The Lure of Terrible Lizards: Why We Love Godzilla

DALLAS — Godzilla, the fictional, Tokyo-destroying sea monster, is actually a dinosaur dreamed up by the film's producer, Tomoyuki Tanaka, who let his mind wander during a flight back to Japan across the Pacific Ocean.

The 1954 film was a hit. Now, 30 movies later, people still flock to see the radioactive giant in theaters — likely because Godzilla reminds them of their childhood love of dinosaurs, said William Tsutsui, a professor of history and president of Hendrix College in Arkansas, and author of "Godzilla On My Mind: 50 Years of the King of Monsters" (St. Martin's Griffin, 2004).

Tsutsui spoke about Godzilla's historical roots to a crowded room here at the 75rd annual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology conference Tuesday (Oct. 13). [Rumor or Reality: The Creatures of Cryptozoology]--READ MORE-http://news.yahoo.com/lure-terrible-lizards-why-love-godzilla-115209537.html