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{{Short description|Fictional character in Mystery Science Theater 3000}}
[[Image:Crow T. Robot.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Crow T. Robot]]
{{Infobox character
| name = Crow T. Robot
| series = [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]
| image = CrowTRobot.JPG
| caption =
| first = K00 – ''[[The Green Slime]]''
| creator = [[Joel Hodgson]]
| portrayer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Trace Beaulieu]] (KTMA season – season 7, ''The Giant Gila Monster'' DVD extra, Turkey Day 2014 marathon segments)
* [[J. Elvis Weinstein|Josh Weinstein]] (K01 – ''[[Stingray (1964 TV series)|Invaders from the Deep]]'' and a [[WUCW#KTMA|KTMA]] flashback clip seen in K05 – ''[[Gamera]]'', K06 – ''[[Gamera vs. Gyaos|Gamera vs Gaos]]'' and K07 – ''[[Gamera vs. Zigra|Gamera vs Zigra]]'')
* [[Bill Corbett]] (season 8 – 10)
* [[Hampton Yount]] (season 11 – present)
* Nate Begle (2019 Live Tour – 2022)
* [[Kelsey Ann Brady]] (season 13 – present)
}}
| species = Robot
| gender = Male
}}


'''Crow "Art" T. Robot''' is a [[fictional character]] from the [[United States|American]] [[science fiction]] [[comedy]] [[television]] series ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' (''MST3K''). Crow is a [[robot]], who, along with others, quips and riffs upon poor-quality [[b-movie]]s.
'''Crow The Robot''' is a fictional character from the American [[science fiction]] [[comedy]] [[television]] series ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' (''MST3K''). Crow is a [[robot]], who, along with others, ridicules poor-quality [[B movie|B]] to [[Z movie]]s.


== Overview ==
== Overview ==


According to the ''MST3K'' storyline, Crow, like his fellow robots [[Tom Servo]], [[Gypsy (MST3K)|Gypsy]], and [[Cambot]], was built by [[Joel Robinson]], who created them to help him withstand the torment of watching bad movies on the [[Satellite of Love (MST3K)|Satellite of Love]], where Joel was trapped by mad scientist [[Doctor Clayton Forrester (MST3K)|Dr. Clayton Forrester]] and his assistants. Crow is made of [[molybdenum]].
According to the ''MST3K'' storyline, Crow{{snd}}like his fellow robots [[Tom Servo]], [[Gypsy (Mystery Science Theater 3000)|Gypsy]], and [[Cambot]]{{snd}}was built by [[Joel Robinson]] ([[Joel Hodgson]]), who created them to help him withstand the torment of watching bad movies on the [[Satellite of Love (Mystery Science Theater 3000)|''Satellite of Love'']] (SOL). On the ''Satellite'', Crow was forced with the rest of the crew to watch horrible [[retro]] movies sent by mad scientist [[Dr. Clayton Forrester (Mystery Science Theater 3000)|Dr. Clayton Forrester]] and his assistants. In episode 814, "[[Riding with Death]]", Crow describes himself as being made from [[molybdenum]], and in episode 908 Mike piles rocks atop Crow and comments on his "durable [[molybdenum]] frame."


Crow's middle initial "T" stands for "The". In episode #K19: ''[[Hangar 18]]'', Joel stated that "Crow" was an [[acronym]] for "Cybernetic Remotely Operated Woman" but then claimed he built Crow merely to play this joke on him. Crow is also sometimes called "Art," primarily by late-series antagonist [[Pearl Forrester]]. This arose from a gag in episode 203, ''[[Jungle Goddess]]'', in which Joel introduces the bots as [[Jackie Gleason]] did with his fellow cast members at the end of every episode of ''[[The Honeymooners]]'', calling each one out individually to take a bow. During this, Joel refers to Crow as "Art Crow!", a reference to the enthusiastic way that Gleason would introduce his long-time partner [[Art Carney]]. Later, Best Brains received a letter from a child who had evidently missed the cultural reference and labelled a drawing of Crow as "Art". The letter was read in episode 402 ''[[The Giant Gila Monster]]'', and the writers were so taken with it that it became a recurring joke.<ref>[http://mst3kinfo.com/mstfaq/subtle.html MST3K FAQ -- Subtleties]</ref>. In episode #908: ''[[The Touch of Satan]]'', "babysitter" Steffi calls him "Cow" (possibly a call back to episode #811: ''[[Parts: The Clonus Horror]]'', during which Crow introduces himself to the space children as "Crow the, uh, Cow"). One child who wrote in labeled Crow as "Crooooow" several times in a letter; whenever Joel said Crow's name when reading the letter, he would pronounce it as it was said in the "Robot Roll Call" part in the opening theme.
Crow's middle initial stands for "The". In episode #K19: ''[[Hangar 18 (film)|Hangar 18]]'', Joel stated that "Crow" was an [[acronym]] for "'''Cybernetic Remotely Operated Woman'''", giving Crow a brief identity crisis until Joel revealed he built Crow specifically to play this joke on him. Crow is also sometimes called "Art", but it is primarily by late-series antagonist [[Pearl Forrester]]. This arose from a gag in episode 203 ''[[Jungle Goddess]]'' following a skit centered on the sitcom ''[[The Honeymooners]]'', where Joel referred to Crow as "Art Crow" (in reference to ''Honeymooners'' co-star [[Art Carney]]). After Best Brains received a letter from a child who had evidently missed the cultural reference and labeled a drawing of Crow as "Art" (episode 402, ''[[The Giant Gila Monster]]''), the show's writers turned the name into a recurring joke.<ref name="sn-subtle">{{cite web
| url = http://www.mst3kinfo.com/mstfaq/subtle.html
| title = Subtleties, Obscurities, Odds And Ends
| work = Mystery Science Theater 3000: Frequently Asked Questions
| publisher = Satellite News
| access-date = 2007-09-15
}}</ref>


