/769/Hailtotheking.jpg

Now, heres to the next 50 years!

[Gorjirus]

Happy Birthday, King of the Monsters!

Go, Go Godzilla!

[Excelsior]

I hope one day my grandchildren will celebrate Godzilla's 100th.

[Bruticus]

"Hail to the King, baby."

:birthday: :birthday:

And here's to another 50!

[UltraGojira]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GODZILLA!!!

HAIL TO THE KING! HAIL TO THE KING! HAIL TO THE KING!

[Raptor]

Godzilla may not have cast a ballot in the U.S. election yesterday but then again, few candidates even gave us a clear view of their policies regarding humane treatment of the endangered species we refer to as KAIJU.

As to how many voters may have written in GODZILLA for various offices, it could be a while before all these provisional ballots are even counted in some jurisdictions.

Jack van Reeth reminds us that while Godzilla does have a very aggressive foreign policy, fear of weapons of mass destruction ranks very low on his list of concerns.
Godzilla admittedly does encourage ALL nations to expand their dependence on nuclear power and experimenting with Plasma Energy, not so much for human and commercial use as for sustenance. It could also conceivably provide a basis for a lucrative "tourist trade" as he and his fellow kaiju do take advantage of the Internet and have drawn interest around the world. On the other hand, he does desire to preserve the environment, encourages urban renewal on a regular basis, is in favor of a ban on weather control and all research into new oxygen-based technologies. Remember that all he ever really wanted to do was bask on a South Sea island and check out Kumi Mizuno in a bikini.
As for outsourcing, American Iquanadons are no competition for the Big Guy.

And what's all this about "FINAL Wars"? He can't draw Social Security for another 15 years or so!

For those glorious FIRST 50 YEARS, we can only say THANK YOU for the times we shared together, for many of us as children in theaters and drive-ins. Later, it we would find Godzilla films on late night television, Saturday afternoon "creature features" and in write-ups in "monster" magazines. Now, his many adventures are preserved on VHS and DVD, in G-fAN magazine and celebrated at G-FEST conventions. As a result, there must indeed be "a little Godzilla in each of us"!
A most happy 50th birthday to GODZILLA, KING OF ALL MONSTERS! :birthday: :birthday: :birthday: :birthday: :birthday:

[kent]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GODZILLA!!!

As Gojira2000 reflected upon his years as a G-Fan, I feel that I should as well.
I remember growing up in my very early years. I was a dinosaur fan by the age of two and my parents had bought me an extensive collection of dinosaur toys (all of which I still have today). One of those very first figures was the 1985 Imperial, 4 inch, Godzilla figure. I loved that toy along with my other dinosaur figures.
Of course, like all children, you believe a lot of things are realistic. I though Godzilla was a real dinosaur long ago. But as time passed on, I became wiser and realized that Godzilla was only a movie character. But that did not deter me away from a small interest I had in him. Growing up, I kept hearing of this epic battle where Godzilla fought the giant ape, King Kong. I was ecstatic and so badly wanted to see the film! I also thought that that was his only movie.
Sadly, my interest (which really was nill) in Godzilla practically vanished...until September of 1992! I just had turned 7 and had some birthday money to spend. My family and I went out to K-Mart to go shopping and to try to pick out costumes for my brother and me for Halloween. Nothing caught my attention. As we were ready to checkout, I wanted to look in the video section to see if anything would grab my attention.
On one of the shelves was Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster. I could not believe it! Godzilla was in another film! But not only that, there was an authentic Godzilla film right in FRONT of me! I quickly grabbed it and purchased it. And as they say, the rest is history. I was a Godzilla fan from then on! And to this day, I have NEVER regreted in purchasing that first film!
Throughout the years more and more Godzilla films have hit the U.S. and his popularity has grown in the States. Of course 1998 was considered a bad year for many Godzilla fans, but I loved the film! While I know I will always be in the minority of the fandom to cherish the 1998 film, there is no doubt in my mind that it created a new generation of Godzilla fans; even those who despised the film even have to admit that.
To a great deal, we owe a lot to the 1998 film. It showed that Godzilla was still alive and well in the moviegoers in the states and the many fans within. Not only that, it created a new generation of fans, more Godzilla films, and was a cataylst for more/new Godzilla merchandise to hit the U.S. I know many may not want to even talk about the 1998 film, but give credit where it is due. If it were not for that film, we would not be in the great situation we are today.

