Editing Boilerplate (robot)

{{short description|Fictional robot from the 19th century}}
{{Infobox comics character
<!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| character_name = Boilerplate
| image          = Boilerplate robot.jpg
| imagesize      = 175
| converted = y
| caption        = Boilerplate and Teddy Roosevelt
| publisher      = 
| debut          = Boilerplate website, July 2000
| creators       = [[Paul Guinan]]
| alter_ego      = 
| full_name      =
| species        = Robot
| homeworld      = <!-- optional -->
| alliances      = 
| partners       = Professor Archibald Campion
| supports       = <!-- optional -->
| aliases        = <!-- optional -->
| powers         = 
| cat            = 
| subcat         = 
| hero           = 
| villain        = 
| sortkey        =

}}
'''Boilerplate''' is a fictional [[robot]] which would have existed in the [[Victorian era]] and early 20th century. It was created in 2000 by [[Portland, Oregon]] USA artist Paul Guinan.<ref name="PW">{{cite news
 |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6280093.html 
 |title=The Inadvertent Plagiarist: Chris Elliott Meets Boilerplate 
 |last=MacDonald 
 |first=Heidi 
 |date=November 1, 2005 
 |work=Publishers Weekly 
 |publisher=Reed Business Information 
 |access-date=2009-01-21 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413025415/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6280093.html 
 |archive-date=2015-04-13 
}}</ref> Originally intended for comics, the character became known via a faux-historical website created by Guinan, and has since appeared in other media.

== Development ==
Boilerplate was originally featured on a website created by Paul Guinan in 2000. The Boilerplate site details the history of a remarkable robot built in the late 19th century, and features photoshopped "archival images" in which Boilerplate (actually a 12-inch articulated model) is seen interacting with historical figures, such as [[Teddy Roosevelt]] and [[Pancho Villa]].<ref>{{cite news
  |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0116/p25s03-stin.html
  |title=The History of Robots in the Victorian Era
  |last=Regan  |first=Jim
  |date=January 16, 2004 
  |work=csmonitor.com
  |publisher=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=2009-01-21
}}</ref>  Becoming aware that some visitors to the site were taken in by its contents, making it an unintentional hoax, Guinan resolved to see how authentic he could make the character seem, working to ensure the descriptions of non-fictional events were accurate. He explained his motivation in a 2002 interview

<blockquote>"Certainly I felt happy about having achieved my goal," he said. "I put this thing across as trying to be real, and people bought into it. So, that's a success! But, as an amateur historian, I feel a responsibility to get the story right. So I felt bad about some of these people being hoaxed. It was a mixed bag."</blockquote>

[[File:Paul Guinan & Anina Bennett at WonderCon 2010 1.JPG|thumb|upright|Guinan and Bennett at [[WonderCon]] 2010]]

<blockquote>"But," he revealed, "I thought, if I was getting this reaction and I wasn't really trying, then what would happen if I really tried?"<ref name="PMerc" >{{cite news
  |url=http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=27888&category=34029
  |title=The Factual Fiction of Paul Guinan's Hysterical Hoax 
  |last=Dooley  |first=John
  |date=November 7, 2002
  |work=Portland Mercury
  |publisher=Index Newspapers|access-date=2009-01-21
}}</ref></blockquote>

Guinan estimated that roughly a third of the site's visitors treated its faux history as real. Comedian [[Chris Elliott]], while realising that Boilerplate was fictional, thought that the spoof dated back to the 19th century and included the character in one of his books (see [[Boilerplate (robot)#In other media|below]]).<ref name="NYT" >{{cite news
  |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/01/books/01elli.html
  |title=The Strange Case of the Spoofer Captured by a Spoof 
  |last=Wyatt  |first=Edward
  |date=November 1, 2005
  |work=The New York Times
  |access-date=2009-01-21
}}</ref>

Guinan later expanded his website into ''The History of Robots in the Victorian Era'', which features other "turn-of-the-century robots, both real and imagined".

== Fictional character history ==
Boilerplate is built by Professor Archibald Campion in the 1880s and unveiled at the 1893 [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in Chicago.<ref name="BRH1">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate/
 |title=Boilerplate: History of a Victorian Era Robot
 |last=Guinan |first=Paul
 |work=Big Red Hair
 |access-date=2009-01-21
}}</ref> The robot's notable adventures include an expedition to the [[Antarctic]], during which it saves the lives of the team members by singlehandedly moving ice floes, clearing a path for the ship to sail out.<ref name="BRH2">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate/arctic/index.html
 |title=Boilerplate in Antarctica
 |last=Guinan
 |first=Paul
 |work=Big Red Hair
 |access-date=2009-01-21
 |archive-date=2009-02-01
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201060202/http://bigredhair.com/boilerplate/arctic/index.html
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>

Designed for the self-proclaimed purpose of "preventing the deaths of men in the conflicts of nations," Boilerplate charges into combat during the [[Spanish–American War]] and the [[Boxer Rebellion]]. Campion and his robot also circle the planet with the U.S. Navy, make silent movies, and hobnob with the likes of [[Mark Twain]] and [[Nikola Tesla]].<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-0810989504|title=Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel|last1=Guinan|first1=Paul|last2=Bennett|first2=Anina|date=15 April 2012|publisher=Abrams }}</ref>