Originally, Crow was more [[adolescent]] than [[Tom Servo]], although their relative maturity occasionally changed to suit the host segments; both robots regarded Joel as a father figure, while Mike was more of an older brother type. Crow, was voiced by [[Trace Beaulieu]] from the beginning of the series through the end of season seven and [[Bill Corbett]] from the eighth season until the end of the show. Corbett's Crow was noticeably more irritable, bitter, and impatient with the movies than Beaulieu's Crow had been, perhaps from being left on the SoL for several hundred years while the rest of the crew became pure energy, although this was admittedly Crow's own fault for returning to the SoL so soon after getting bored at the edge of the universe.
Crow was voiced by [[Trace Beaulieu]] from the beginning of the series through the end of season seven, and [[Bill Corbett]] from the eighth season until the tenth season. Corbett's Crow was noticeably more cynical, irritable, and impatient when viewing the bad movies than Beaulieu's Crow had been. Corbett's Crow also occasionally appeared more unhinged than Beaulieu's incarnation. For example, in episode #902 ''[[The Phantom Planet]]'' Crow dresses as a Solarite (a monster from the movie played by [[Richard Kiel]]) and explains: "Have you guys ever noticed how I'll see a movie, snap, lose control of myself, and then decide I'm one of the characters in the movie, and then go out and dress myself up that way?" (Crow having done this before in episode #820 ''[[Space Mutiny]]'' as a "Bellerian"). He is voiced by [[Hampton Yount]] in the 2017 series revival.<ref name="sn-newcast">{{cite web
| url = http://splitsider.com/2015/11/felicia-day-baron-vaughn-and-hampton-yount-join-the-mst3k-reboot/
| title = Felicia Day, Baron Vaughn, and Hampton Yount Join the 'MST3K' Reboot
| publisher = [[Splitsider]]
| access-date = 2015-03-12
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151124200918/http://splitsider.com/2015/11/felicia-day-baron-vaughn-and-hampton-yount-join-the-mst3k-reboot/
| archive-date = 2015-11-24
| url-status = unfit
}}</ref>


Crow's accomplishments during the show's run include:
Although they are rarely seen (such as in Episode #1002), Crow has long spindly legs and moves about by walking as a human does, whereas Tom Servo hovers and Gypsy has a long, snakelike body.


* Writing several screenplays, including ''Earth vs. Soup'' (his seminal work) (seen in ''[[Earth vs the Spider]]''), ''[[Peter Graves (actor)|Peter Graves]] at the [[University of Minnesota]]'' (''[[Beginning of the End (film)|Beginning of the End]]''), ''The Spy Who Hugged Me'' (''[[Secret Agent Super Dragon]]''), ''Chocolate Jones and the Temple of Funk'' (''[[Angels Revenge]]''), and ''Crow T. Robot's World War Space'' (''[[Starcrash]]''). He also wrote a rather poorly researched documentary titled ''Crow T. Robot's Bram Stoker's The Civil War'', and created another called ''Let's Talk Women!'', in which he denies the existence of women (also comparing women to [[Bigfoot]]). He also wrote a [[one man show]] titled "Robot on the Run". In the revival series, Crow creates a sitcom with Tom called ''Mad Bots'', and later he creates a parody Space Opera title ''Crow T. Robot's World War Space''.
[[Image:MikeAndTheBots.JPG|thumbnail|left|275px|Crow T. Robot - played by [[Bill Corbett]] when this picture was taken, along with Mike Nelson ([[Michael J. Nelson]]), and [[Tom Servo]] ([[Kevin Murphy (actor)|Kevin Murphy]]).]]
* Being an avid member of the [[Kim Cattrall]] and [[Estelle Winwood]] fan clubs.
* Co-writing a satirical musical called ''[[Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious|Supercalifragilisticexpiali]]-wacky!''
* During the Christmas episode #321, ''[[Santa Claus Conquers the Martians]]'', he wrote a Christmas carol titled "Let's Have a [[Patrick Swayze]] Christmas", inspired by his favorite movie, ''[[Road House (1989 film)|Road House]]''.
* Though everyone aboard the SOL would like to escape, the cause is almost always the desire for freedom, not a result of the slew of terrible B-movies. But, in episode #903, ''[[The Pumaman]]'', Crow actually succumbed to the Mads' experiment. He decided this film had finally pushed him over the edge and that he could no longer stand watching the movies. He attempted to run away, hoping to find a satellite where he would be forced to watch ''good'' movies, but gave up on his escape attempt after mere seconds.
* In between segments of the movie ''Werewolf'', he unintentionally turns Mike into a "Werecrow."


