Bubo was an artificial creature, a construct of the gods, which appeared in the 1981 mythological fantasy film Clash of the Titans. It was animated using mostly stop-motion techniques by visual effects legend Ray Harryhausen.
Description[]
A small creation no more than a few inches tall, Bubo was created from brass and iron by the god Hephaestus at the behest of Athena. Its purpose was to aid the young demigod Perseus in his quest to slay the Medusa and, ultimately, thwart the Kraken to save his betrothed, Andromeda.
History[]
When Father of the Gods Zeus commanded Athena to send her pet owl to assist Perseus, the goddess could not bear to part with her dear friend so she enlisted the aid of Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths, to create an alternative. Thus, the mechanical marvel of Bubo was born.
Bubo proved to be invaluable to Perseus during his quest, with the plucky little clockwork bird even managing to distract the mighty Kraken long enough to allow Perseus time to swoop down on his winged Pegasus and destroy the fell creature.
In Other Media[]
- An animated version of Bubo appears in the 2013 episode "Spanakopita!" of the The Venture Brothers
- In the 2014 Super Bowl ad for Radio Shack, when some of the most popular franchises from the 1980s (Alf, Friday the 13th, Child's Play, California Raisins, Cliff Calvin, etc.) take away everything outdated and obsolete from Radio Shack, among all these '80s all stars is Bubo from Clash of the Titans.
- A prop of Bubo also appears in the 2010 Clash of the Titans remake, stored in a box of weapons. Perseus asks what it is, but is told to leave it behind. Bubo is then unceremoniously tossed aside.
- An animated version of Bubo can be seen in the 2020 Netflix anime series Blood of Zeus. It is first seen in episode 5, sitting on the shoulder of the god Hephaestus.
- Bubo can be seen during the Creepshow segment "Public Television of the Dead" as one of four cameo items in during the Appraiser’s Roadtrip alongside Michael Myers' mask from Halloween, the Zuni Fetish Doll from Trilogy of Terror and the Chachapoyan Fertility Idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- In the "Big Man on Hippocampus" episode of Krapopolis (2023) Bubo can be seen in the background in the workshop of Hephaestus when he is visited by Hippocampus.
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