Godzilla Day

It’s Godzilla Day here at Peter’s Ashtray.

On this date in 1954 the original Godzilla film titled Gojira opened in Tokyo, Japan. It’s important that we celebrate this fearsome monster and cultural icon because Godzilla remains one of the defining aspects of Japanese popular culture for many people worldwide. He is still one of the most popular monsters in the world.

Coincidentally he is also partially responsible for my less than stellar academic performance at the Harvard of Christian Evangelicalism. Each day after my classes I would dash down to my girlfriend’s apartment on College Avenue to watch Japanese monster movies until time for dinner. Godzilla was always prominently featured.

As it turns out Godzilla is a masterpiece of social commentary. The Free Dictionary dot com says, “The original Godzilla film was meant as an allegorical criticism of the use of nuclear warfare at the end of World War II.” Who knew? That explains his Atomic Breath!

After 52 years and countless reincarnations in movies, cartoons and McDonald’s™ Happy Meal™ toys, all of us here at Peter’s Ashtray wish Godzilla a very happy birthday!

Humorous aside:
Close by our fair city of Yukimoo is a small community where there is a pastor of a small church who was prominently featured recently in the Yukimoo Gazette. I think it was the 50th anniversary of Godzilla he was celebrating but I’m not sure. The name of his denomination? Church of God. The name of the community? Zillah, Washington.

No, I’m not kidding.