In the earlier seasons of the show, he often announced "Ladies and gentlemen, ''[[Topo Gigio]]''!" in the voice of [[Ed Sullivan]].
Crow's accomplishments during the show's run include:


During episode 416, ''[[Fire Maidens of Outer Space]]'', Crow acquired a double named "Timmy", to whom the trio quickly took a liking. (Timmy was actually portrayed by the black-painted Crow used for the Shadowrama in the theater.) However, the double began playing tricks on Tom Servo and Joel, who blamed Crow for the actions. He eventually joined them in the theater during the movie and attacked Tom, cocooning him in a material identical to the [[Xenomorph (Alien)|xenomorph in ''Alien'']], forcing Joel (who referenced ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' by growling, "Let go of him, you '''''bitch'''''!") and Crow to stuff him into an airlock and blast him out of the ship and into space. Timmy's appearance was a parody of the [[evil twin]] concept.
* Writing several screenplays, including ''Earth vs. Soup'' (his seminal work), ''[[Peter Graves (actor)|Peter Graves]] at the [[University of Minnesota]]'', ''The Spy Who Hugged Me'', and ''Chocolate Jones and the Temple of Funk''. He also wrote a documentary entitled ''Crow T. Robot's Bram Stoker's The Civil War''.


Crow holds the distinction of being the only SOL robot to ever visit Deep 13 (although Tom Servo and Gypsy once visited the alternate-earth version and Cambot is directly connected to the Mads' camera): In episode 615, ''[[Kitten with a Whip]]'', he slid down the Umbilicus in an attempt to bring the SOL back to Earth, only to be frightened back up by Dr. Forrester (who then had Frank put a giant mousetrap beneath the Umbilicus). In the "Turkey Day" version of episode 701, ''[[Night of the Blood Beast]]'', Crow attended the Forrester Thanksgiving dinner alongside such guests as [[Mr. B Natural]], Pitch the Devil, and others. During this episode, Crow seems to have a friendship with [[Pearl Forrester]], who seems to enjoy his company and the fact he would listen to her complain about her inept son, Dr. Forrester.
* Being an avid member of the [[Kim Cattrall]] and [[Estelle Winwood]] fan clubs.


In the theatrical film based on the series, Crow distinguishes himself early on by attempting to tunnel back to [[Earth]] using a pickaxe. Even he admits the faulty logic employed in this scheme when he examines his calculations: "Well, look at that! 'Breach hull, all die'{{snd}}I even had it underlined!" / "Well, believe me, Mike, I calculated the odds of this succeeding versus the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid, and... I went ahead anyway."
* Co-writing a musical called ''Supercalifragilisticexpiali-wacky!''


A running joke of Crow's character throughout the series, particularly in the last few seasons of the Sci-Fi channel's running of the show, is his frequent costume changes into film characters during the host segments. Often Crow has been known to take on the appearance and sometimes the personality of one of the characters in the movie that is currently being shown, usually ending with Mike, Tom Servo, or Joel using Crow's role-playing as a plot device or setup to a joke that mocks the film even more. As previously mentioned, this continuing effect finally was recognized by Crow himself during Episode 902, ''[[The Phantom Planet]]''.
* During the Christmas episode #321, ''[[Santa Claus Conquers the Martians]]'', he wrote a Christmas carol titled "Let's Have a [[Patrick Swayze]] Christmas".


Another recurring joke that was more prominent during the earlier seasons of the series{{snd}}dating, in fact, from the KTMA days{{snd}}was Crow's apparent inability to distinguish between different types of animal; he would joyfully cry "Kitty!" when an animal appeared on screen, regardless of whether it was at all feline, and regardless of whether it was even cute enough to elicit such a positive response.
During episode 416, ''[[Fire Maidens of Outer Space]]'', Crow acquired a double named "Timmy", whom the trio quickly took a liking to; however, the double began playing tricks on Tom Servo and Joel, who blamed Crow for the actions. He eventually joined them in the theater during the movie and attacked Tom, cocooning him in a matter identical to the [[Xenomorph]], forcing Joel (who referenced ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' by growling, "Get away from him, you bitch!") and Crow to stuff him into an airlock and blast him out of the ship and into space. Timmy's appearance was a parody of the [[evil twin]] concept.


In ''Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Comic'', Crow along with the other Bots and Jonah Heston were sent into the comics thanks to Kinga's new invention the Bubbulat-R. While Tom Servo was sent into Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter and Jonah was sent into Black Cat, Crow was sent into Horrific but then the effects of the comic started to make Crow succumb a comic disease called four-color fever and turns into a monster called "the Crow-Keeper" which eventually starts to threaten his relationship with Jonah and the other Bots and Kinga's plan in conquering comic media.
Crow is more likely to make more off-color or lewd comments than the other movie-riffers, and receives frequent scolding from Joel, Mike and Tom for this (see [[#Crow Syndrome|Crow Syndrome]] below).


