Robot Newspaper Boy

[Cmdr_Crimson]

So I was wondering the past few years I've gone on The TTA I have spotted a robot newspaper boy just to the right of the entrance ramp of the ride..Did this robot do anything like make noise or do something? From the pictures I've seen it looks like he did talk at one time since his mouth looks like a speaker.
http://shoesshortsgloves.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/june-16-090.jpg ..Anyone know?

 

[TubaGeek]

I've always wondered that too! He's such an odd fixture.

 

[SeaCastle]

There is press footage from 1994 in which the robot is talking. Whether or not he still is now, I don't know (but I'll find out for myself in two and a half months ).

 

[Figment1986]

It's possible it's just another effect that died and never got replaced. At least the space "telephone" near by didn't just die a terrible death when it's counterpart was removed.

Notice the last time they changed the paper was for stitch... If only they had time and money to update the paper and fix him so he could be talking every so often... but they have the giant "billboard" over rocket tower space stage for that now dont they.

 

[blackthidot]

Either I have never seen that thing...or I did see it and did not think twice to ever explore.

 

[the-reason14]

Is it still even there? I don't remember seeing it a few weeks ago, but I remember seeing it maybe a few years ago.

 

[MissM]

Is it still even there? I don't remember seeing it a few weeks ago, but I remember seeing it maybe a few years ago.

Yeah it's still there. It's just so out of the way it's easy to completely overlook.

I know a year or so ago I stopped to look closely at it as I had thought I read at one point that it did something or had a secret or such but I couldn't find anything. It just stood there.

Shame because it seems like it could have been a neat little "extra" instead of just random and rather pointless.

 

[enoe01]

Speaking of the TTA, has it always been sponsered? I was just there 2 weeks ago and noticed that Alamo is its sponser.:shrug:

 

[Sassagoula]

Speaking of the TTA, has it always been sponsered? I was just there 2 weeks ago and noticed that Alamo is its sponser.:shrug:

I don't know its sponsorship history, but I remember going down the ramp as a child and noticing the Alamo sign (at least after the '94 redo) so I don't think it's too recent.

 

[MissM]

I don't know its sponsorship history, but I remember going down the ramp as a child and noticing the Alamo sign (at least after the '94 redo) so I don't think it's too recent.

No, I don't think it was that far back. I remember reading announcements here on WDWMagic around maybe 2004 ? that it was getting Alamo as the sponsor.

Ah, here we go: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=70753
"The company is also to sponsor the Tomorrowland Transit Authority ride at the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort."

The signs didn't seem to appear until 2006 though according to forum search results.

 

[Rob562]

The robot did speak, I believe when you walked up to him he had a sensor that knew when someone was there (note the silver box with the two black windows just above the newspaper). I think he read a couple of the headlines of the articles in the paper.

EDIT: I just remembered seeing concept art for this robot... Imagineering book (the original one), page 42. Part of the text says: "Audio loop tripped by sensor" and there's a speech bubble saying "So are ya gonna READ it or BUY it?" There's additional text and a sketch of a Guest leaning over to read the paper, but the text is black-on-dark-brown and hard to read. I need a magnifying glass...

-Rob