I will also be one of the first to admit that, while I love Godzilla dearly, in my twelve years of being a fan, there have been times in which I was reluctant to admit I was a Godzilla fan or to even talk about it. As I grow older, I have been more open about it. While there are still times in which I just keep my mouth shut, I realize that it is best to let yourself go and show people who you really are and to try and educate them on the subject, perhaps even try to expose them to it if possible. I also have realized that there are more Godzilla fans out there than I think there are. So it really does not bother me as much as it used to.
Godzilla has been one of my all-time favorite/biggest hobbies. As a fanatic of science, I find a lot of mystery and excitement within the realm of Godzilla and kaiju eiga. Godzilla has given me so much in life. He has given me a hero, in a sense, to look up to. He was also my friend when things were not going so well, especially when people looked at me in a negative light for loving the Monster King. I have had a very special bond with the character, his allies and foes, and the films themselves. To Godzilla, I say Thank You for always being there and for being a true friend! And to the folks who created this magnificent character of cinema, I also give you my thanks for creating such a wonderful friend! Without Godzilla, I don't know where I would be right now nor where I would have done the last twelve years.

Once again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE KING OF THE MONSTERS!

[The Great MM]

Now that I have time, I can post what I originally wanted.
-----------------------------

Now that I look back at it, I have been a monster fan for my entire life, but there was one, one monster that stood out from the others. One monster that got me interested into the vass world of monsters. One monster named... Godzilla.

Godzilla always interested me, weather it be the fun family film of "Godzilla vs. Megalon" (1973), or the dark movie of "Godzilla vs. Biollante" (1989), or the rather spooky "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: All Monsters Attack". Godzilla has done it all, played the monster out for revenge, the mutated beast hungry for more carnage, or the twisted sadistic vengeance of souls from WW2, or the good hero from movies like "Godzilla vs. Gigan" (1972), "Godzilla vs. Megalon" (1973), and "Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla" (1974). This new movie, "Godzilla Final Wars" seems to be a mix of them all with Godzilla playing the good and bad guy. Sure, the franchise has had its ups and downs, but Godzilla will always and forever remain the King of the Monsters. When I first saw my first Godzilla movie, "Godzilla vs. Gigan" (1972), I instently fell in love with the radioactive beast. The sight of Godzilla fighting the sadistic King Ghidorah along side his good buddy Anguirus just made me want to see more. So my dad showed me "Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla" (1974). King Caesar was awesome, I loved his design, and then felt the awe of seeing who I thought Godzilla, masacaring Anguirus and destroying the oil field, but soon, I saw Godzilla come from the ground, and the faker was found to be MechaGodzilla. I soon saw and foung all the films up to "Godzilla vs. Biollante" (1989), and thought my collection was finished...

I then started to buy toys and such of the Big G, and then, I found four new beasts, Mecha King Ghidorah, SpaceGodzilla, Battra, and M.O.G.U.E.R.A. As I grew older, I found a G-Fan magazine, which showed behind the scenes of "Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla" (1994). After we moved to Las Vegas, two of my friends printed out a lot of pictures of Godzilla and his co stars for me...two of those were Battra and Mecha King Ghidorah. I now tracked down the movies, and soon found them before going to see the long anticipated "GODZILLA" (1998), which I liked...but felt it wasn't a true Godzilla, Godzilla didn't have the heart, the feeling, nor the attitude of the true king. Thats when the complete Heisei series was released, and I adored them, even finding out that MechaGodzilla and Rodan returned in the 1990s!

Then, before moving back to Pennsylvania, I found out that a Godzilla movie, a real Godzilla movie, would be released in theaters, "Godzilla 2000" (1999). I counted the days, and soon it came, and me and my dad went to see G2K at the Drive Ins, and it was awesome, like being reborn again. I then found out about "Godzilla X Megaguirus" (2000), and relized the Big G would be making a return, and instantly, I counted the days till its release in Japan, and then ordered it. I loved it, not as good as the others, but loved the Megaguirus design, who now is my favorite insect of all time. I then started to buy stuff from Claw Mark Toys, and then found out about "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack" (2001), and like GXM, ordered it.

A few months later, while on vacation in Las Vegas and visiting an old Star Wars friend, we were looking at www.TheForce.net, and saw something...

"George *****, who got the idea for the huge maser like weapons from the Godzilla series, in which these masers, will also be reappearing for "Godzilla X MechaGodzilla."