In the season 13 premiere ''[[Santo in the Treasure of Dracula]]'', Crow is given the ability to blink by Jonah.
Crow holds the distinction of being the only SOL robot who ever visited [[Deep 13]] (although Tom Servo and Gypsy once visited the alternate-earth version): In episode 615, ''[[Kitten with a Whip]]'', he slid down the Umbilicus in an attempt to bring the SOL back to Earth, only to be frightened back up by Dr. Forrester (who then had Frank put a giant mousetrap beneath the Umbilicus). In the "Turkey Day" version of ep. 701, ''[[Night of the Blood Beast]]'', Crow attended the Forrester Thanksgiving dinner alongside such guests as Mr. B. Natural, Pitch the Devil, and others.


Crow spoke the final line of dialogue when the original series ended in 1999. ("This movie looks kind of familiar doesn't it?"; Season 10 episode 13: "Diabolik")
A running joke of Crow's character throughout the series, particualarly in the last few seasons of the Sci-Fi channel's running of the show, is his frequent costume changes during the host segments. Although all characters of the show have been seen wearing costumes of one type or another depending on the skit being done, this happens much more often with Crow. Often times Crow has been known to take on the apperance and sometimes the personality of one of the characters in the movie that is currently being shown, usually ending with the Mike, Tom Servo, or Joel using Crow's role-playing as a plot device or setup to a joke that mocks the film even more. This continuing effect finally was recognized by Crow himself during Episode 902, ''[[The Phantom Planet]]''. At the conclusion of the film, Crow encounters Tom and Mike dressed as a 'Solarite' (one of the cheesy, alien monsters from the film) and asks them "Have you guys ever noticed how I will see a movie, snap, then suddenly pretend I'm one of the characters in the movie and run about the ship?"


== Behind the scenes ==
== Behind the scenes ==


Crow is a gold-colored [[puppet]] composed of, among other things, a soap dish eye cowl, ping pong ball eyes, a split plastic [[bowling]] pin mouth, a [[lacrosse]] face mask webbing (Cooper XL7-FG), and [[Tupperware]] panels for the body. The original puppet for Crow was built by Joel Hodgson in a single night before filming the pilot episode. At the beginning of Season One, the puppet was redesigned and built by Trace Beaulieu, adding a second Tupperware tray to Crow's torso as well as movable eyes. Another version of Crow is used for the theater segments. This version is painted flat black. Of all the bots, Crow was the least changed from his KTMA incarnation to when the series became nationally broadcast. He is the only one who retained his general primary color.
[[Image:Crowtus robotus horriblis.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Servo displays his science experiment, ''Crowtus robotus horriblis]]


Trace Beaulieu operated Crow in the initial [[KTMA]] season and throughout the [[Comedy Central|Comedy Channel/Comedy Central]] years of seasons 1–7, as well as in ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie]]''. During KTMA and season 1, Trace slowly refined Crow's voice. Originally, it was somewhat babyish, with a pronounced Minnesota accent. By season two, Crow's voice had become more sharp. Upon Trace's departure, [[Brooklyn]]-raised Bill Corbett took over Crow's operation. Corbett jokingly mentioned that during his time alone on the SOL, Crow suffered a [[stroke]], thus explaining the change of his voice and his initially less-than-graceful handling of the puppet.<ref name="cf-801">{{cite web
Crow is a gold-colored [[puppet]] composed of, among other things, a split [[bowling]] pin mouth (Empire Bowling Pin), an [[ice hockey]] mask head (Cooper XL7 FG), and a [[Tupperware]] (Floralier) body. During the KTMA season, he only had one Tupperware tray, and his eyes did not include a separate movement mechanism, leaving them with a bulgier appearance. He is painted with Testors Green-Gold paint, which looks basically gold. Another version of Crow is used for the theater segments. This version is painted flat black. This flat black version was also used as his previously-mentioned [[alter ego]], Timmy.
| url = http://www.castleforrester.com/mst3k/experiments/801/
| title = Episodes: #801: The Revenge of the Creature
| work = CastleForrester.com
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207081852/http://www.castleforrester.com/mst3k/experiments/801/
| archive-date=February 7, 2012
| url-status=dead
}}</ref>
Despite initial concerns from the fanbase regarding Beaulieu's departure, the reception for Corbett's performance was very positive and he quickly became a fan favorite. The show's writers later made a joke of the change in episode 904, ''[[Werewolf (1996 film)|Werewolf]]'', by suggesting that Crow's inherent characteristics included a change of voice every seven years. When [[Joel Hodgson]] returned for a guest spot in episode 1001, ''[[Soultaker (film)|Soultaker]]'', he offhandedly suggests that Crow "changed his bowling pin" (that is, his mouth). From Season 8 onward, in the opening theme during the "Robot Roll Call", Crow can be heard exclaiming "I'm different!"


