Our
Story
How they began!
It was in late summer of 1979. Arnulfo was facing the reality that he would have to decide what to do after graduation in June of 1980. He wanted to continue competitive swimming in college while pursuing a career in the visual arts; however, his grades did not demonstrate a strong academic ethic. This too was deceiving. He had dreams and ambitions but did not know how to channel them in the right direction.
One early evening while sitting on a hilltop in his home town of Santa Paula, California, he could see the city of Ventura 12 miles away. And another 12 miles beyond that were the Channel Islands where he could see the famous Anacapa arch. Confused, frustrated and somewhat depressed he began to draw. Like Disney, Schultz, Lee and other artists, DRAWING was his escape.
next door to Arnulfo was Professor Richard Phelps who taught at Ventura Community College. He had remembered Professor Phelps talking about the primary shapes: that the circle was the most comforting shape and that many successful animated characters were based on the circle. Thus, the rollerbots© were created. At the time, Arnulfo drove a blue 1966 Volkswagen bug. The stick shift in the bug inspired the stick shift on the back of the rollerbots©.
Over the years, the rollerbots© have gone through several evolutionary changes. Arnulfo's original goal was to have them in a syndicated newspaper comic strip. His school newspaper did publish them a few times, but he really thought it had succeeded when his local city paper printed them in 1980.
the rollerbots©, though, became dormant until 1993 when they were published in the Daily Trojan at the University of Southern California. from that year forward, they have continued to develop and evolve into what they are today. those who are familiar with his work, especially in and around the Central Virginia Area, know that he will generally include a Rollerbot© (or several) in his artwork--often at the request of his clients.
What are the Rollerbots?
hello, it is us...
an introduction about the rollerbots in general: They stand one meter high (3 feet) and have a curiosity for sports. Rollerbots are exceedingly intelligent and have the ability to teach even the most complex subject to a child.
To this day no one knows from where or how the Rollerbots derived. this is a mystery that may never be answered. What we do know is that they have an extreme love for we humans; however, they have their own name for us: "PEDS". This occurred before they even met us when they correlated an image of a human on a sign which read "PED XING". Thus, the name stuck.
They are able to transport anywhere in the world in a split second. This is done with their transport vehicle called a "PUMPKIN BALLOON". They lay in the destination and fly into the clouds and arrive at the chosen location on the other side. They have the ability to fly their balloons in any type of inclement weather. There is an interesting phenomenon that happens. When a balloon starts to encounter bad weather, an unusual bubble-like deflector shield surrounds the balloon. if lightning hits this bubble, it will ricochet back into the clouds. If the bubble is hit more than twice, the storm will subside. This phenomenon has also happened with tornados and hurricanes. These bubbles are so powerful that they can disrupt a hurricane's or tornado's wind force.
Rollerbots ultimate mission is to find their "PED-PAL" it is a natural friendly attraction. The initials and single-digit number will appear on their ear pads along with the favorite color of the Ped-Pal.
Rollerbots have a chrome color to them; however, there are a few that are matte color. these bots have yet to cross the bridge. When they cross back they become chrome-like yet soft to the touch. This is when they start looking for their ped-pal. When it comes time for the ped to cross the bridge, the bot will go with them; however, the bot will not return and remain on the other side with their ped.
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