My eyes widened, a NEW MechaGodzilla film! I started to watch for details on the film, and soon it came on DVD in Japan, and I ordered it. For school, I ended up doing multiple reports and reviews of the Big G, even doing one this past year and even one this year! A while before Christmas, I was able to get the game "Godzilla Destroy all Monsters Melee", and for Christmas, my nana (grandma) got me a $100 Godzilla alarm clock thats no longer made and a theater exclusive GXMG watch and my dad bought be dozens of figuers like the GMK Goji, GXMG Goji, and the High Graden Series for GXMG and Tokyo SOS! For my Birthday, I was able to get an X-Box and the GDAMM for the X-Box. As my collection grew, "Godzilla X Mothra X MechaGodzilla: Tokyo SOS" (2003) was being made, and DVDs of "Godzilla X Megaguirus" (2001), "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack" (2001), and "Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla" (2002) started to appear. Like any G-Fan, I bought them. The following Summer, me and my dad finally went to a G-Fest, where I was able to get my hands on some really cool stuff such as the Trendmaster's Doom Island Megalon, The Theater Exclusive Megaguirus figuere, and many others, and then was able to see "Godzilla Tokyo SOS" (2003) in THEATERS! Another rare treat, and the film is now my second favorite of the series. More DVDs started to show up now, and even a new game, in which... I will be buying.

I will for always be a monster fan, but even longer, I will always be a Godzilla fan....

LONG LIVE THE KING

[Gfantheheroman]

HAPPY FREAKI'N BIRTHDAY GODZILLA! I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A BIG EVENT TO HAPPEN THAT WOULD CAUSE A BIG STIR IN THE WORLD OF KAIJU.AND THIS HAS TO BE THE GREATEST. I CANT WAIT UNTILL HE IS 100!



HERES TO 50 MORE YEARS OF CITY SMASHING, MONSTER BATTLING GOODNESS! KEEP GOING!

[Kaiju Fan]

Happy 50th Birthday to Godzilla, my lifelong hero and constant source of obsession! Here's hoping that Godzilla will still be crushing cities long after all of us are gone.

[Baran-no-goji]

Happy Birthday Big Guy!! You're 50 and have more fans than ever all over the world! Words cannot describe the impact Godzilla has had on my life. Let's hope when GWF is all done and gone with, we won't ever forget the character that would inspire so many! Here's to you Goji!!

[Archaic_Avenger]

ahh, the king of the monsters has reached 50 years old. he has since his original movie become a popular world wide icon, and will remain as part of culture spawning new words ending with "-zilla" for centuries to come. he has changed the way people look at monster movies, andeven has infiltrated the computer dictionary (seriously, i have yet to find a computer that counts the name Godzilla wrong in Word.) now with the upcoming Godzilla: Final Wars, hopefully the rest of the world will realize how great the mighty titan trully is.

Godzilla: we love you.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/Rodan2000/G2004.bmp

Rodan2000

[Mothraleo]

Fliez Cumpleanos Gojira! KING OF THE MONSTERS NOW AND FOR EVER!

[Mecha-Rodan]

Yes, I can't believe that my childhood icon is now a full half-century old. Many people have reflected on their fandom, and I feel I should do the same:

When I was younger, about 2 or 3, my parents bought my older brother (who was around 9 at the time) King Kong vs. Godzilla. The first time I watched it, I was terrified of the monsters. However, I loved dinosaurs at the time, and when my brother told me that Godzilla was a dinosaur, I suddenly found new reason to like him. Soon, we moved down to NC, where I found a myriad of Godzilla and other kaiju films at my local Blockbuster. I bought Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster, and watched it regularly, and one day I rented Godzilla vs. Monster Zero. This movie made Godzilla my second biggest obsession (dinosaurs were still my main focus at the time). I watched it nearly every time I could get my hands on it. Soon, I started watching other movies. Ghidrah, The Three Headed Monster, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, they all built my fandom even more. However, there were two films that still scared me: Godzilla vs. Hedorah, and Godzilla 1985. GvsH was understandable, seeing humans being skeletonized and all that good stuff. However, G'85 showed me a whole new side of Godzilla (I had never seen KOTM before this), one that was of a dark monster who went on rampages in human cities and caused mass destruction that the Showa series hadn't dared approach since DAM (but that didn't bother me, Godzilla was good in that movie, I understood he was being controlled by the Kilaaks). After a few years, my fandom began to wane, as I had seen almost all of the Showa movies (even G'54 at that point), but one day I found Godzilla vs. Biollante in a local video store. After watching it, I realized that maybe Godzilla wasn't "good" anymore. Of course, at that point I didn't realize or care, since the destruction level wasn't as high as in G'85, and Godzilla fought a rival monster, which kept me content. Some time later, I found the "Official Godzilla Compendium," which opened up a whole new door to me. I found out about what happened after GvsB, and that Godzilla actually died in his last movie. I also found out about Godzilla Raids Again, and refused to believe that Godzilla and Anguirus would actually fight, lol. I finally learned that Tristar was making a big-budget Hollywood version of Godzilla. Soon enough, the Heisei series came to VHS. I literally jumped when I saw Godzilla vs. Destoroyah on the shelf. This revitalized my fandom completely, and I now began to understand the monsters themselves. When I first saw the teaser trailer to GODZILLA, I became really excited. I enjoyed the movie itself, but even then I came out of the theater saying "that wasn't Godzilla..." Then Godzilla 2000 came out. Once more, my fandom was revitalized. Soon after that, we got a working computer with the internet on it. This opened up, once more, a whole new world of Godzilla to me. I never would have believed how many other fans there were out there. I discovered a little place called "Rodan's Roost," and read everything I could about Godzilla. From then on, I learned more and more about Godzilla. Hell, I'm still learning more about him. And now, I have finally seen every Godzilla film besides Godzilla Raids Again, Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, and, of course, Godzilla: Final Wars.

Here's to another 50 glorious years of city-stomping, monster-smashing fun!

HAPPY 50TH GODZILLA!!!!

:birthday: :kinggoji:

[Evil alla Pure]

MOST HAPPY BIRTHDAY INDEED!!!! MAY YOU HAVE MANY MANY MORE!!!!!!

I feel I must take a little journey back as well:
As far back as the tender age of five I believe I came into contact with ou great hero Godzilla. It was a VHS of King Kong vs Godzilla which I soon became a great lover of. I came to find out later that this creature possessed more than just this one movie and I sought his others. I remember my first Godzilla toy, one of those "Baby Mechagodzillas" in an egg (anybody know what I'm talking about?). Soon I had amassed a very good collection of Godzilla movies and a couple of toys but began to see that he was losing his greatness to society. Once Kmart was a land filled with nearly a whole asile of Godzilla collectables and the movie section had a whole wall lined with them it soon held these no more. And to think I could have bought all those Godzilla things but was stupid enough not to, of course I was only about 7 or 8. I would collect a couple more movies over the next year or two then I suddenly lost interest all together. For I don't know how long I had no interest in this creature we know as Godzilla whatsoever. Hell I even SOLD some of my Godzilla stuff, a move which I look back on in hate today. Until one day I was looking through my movie collection and saw Destroy All Monsters. I watched it and soon I was back to normal. As this hit I began to move to the Internet for Godzilla stuff. I was completely shocked at all the Godzilla stuff I had missed. I was totally ignorant to all the movies past G vs Biollante. I set my game plan and even joined a little forum on the Internet as Rodan's Roost. I made about 20 posts then just drifted away, but still remaining a G-Fan. About two years later I came back to this humble place with a good collection of G movies under my belt, although my pride was shotdown because I believed I was the almighty ruler of Godzilla knowledge. My knowledge of Godzilla and his kaiju friends increased due to my time on the Internet and now I am what I am today. Now I just want to thank Godzilla for the good times i've had and the good stuff I've done because of him.

[mechagodzilla3]

They should of made his bithday a holiday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG G!!!!!!!!!!

[Cookson]

Happy B-Day Godzilla. Am going to watch a G movie now.

[The Great MM]

Anyone gonna do a Weekend Nonstop Godzilla Thon? I am... Anyone wanna do this line up...feel free...

MM's Great Godzilla Grudge-Fest!

Friday-
Godzilla vs. Gigan
Godzilla vs. Megalon
Son of Godzilla
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster
Godzilla's Revenge
King Kong vs. Godzilla

Saturday-

Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla
Terror of MechaGodzilla
Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2
Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla
Mothra vs. Godzilla
Godzilla vs. Mothra
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Godzilla 2000

Sunday-

Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster
Godzilla vs. Monster Zero
Destroy All Monsters
Godzilla 1985
Godzilla vs. Biollante
Godzilla Raids Again
Godzilla vs. Hedorah
Godzilla (1998)
Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack
Godzilla (1954)

[Figment]

Happy Birthday Big G! And may you live to see another 50! I'm going to celebrate by watching all the movies across the month, one each night. I started last night with King of the Monsters and will continue tonight with GRA.