Many first-time viewers of the series are confused by Crow's appearance during the movie segments. Only the outline of his head can be seen, and (due to [[multistable perception]]) it can appear as if Crow is facing ''toward'' the viewer. This phenomenon was addressed in ''The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide'' with illustrations comparing Crow to a [[Necker cube]].<ref name="necker">{{Cite book | author-link = Best Brains | year = 1996 | title = The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide |page = 159 | publisher = Bantam | isbn = 0-553-37783-3 | author = Trace Beaulieu ... }}</ref>
Trace Beaulieu operated Crow in the initial [[KTMA]] season and throughout the [[Comedy Central|Comedy Channel/Comedy Central]] years of seasons 1-7, as well as in ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie]]''. During KTMA and season 1, Trace slowly refined Crow's voice. Originally, it was somewhat babyish (this is most pronounced in the flashback to Crow being frozen in episode K05, ''[[Gamera (film)|Gamera]]''. However, during the filming of this KTMA-era episode, Trace Beaulieu was out of town on business, and Servo's then-puppeteer [[J. Elvis Weinstein|Josh Weinstein]] actually handled Crow's one line in Beaulieu's absence). By season two, Crow's voice had become more sharp. Upon Trace's departure, [[Brooklyn]]-raised [[Bill Corbett]] took over Crow's operation. Crow's consequent voice change, though never explicitly explained within the storyline, presumably developed during his 500+ years of solitude on the Satellite of Love while [[Mike Nelson (MST3K)|Mike Nelson]] and the other SOL inhabitants played at the edge of the universe as pure essences. The show's writers later made a joke of the change in episode 904, ''[[Werewolf (film)|Werewolf]]'', by suggesting that Crow's inherent characteristics included a change of voice every seven years. When [[Joel Hodgson]] returned for a guest spot in episode 1001, ''[[Soultaker (film)|Soultaker]]'', he offhandedly suggests that Crow "changed his bowling pin", that is, his mouthpiece.


At [[Dragon Con]] in 2009, Beaulieu and Corbett made a joint appearance for a "Crow vs. Crow" panel discussion, in which they discussed their respective work with the character. The discussion is included as a bonus feature on the ''Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. XX'' DVD set from [[Shout! Factory]].
Many first-time viewers of the series are confused by Crow's appearance during the movie segments. Only the outline of his head can be seen, and (due to [[multistable perception]]) it can appear as if Crow is facing ''toward'' the viewer.

For the series revival, a new Crow was built with much larger hands, controlled with arm rods, similar to Kermit the Frog, which makes the puppeteering more complicated, so two puppeteers are dedicated to Crow, with Yount controlling the opening and closing of Crow's beak and providing the voice off-camera.


== Appearances in other media ==
== Appearances in other media ==


* An early episode of ''[[Futurama]]'' had the gang going to the theater, where a talkative Fry was shushed by the silhouette of a Crow-like robot ironically saying, "Don't talk during the movie".<ref name="futurama">''[[Futurama]]'', episode "[[Raging Bender]]" [2.21], [[27 February]] [[2000]]</ref>
* An episode of ''[[Futurama]]'' entitled "[[Raging Bender]]" has the gang visiting the theater, where Fry mockingly riffs on a newsreel intro before being shushed by the silhouette of a rather testy Crow-like robot ironically saying "Don't talk during the movie!"; beside him is a Tom Servo-resembling robot.<ref name="futurama">''[[Futurama]]'', episode "[[Raging Bender]]" [2.21], 27 February 2000</ref>
* In the [[Archie Comics]] series ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', issue #52, Sonic is sent into a 1920s variation of Mobius. In searching for the handheld computer Nicole, Sonic does battle with a number of robots, three of them resembling Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo and Cambot.

* In an issue of ''[[Star Wars Tales]]'', Crow and Tom (with his cylinder head) are seen in the foreground of a comedic tale written by [[Peter David]], starring a perky [[The Force|Force]]-using droid. He also appears in ''Tag and Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace'', along with Tom Servo and Gypsy.
* In the [[Archie Comics]] series ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie comic)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', issue #52, Sonic is sent into a 1920s variation of Mobius. In searching for the handheld computer Nicole, Sonic does battle with a number of robots, two of them resembling Crow T. Robot and [[Tom Servo]].
* The [http://catandgirl.com/?p=499 June 8 2007 edition] of the [http://www.catandgirl.com/ Cat And Girl] comic features Crow as the [[President (government title)|President]] of [[South Vietnam]].

*Trace Beaulieu reprised his role of Crow for a brief cameo appearance in two episodes of the [[Arrested Development season 4|fourth season]] of [[Arrested Development (TV series)|''Arrested Development'']], along with Joel.<ref>[http://www.mst3kinfo.com/?p=15481#comments MST3K Pops Up in Arrested Development]</ref>
* In an issue of ''[[Star Wars Tales]]'', Crow is seen in the foreground of a comedic tale written by Peter David, starring a perky Force-using droid.