Boilerplate is also active in the [[First World War]], but disappears during the relief of Major Whittlesey's [[Lost Battalion (World War I)|Lost Battalion]], possibly having been captured by the Germans for study. Supporters of this theory point out that German military technology advances tremendously in the twenty years between the two world wars, encompassing guided rockets, experimental jets, and sophisticated tanks.<ref name="BRH3">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate/soldier/bp.ww1.html
 |title=The Disappearance of Boilerplate
 |last=Guinan
 |first=Paul
 |work=Big Red Hair
 |access-date=2009-01-21
 |archive-date=2008-12-29
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229010111/http://www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate/soldier/bp.ww1.html
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref> Post [[World War II]], Boilerplate is sighted on a number of occasions, often in Chicago.<ref name="BRH3" />

== In other media ==
* Paul Guinan and his wife [[Anina Bennett]] (who also maintains the Boilerplate website) have [[coauthor]]ed ''Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel'', an illustrated history of the character's adventures.  This [[coffee table book]] covers Boilerplate's 25-year existence as well as its subsequent impact on popular culture.   It was published by Abrams Image in October 2009.<ref name="PortTrib">{{cite news|url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=123257982376068500|title=Victorian robot is a history emcee|last=Barton|first=Randall|date=Jan 22, 2009|work=The Portland Tribune|publisher=Pamplin Media Group|access-date=2009-01-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129193826/http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=123257982376068500|archive-date=January 29, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Guinan and Bennett have previously collaborated on the comic book ''[[Heartbreakers (comics)|Heartbreakers]]'', published by [[IDW Publishing]]; "Heartbreakers Meet Boilerplate", a 2005 [[one-shot (comics)|one-shot]] of this series, also featured Boilerplate<ref name="NYT" /> and was nominated for an [[Eisner Award#Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior)|Eisner Award]].<ref name="CCI">{{cite web|url=http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners06nom.shtml|title=Chris Ware, Warren Ellis Garner Most Nominations for 2006 Eisners|year=2006|work=Comic-Con International|access-date=2009-01-21|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060409155754/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners06nom.shtml|archive-date=2006-04-09}}</ref>
* Boilerplate is a character in [[Chris Elliott]]'s 2005 novel ''[[The Shroud of the Thwacker]]'', a spoof historical thriller.  Elliott mistakenly thought that the Boilerplate site concerned a hoax which dated back to the 19th century and included material from the website in his book, not realising it wasn't in the public domain. After being alerted to the copyright infringement, Elliott and Guinan negotiated a settlement which allowed the character to be used in exchange for a percentage of Elliott's earnings from the book and credit in future editions.<ref name="PW" /><ref name="NYT" />
* Boilerplate is featured on the cover of Canadian indie pop band [[Stars (Canadian band)|Stars]]'s 2008 EP ''[[Sad Robots]]'', as well as on merchandise for their 2008–9 tour.<ref name="Periscope">{{cite news |url=http://periscopestudio.com/band-adopts-boilerplate-as-mascot-for-north-american-tour/ |title=Band adopts Boilerplate as mascot for North American tour |date=October 4, 2008 |work=Periscope Studio |access-date=2009-01-21 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905131244/http://periscopestudio.com/band-adopts-boilerplate-as-mascot-for-north-american-tour/ |archive-date=2009-09-05 }}</ref>
*[[Paramount Pictures]] have optioned the film rights, to be produced by [[J. J. Abrams]] and his [[Bad Robot]] production company.<ref>{{cite news|author=Kit, Borys|author2=Fernandez, Jay A.|name-list-style=amp |url=http://heatvision.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/07/jj-abrams-robot-movie-boilerplate.html |title=J.J. Abrams producing period robot movie 'Boilerplate' (exclusive) |series=Heat Vision |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=July 29, 2010 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730034955/http://heatvision.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/07/jj-abrams-robot-movie-boilerplate.html |archive-date=July 30, 2010 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Boilerplate (robot)}}
* {{Official website|http://www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate/}}
* [http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091019-Boilerplate.html A Robot From an Alternate History Visits Our World], [[Newsarama]], October 19, 2009

[[Category:Fictional robots]]
[[Category:2000 robots]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 2000]]
[[Category:Steampunk]]
[[Category:Fiction set in the 1890s]]
[[Category:Fiction set in the 1900s]]
[[Category:Fiction set in the 1910s]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from the 19th century]]
[[Category:Caribbean in fiction]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Mark Twain]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from Chicago]]
[[Category:Internet hoaxes]]
[[Category:Klondike Gold Rush in fiction]]
[[Category:Spanish–American War fiction]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Theodore Roosevelt]]
[[Category:Victorian era]]
[[Category:Comics set during World War I]]
[[Category:World's Columbian Exposition]]
[[Category:Gilded Age]]