[Showa Godzilla]

:birthday: :birthday: :birthday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS!!!!!!!!HAPPY 50'th BIG GUY!!!!!

[Shin lvl2 Goji]

Not many characters have lasted and been as successful as the Big G has. 50 years is a long time and today is that day. From all the Showa movies to the differently toned Heisei movies and then the Shinsei, Godzilla's stood the test of time and become a classic character known world-wide. Ask anyone on the street and they know who Godzilla is. He's become an icon and after 50 years I doubt it'll stop there and be forgotten anytime soon.

[Solar_Behemoth]

Happy 50th Birthday... Godzilla.
You will always be my hero.

:tears form in my eyes full of emotion and memories:

[Mecha74]

I remember at the age of 6 seeing the climactic battle at the end of Destroy all Monsters late one Friday night on the Fritz the night owl chiller theater. And needless to say, THAT WAS IT!

I have been hopelessly addicted ever since and the big G is still my hero and always will be. Thinking back my memories of G include watching other G films with my family as well as the frustrating but always fun search for the ever elusive films on vhs, and the thrill and excitement that would fill me when I would finally find one. I loved drawing and writing as a kid and Godzilla was the catalist for these things and still is. Sure I have spread out into other fandoms as is evident in my writing, but Godzilla is always in the stories and is always the star! I don't even think I would still be writing fan fiction today if it were not for the big G. He has also been a source of focus and stabilty in my life when other friends I know are choosing to make questionable choices in their lives as to how to entertain themselves that could lead them down a rather dark path. It's like he's an old friend who stops by to say hi now and again, and as always he is always a welcome guest.

Happy 50th big guy! You are the one and only king!

[Tomzilla]

It's hard to imagine any other fictional character to have such a strong influence on our childhood and lives. I can't name any other character that has succeeded in doing such a thing. Not one.

And now that character has turned 50.

I hope to one day have some form of connection to at least one Godzilla film. I believe all of us have had that fantasy one way or another. But either way, it is an honor to be a fan of Godzilla. I don't want to mention anything negative, since when it comes to Godzilla's Birthday, there can only be positive things mentioned about a certain atomic saurian who had symbolized so many things. But I will say this: I don't like the entire fandom, I don't think everyone does either, but I know one thing for sure....we all share the same taste when it comes to liking the King of the Monsters.

Truly, Godzilla is an inspiration to my writing projects and imagination. Our imaginations are conjured up by what we've seen in our daily lives, but Godzilla has dedicated a massive amount to mine. Who would've thought a character from Japan, made out to symbolize the Horrors of Nuclear Devastation could do such a thing.

Let's face it, out of all the fictional characters in the realms of our wildest imaginations, Godzilla has succeeded at what most usually fail to do: Be the hero, the villain and the anti-hero. I’m proud to be a Godzilla Fan and proud to have lived to see the Big G make it to be 50. An impressive amount of work had gone into Godzilla’s creation. I’d like to not only celebrate Godzilla’s birthday, but also pay tribute to Tomoyuki Tanaka, Ishiro Honda and Akira Ifukube – without them, Godzilla would never have stomped his way into our hearts. I’ll always remember them.

Godzilla has had a large impact on my life. I’m not as obsessive of him as I was when I was younger, but the love I have for the character remains. It will always be there. I can tell you a story of how I transformed into a fan, but there is no need. I’m here, I support Godzilla and no matter what anyone says or does, my respect for Godzilla will remain. May the King of the Monsters trample the minds of generations to come and live forever in our hearts.

…The things Godzilla has taught us remain.

[GrandKingGhidorah]

Tomzilla's words are about as true as you can get...

For me, Godzilla will always be a lasting memory for me. I Can remember watching Godzilla vs Gigan for the first time. Whcih started my love for Godzilla.

I Would like to say Happy 50th Birthday Godzilla, And may the rest of your years continue. :)

[Raptor]

Here's a tribute poem, The Spirit of Gojira (http://www.your-poetry.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=66096) by Tony Ramone.

[The Great MM]

I just whipped this up...

http://img104.exs.cx/img104/3720/B-Day.png