== Crow Syndrome ==
== Crow Syndrome ==
Line 55: Line 102:
{{wikiquote|Mystery Science Theater 3000#CrowSyndrome-FMoOS|Crow Syndrome}}
{{wikiquote|Mystery Science Theater 3000#CrowSyndrome-FMoOS|Crow Syndrome}}


The "Crow Syndrome" is a [[cliché]] and frequent joke on the show and [[MSTing]]s, wherein Crow chimes in with an off-topic and/or excessively lewd comment and the other two reprimand him, often bemusedly and perturbedly shouting "Crow!" in response. "Crow Syndrome" is a general term, and is used in MSTings that do not feature Crow or other regular characters.<ref>[http://quasispace.org/joinus/QPTFAQ.htm Web Site Number 9 MSTing FAQ, question 3.4]</ref>
The "Crow Syndrome" is a frequent joke on the show and [[MSTing]]s, wherein Crow chimes in with an off-topic and/or excessively lewd comment and the other two reprimand him, often bemusedly and perturbedly shouting "Crow!" in response. "Crow Syndrome" is a general term, and is used in MSTings that do not feature Crow or other regular characters.<ref>[http://quasispace.org/joinus/QPTFAQ.htm Web Site Number 9 MSTing FAQ, question 3.4] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308223307/http://www.quasispace.org/joinus/QPTFAQ.htm |date=2005-03-08 }}</ref>

== References ==


== Further reading ==
* [http://mst3kinfo.com/mstfaq/basics.html MST3K FAQ: What is this MST3K Thing, Anyway?]
* [http://mst3kinfo.com/mstfaq/basics.html MST3K FAQ: What is this MST3K Thing, Anyway?]
* [http://mst3kinfo.com/mstfaq/bots.html MST3K FAQ: "This is my Bot! There Are Many Others Like It..."]
* [http://mst3kinfo.com/mstfaq/bots.html MST3K FAQ: "This is my Bot! There Are Many Others Like It..."]
<references/>


== External links ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
* [http://www.joecrow.com/cbn.htm A page with instructions for building Crow]
* [http://www.joecrow.com/cbn.htm A page with instructions for building Crow]
* [http://www.joecrow.com/crow.htm Parts list for the above link]
** [http://www.joecrow.com/crow.htm Parts list for the above link]
* [http://nealbridges.com/bots/crow Details of Crow T. Robot's construction through the entire run of the series.]
* [http://quartus.net/nbridges/bots/crow Details of Crow T. Robot's construction through the entire run of the series]
* [http://www.botbuilders.info Forum for the discussion of building prop replicas of Crow T. Robot]

{{MST3K}}


[[Category:MST3K characters|Robot, Crow T.]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robot, Crow T.}}
[[Category:Fictional robots|Robot, Crow T.]]
[[Category:Mystery Science Theater 3000 characters]]
[[Category:Puppets|Robot, Crow T.]]
[[Category:Puppets]]
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1988]]
[[Category:Comedy television characters]]
[[Category:Male characters in television]]
[[Category:Fictional writers]]
[[Category:Fictional humanoid robots]]

Latest revision as of 02:42, 22 April 2024

Crow T. Robot
Mystery Science Theater 3000 character
First appearanceK00 – The Green Slime
Created byJoel Hodgson
Portrayed by
In-universe information
SpeciesRobot
GenderMale

Crow The Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). Crow is a robot, who, along with others, ridicules poor-quality B to Z movies.

Overview[edit]

According to the MST3K storyline, Crow – like his fellow robots Tom Servo, Gypsy, and Cambot – was built by Joel Robinson (Joel Hodgson), who created them to help him withstand the torment of watching bad movies on the Satellite of Love (SOL). On the Satellite, Crow was forced with the rest of the crew to watch horrible retro movies sent by mad scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester and his assistants. In episode 814, "Riding with Death", Crow describes himself as being made from molybdenum, and in episode 908 Mike piles rocks atop Crow and comments on his "durable molybdenum frame."

Crow's middle initial stands for "The". In episode #K19: Hangar 18, Joel stated that "Crow" was an acronym for "Cybernetic Remotely Operated Woman", giving Crow a brief identity crisis until Joel revealed he built Crow specifically to play this joke on him. Crow is also sometimes called "Art", but it is primarily by late-series antagonist Pearl Forrester. This arose from a gag in episode 203 Jungle Goddess following a skit centered on the sitcom The Honeymooners, where Joel referred to Crow as "Art Crow" (in reference to Honeymooners co-star Art Carney). After Best Brains received a letter from a child who had evidently missed the cultural reference and labeled a drawing of Crow as "Art" (episode 402, The Giant Gila Monster), the show's writers turned the name into a recurring joke.[1]

Crow was voiced by Trace Beaulieu from the beginning of the series through the end of season seven, and Bill Corbett from the eighth season until the tenth season. Corbett's Crow was noticeably more cynical, irritable, and impatient when viewing the bad movies than Beaulieu's Crow had been. Corbett's Crow also occasionally appeared more unhinged than Beaulieu's incarnation. For example, in episode #902 The Phantom Planet Crow dresses as a Solarite (a monster from the movie played by Richard Kiel) and explains: "Have you guys ever noticed how I'll see a movie, snap, lose control of myself, and then decide I'm one of the characters in the movie, and then go out and dress myself up that way?" (Crow having done this before in episode #820 Space Mutiny as a "Bellerian"). He is voiced by Hampton Yount in the 2017 series revival.[2]

