In 1965, he had not only developed a sort of technomagic but produced limited AI devices and come up with a plot to make himself wealthy by creating very shapely young women he called "Girl Bombs" who would use their feminine charms to get millionaires to sign over assets.
After two idiots managed to defeat him, he sat back (in a hospital) and reconsidered. After all, if his genius plans could be brought low by two people with a combined IQ about on a level with a well-trained hamster - there were still bugs and flaws in the system.
In 1969, having rebuilt his Bikini Machine and worked out improvements, Doctor Goldfoot was back!
This time, however, he had a corporation. He had financial backing. He had patents. He solved certain stability issues and problems with the original models.
He went with an international set of models to begin with. In each case he found a girl to use as the original production model, made a few changes and enhancements and improvements, developed the texture and bitmapping, worked out the likely skills and then hit the market.
Gynoid International originally had several models, each of which was very attractive and curvaceous and stylish. Each had an accent (the Doctor also had surveys and thinktanks and had noticed that accents gave not only an aesthetic completion to the regional styling - they were considered sexy by 72% of the male target market.)
Yvette the French Maid was one of the biggest sellers almost immediately. The jetsetters of 1960 found that while pricey and still having some limits in the AI - the Yvette was skilled in a number of activities and capable of keeping a mansion clean and in perfect order.
Yvette wasn't alone either. There were models from twelve major ethnic groups. Redheaded Erinn, frosty blonde Inga, demure but curvaceous Suki, darkskinned Jenia, hispanic Marguerite, lithe British-accented Heather, the Australian-sounding Lyra, middle-eastern dancer Jasmine, the tallest - Svetlana the Russian gymnast, the shortest - Julie the American cheerleader. Each could be ordered from the factory, ready to perform a specific set of roles.
Doctor Goldfoot not only achieved his original goal of becoming wealthy, he became fantastically wealthy and well to do.
At this point the Bikini Machine Mark II, aka the Girl Factory, put out custom special order products. When this market had been sufficiently filled, and his bank account now put him squarely in the sort of wealth he'd dreamed of, Doctor Goldfoot turned his attentions to the mass market.
There had been protests, of course. Women's groups filed legal injunctions, religious groups raised protests, various experts weighed in. Movies were being made which depicted androids running amok, clearly catering to those fears and prejudices being stirred by those opposing groups.
Doctor Goldfoot moved his assets out of the United States, buying a small tropical island, and set up shop there in 1971. Even when one of his gynoids pulled off her own head in court and reattached it, the hassles and questions and badgering had continued. This had proved to him on one level that while he had gotten further using legal methods than illegal, operating strictly in those limits merely left one open to opportunists and worse - lawyers.
Gynoid International then "acquired" several new production models and began their mass marketing campaign.
They weren't tireless, superstrong, unresponsive, mechanical models, and he'd picked the place with the most robot-friendly culture to use for the templating and he picked several "archetypes" for this common series.
The "girl in glasses" - smart and somewhat timid/shy, the Ami series.
The "cheerleader" - energetic but not necessarily that smart, the Minako series.
The "ingenue" - friendly and outgoing, but apt to act the clown, the Usagi series.
The "miko" - shrine priestesses were popular with the males in Japan, and Goldfoot thought the costume looked cute. The Rei series.
The "sexy tomboy" - a tall, strong, and busty version who would make a good maid or bodyguard depending on the need. The Makoto series.
The "elegant artist" - a model for those who valued aesthetics and sophistication. The Michiru series.
The "sportster" - a model which excelled at all sorts of sports and outdoor activities. The Haruka series.
The "mysterious maiden" - the model intended for those who liked a certain older and more experienced look, equally at home in the lab or in a maid uniform. The Setsuna series.
The "cute and friendly" model which combined some of the Ami series' shy with the ingenue's friendliness, the Hotaru series.
To say they sold was an understatement. Soon he found himself having to have several of the units working the machinery just so he could have time off. To meet the demands he had to come up with four more mass production facilities.
Eventually he came up with other models, of course. Those nine units, combined with the other customized original series, soon had to develop factories for the various accessories. Licensing for outfits was developed so that an owner could have his Haruka in a maid uniform, a Setsuna in a miko costume, a Hotaru in a plugsuit, and so on. Then the additional series, though he limited himself to one new production series a year.
Doctor Goldfoot found himself one day, sitting on his porch, sipping an ice-cold beer while watching the sunset. He had so much money and had accumulated power to the point even he couldn't keep track of all his wealth.
"So, this must be happiness," said Doctor Goldfoot, saluting the sunset with his beer.
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(Posted Mon, 19 Dec 2005 08:25)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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