In late 1987, Rax sponsored a promotion to hoist a giant inflatable gorilla on top of tall buildings in six US cities to promote the local 3D broadcast of the 1954 movie Gorilla At Large. Rax sold 3D glasses at its stores in these markets, with the proceeds going to local organizations.
In 1987, Rax partnered with local TV stations to create one of its most memorable marketing campaigns. In an effort to raise money for local organizations, Rax would hoist a giant inflatable gorilla to the top of a tall local building for several days to promote the local 3D broadcast of the 1954 film Gorilla At Large. In conjunction with this broadcast, Rax would sell 3D glasses at its stores at 2 for $1, with the proceeds (at least 60 cents per sale) going to the designated organization.
Online, this event is widely documented as having happened in Columbus, Ohio. However, this promotion actually occurred across at least six US cities between October and December 1987. In this post, I will be documenting each of these events.
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Background: Origins of the Inflatable Gorilla
Several news articles mention that this gorilla was originally used for a similar but unrelated stunt at New York City’s Empire State Building in 1983. The inflatable gorilla was there to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the iconic movie King Kong. The intention was for it to remain on the tower for a week; however, high winds deflated the balloon and it was permanently taken down after only two days.
The gorilla, whose name was “Mr. Goliath”, was purportedly owned by a marketing company, the same company that Rax would partner with four years later for its own famous stunt. The gorilla was used in promotions in at least fourteen other cities prior to the Rax promotion. The inflatable was between 70-83 feet tall. It is unclear if there was only one gorilla or if multiple were used throughout the tour.
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The Tour
Stop #1
City: Seattle, Washington
Dates: October 24-30, 1987
Location: The top of the Space Needle
Charity: United Way
Television Partner: KTZZ (Channel 22)
Broadcast Date: October 30, 1987
- IMAGE: Article from the October 23, 1987 edition of the Baker City Herald discussing the gorilla stunt
- An Image of the inflatable gorilla on top of the Space Needle. Tacoma News Tribune, October 25, 1987
- A higher quality image of the gorilla with its shirt ripped.
- An image of a child posing with the Space Needle and gorilla. Source: Jansen Y. via Facebook
Seattle appears to be where the promotion was first held. This is likely because the company that handled the installation of the gorilla across the tour was McIntosh Steel Riggers, a Seattle-based company.
In Seattle, the gorilla was affixed to the top of the famous Space Needle. Despite what must have been a sight to behold, there is not a lot of existing documentation online surrounding this event. There was purportedly a video sent to local media documenting the gorilla’s hoisting on the tower, but I have not been able to locate it.
The gorilla was on the tower for a week. He wore a plain white T-shirt that notably did not feature the Rax logo like it did on other stops along the tour.
Seattle-based reviewers at the time had mixed to negative reviews for the movie and its 3D glasses tie-in. One reviewer noted that the film was “not much of a movie” and that the 3D glasses did not work well.
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Stop #2
City: St. Louis, Missouri
Dates: November 5- 6, 1987
Location: The top of Adam’s Mark Hotel
Charity: St. Louis Zoo
Television Partner: KMOV-TV (Channel 4)
Broadcast Date: November 6, 1987
There is very little documentation available of the gorilla's stop in St. Louis. It was reportedly only on display for two days. Proceeds of glasses sales went to the St. Louis Zoo.
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Stop #3
City: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Dates: Approx. November 11-14, 1987
Location: Pinnacle Apartments, 20 NE 2nd St.
Charity: Como Zoo
Television Partner: KTMA (Channel 23)
Broadcast Date: November 14, 1987
Like St. Louis, the Minneapolis stop was not well documented. The gorilla was on top of an apartment tower for about three days, and proceeds went to the Como Zoo in St. Paul.
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Stop #4
City: Cincinnati, Ohio
Dates: November 18-21, 1987
Location: The top of the Carew Tower
Charity: Ruth Lyons Children’s Christmas Fund
Television Partner: WLWT (Channel 5)
Broadcast Date: November 21, 1987
In Cincinnati, Mr. Goliath wore a white T-shirt featuring the Rax logo while he hung out on top of the Carew Tower. The inflatable reportedly took 72 hours to complete and was on the building for approximately 3 days before being moved to Columbus.
The blog post gives more detail about the promotion in Cincinnati.
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Stop #5
City: Columbus, Ohio
Dates: Beginning Monday, November 23, 1987 (end date is unknown)
Location: The top of the LeVeque Tower
Charity: Ruth Lyons Children’s Christmas Fund
Television Partner: WMCH-TV (Channel 4)
Broadcast Date: November 28, 1987
- IMAGE: A newspaper clipping shows the gorilla on top of the LeVeque Tower. The Newark Advocate, November 25, 1987
- IMAGE: This Imgur album contains several photos of the gorilla, including one image of when it was deflated due to high winds.
- VIDEO: A short documentary on YouTube showing how Mr. Goliath was hoisted on top of the building
By far the most documented instance of the Rax gorilla was in Columbus, Ohio, the home of the Rax fast food chain at that time. The gorilla was originally planned to be inflated on the morning of Monday, November 23, but high winds forced the crew to postpone the stunt until the next morning. The gorilla was planned to be atop the building for a week; however, strong winds deflated the gorilla and the promotion ended earlier than planned.
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Stop #6
City: Kansas City, Missouri
Dates: Beginning December 21, 1987 (likely ended in late December or early January)
Location: On top of 12 Wyandotte Plaza
Charity: Easter Seals
Television Partner: KSHB-TV (Channel 41)
Broadcast Date: December 31, 1987
The Kansas City leg of the tour was minimally documented; I could only find a single mention of it in old newspaper archives. The gorilla was perched on top of 12 Wyandotte Plaza in downtown Kansas City, to promote the New Year’s Eve airing of the movie Gorilla At Large. This appears to be the final instance of the Rax Gorilla on top of a building.
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The inflatable gorilla stunt was a memorable marketing gimmick that is still fondly remembered to this day, nearly 40 years later. Even though Rax has largely faded from relevance and the movie Gorilla At Large has largely been forgotten, the whimsical nature of a giant gorilla perched on top of a building has left a mark in the minds of many who encountered it. With this post, I hope I was able to shed some more light on the reach that this promotion had outside of the Columbus area.