Crow's accomplishments during the show's run include:

  • Writing several screenplays, including Earth vs. Soup (his seminal work) (seen in Earth vs the Spider), Peter Graves at the University of Minnesota (Beginning of the End), The Spy Who Hugged Me (Secret Agent Super Dragon), Chocolate Jones and the Temple of Funk (Angels Revenge), and Crow T. Robot's World War Space (Starcrash). He also wrote a rather poorly researched documentary titled Crow T. Robot's Bram Stoker's The Civil War, and created another called Let's Talk Women!, in which he denies the existence of women (also comparing women to Bigfoot). He also wrote a one man show titled "Robot on the Run". In the revival series, Crow creates a sitcom with Tom called Mad Bots, and later he creates a parody Space Opera title Crow T. Robot's World War Space.
  • Being an avid member of the Kim Cattrall and Estelle Winwood fan clubs.
  • Co-writing a satirical musical called Supercalifragilisticexpiali-wacky!
  • During the Christmas episode #321, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, he wrote a Christmas carol titled "Let's Have a Patrick Swayze Christmas", inspired by his favorite movie, Road House.
  • Though everyone aboard the SOL would like to escape, the cause is almost always the desire for freedom, not a result of the slew of terrible B-movies. But, in episode #903, The Pumaman, Crow actually succumbed to the Mads' experiment. He decided this film had finally pushed him over the edge and that he could no longer stand watching the movies. He attempted to run away, hoping to find a satellite where he would be forced to watch good movies, but gave up on his escape attempt after mere seconds.
  • In between segments of the movie Werewolf, he unintentionally turns Mike into a "Werecrow."

In the earlier seasons of the show, he often announced "Ladies and gentlemen, Topo Gigio!" in the voice of Ed Sullivan.

During episode 416, Fire Maidens of Outer Space, Crow acquired a double named "Timmy", to whom the trio quickly took a liking. (Timmy was actually portrayed by the black-painted Crow used for the Shadowrama in the theater.) However, the double began playing tricks on Tom Servo and Joel, who blamed Crow for the actions. He eventually joined them in the theater during the movie and attacked Tom, cocooning him in a material identical to the xenomorph in Alien, forcing Joel (who referenced Aliens by growling, "Let go of him, you bitch!") and Crow to stuff him into an airlock and blast him out of the ship and into space. Timmy's appearance was a parody of the evil twin concept.

Crow holds the distinction of being the only SOL robot to ever visit Deep 13 (although Tom Servo and Gypsy once visited the alternate-earth version and Cambot is directly connected to the Mads' camera): In episode 615, Kitten with a Whip, he slid down the Umbilicus in an attempt to bring the SOL back to Earth, only to be frightened back up by Dr. Forrester (who then had Frank put a giant mousetrap beneath the Umbilicus). In the "Turkey Day" version of episode 701, Night of the Blood Beast, Crow attended the Forrester Thanksgiving dinner alongside such guests as Mr. B Natural, Pitch the Devil, and others. During this episode, Crow seems to have a friendship with Pearl Forrester, who seems to enjoy his company and the fact he would listen to her complain about her inept son, Dr. Forrester.

In the theatrical film based on the series, Crow distinguishes himself early on by attempting to tunnel back to Earth using a pickaxe. Even he admits the faulty logic employed in this scheme when he examines his calculations: "Well, look at that! 'Breach hull, all die' – I even had it underlined!" / "Well, believe me, Mike, I calculated the odds of this succeeding versus the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid, and... I went ahead anyway."

A running joke of Crow's character throughout the series, particularly in the last few seasons of the Sci-Fi channel's running of the show, is his frequent costume changes into film characters during the host segments. Often Crow has been known to take on the appearance and sometimes the personality of one of the characters in the movie that is currently being shown, usually ending with Mike, Tom Servo, or Joel using Crow's role-playing as a plot device or setup to a joke that mocks the film even more. As previously mentioned, this continuing effect finally was recognized by Crow himself during Episode 902, The Phantom Planet.

Another recurring joke that was more prominent during the earlier seasons of the series – dating, in fact, from the KTMA days – was Crow's apparent inability to distinguish between different types of animal; he would joyfully cry "Kitty!" when an animal appeared on screen, regardless of whether it was at all feline, and regardless of whether it was even cute enough to elicit such a positive response.

In Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Comic, Crow along with the other Bots and Jonah Heston were sent into the comics thanks to Kinga's new invention the Bubbulat-R. While Tom Servo was sent into Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter and Jonah was sent into Black Cat, Crow was sent into Horrific but then the effects of the comic started to make Crow succumb a comic disease called four-color fever and turns into a monster called "the Crow-Keeper" which eventually starts to threaten his relationship with Jonah and the other Bots and Kinga's plan in conquering comic media.

