In 1967 Toho decided to give Godzilla a son and so Minilla, the “Son of Godzilla”, was born. Portrayed by Japanese little person Little Man Machan, the Minilla suit looked strikingly different from the Godzilla’s we’d seen before. This little creature featured wide eyes, an upturned snout, a pot belly, and chubby thighs. Overall Minilla resembles a cross between Godzilla and the Pillsbury Doughboy. The Godzilla suit for this film was changed to more resemble his squatty little son. In the end, however, Little Man Machan gave a great performance as Minilla, performing lots of jumps, pratfalls, and rolls and invoking a young child quality despite the suit’s rather simple look. The Minilla suit would be used again, although obviously altered, for the films “Destroy All Monsters” and “Godzilla’s Revenge”.