In the season 13 premiere Santo in the Treasure of Dracula, Crow is given the ability to blink by Jonah.

Crow spoke the final line of dialogue when the original series ended in 1999. ("This movie looks kind of familiar doesn't it?"; Season 10 episode 13: "Diabolik")

Behind the scenes[edit]

Crow is a gold-colored puppet composed of, among other things, a soap dish eye cowl, ping pong ball eyes, a split plastic bowling pin mouth, a lacrosse face mask webbing (Cooper XL7-FG), and Tupperware panels for the body. The original puppet for Crow was built by Joel Hodgson in a single night before filming the pilot episode. At the beginning of Season One, the puppet was redesigned and built by Trace Beaulieu, adding a second Tupperware tray to Crow's torso as well as movable eyes. Another version of Crow is used for the theater segments. This version is painted flat black. Of all the bots, Crow was the least changed from his KTMA incarnation to when the series became nationally broadcast. He is the only one who retained his general primary color.

Trace Beaulieu operated Crow in the initial KTMA season and throughout the Comedy Channel/Comedy Central years of seasons 1–7, as well as in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. During KTMA and season 1, Trace slowly refined Crow's voice. Originally, it was somewhat babyish, with a pronounced Minnesota accent. By season two, Crow's voice had become more sharp. Upon Trace's departure, Brooklyn-raised Bill Corbett took over Crow's operation. Corbett jokingly mentioned that during his time alone on the SOL, Crow suffered a stroke, thus explaining the change of his voice and his initially less-than-graceful handling of the puppet.[3] Despite initial concerns from the fanbase regarding Beaulieu's departure, the reception for Corbett's performance was very positive and he quickly became a fan favorite. The show's writers later made a joke of the change in episode 904, Werewolf, by suggesting that Crow's inherent characteristics included a change of voice every seven years. When Joel Hodgson returned for a guest spot in episode 1001, Soultaker, he offhandedly suggests that Crow "changed his bowling pin" (that is, his mouth). From Season 8 onward, in the opening theme during the "Robot Roll Call", Crow can be heard exclaiming "I'm different!"

Many first-time viewers of the series are confused by Crow's appearance during the movie segments. Only the outline of his head can be seen, and (due to multistable perception) it can appear as if Crow is facing toward the viewer. This phenomenon was addressed in The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide with illustrations comparing Crow to a Necker cube.[4]

At Dragon Con in 2009, Beaulieu and Corbett made a joint appearance for a "Crow vs. Crow" panel discussion, in which they discussed their respective work with the character. The discussion is included as a bonus feature on the Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. XX DVD set from Shout! Factory.

For the series revival, a new Crow was built with much larger hands, controlled with arm rods, similar to Kermit the Frog, which makes the puppeteering more complicated, so two puppeteers are dedicated to Crow, with Yount controlling the opening and closing of Crow's beak and providing the voice off-camera.

Appearances in other media[edit]

  • An episode of Futurama entitled "Raging Bender" has the gang visiting the theater, where Fry mockingly riffs on a newsreel intro before being shushed by the silhouette of a rather testy Crow-like robot ironically saying "Don't talk during the movie!"; beside him is a Tom Servo-resembling robot.[5]
  • In the Archie Comics series Sonic the Hedgehog, issue #52, Sonic is sent into a 1920s variation of Mobius. In searching for the handheld computer Nicole, Sonic does battle with a number of robots, three of them resembling Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo and Cambot.
  • In an issue of Star Wars Tales, Crow and Tom (with his cylinder head) are seen in the foreground of a comedic tale written by Peter David, starring a perky Force-using droid. He also appears in Tag and Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace, along with Tom Servo and Gypsy.
  • The June 8 2007 edition of the Cat And Girl comic features Crow as the President of South Vietnam.
  • Trace Beaulieu reprised his role of Crow for a brief cameo appearance in two episodes of the fourth season of Arrested Development, along with Joel.[6]

Crow Syndrome[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Crow Syndrome.

The "Crow Syndrome" is a frequent joke on the show and MSTings, wherein Crow chimes in with an off-topic and/or excessively lewd comment and the other two reprimand him, often bemusedly and perturbedly shouting "Crow!" in response. "Crow Syndrome" is a general term, and is used in MSTings that do not feature Crow or other regular characters.[7]

Further reading[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Subtleties, Obscurities, Odds And Ends". Mystery Science Theater 3000: Frequently Asked Questions. Satellite News. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  2. ^ "Felicia Day, Baron Vaughn, and Hampton Yount Join the 'MST3K' Reboot". Splitsider. Archived from the original on 2015-11-24. Retrieved 2015-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Episodes: #801: The Revenge of the Creature". CastleForrester.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012.
  4. ^ Trace Beaulieu ... (1996). The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide. Bantam. p. 159. ISBN 0-553-37783-3.
  5. ^ Futurama, episode "Raging Bender" [2.21], 27 February 2000
  6. ^ MST3K Pops Up in Arrested Development
  7. ^ Web Site Number 9 MSTing FAQ, question 3.4 Archived 2005-03-08 at the Wayback Machine

External links[edit]

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