ST. LOUIS — A creative partnership decades in the making is bridging nostalgia and innovation. It all started in the 1980s when Ted Koplar brought the Japanese anime Voltron to U.S. audiences through KPLR-TV in St. Louis.
“It was my father’s crazy idea to take this Japanese anime, turn it into a kid’s show, and air it,” said Bob Koplar, whose company, World Events Productions, helped produce 124 episodes of Voltron. Koplar recalls being just five years old when the show debuted. “It was five robot lions forming one massive robot—it blew our minds as kids,” he said.
Kevin Lemp, now president of St. Louis-based 4 Hands Brewery, fondly remembers growing up with Voltron. “Every Saturday morning, I’d record episodes on a blank VHS tape and rewatch them on Sundays,” Lemp shared.
Fast forward 40 years, and the two businessmen have teamed up to merge the iconic series with craft beer. Instead of just brewing one beer, they expanded the collaboration nationwide, partnering with breweries in states like Florida, Minnesota, Colorado, and Tennessee.
“We’ve had people driving from Kansas City and even Illinois to pick this up on release day,” said Lemp. The project has produced seven unique beer volumes, featuring colorful artwork tied to the Voltron legacy. Fans and collectors are snatching up the brews, enjoying both the craftsmanship and the nod to their childhood memories.
The celebration doesn’t end there. To mark Voltron’s 40th anniversary, a live-action movie is in the works. Starring Henry Cavill and St. Louis native Sterling K. Brown, the film will begin shooting in Australia.
“This collaboration is a great way to honor a childhood memory,” said Koplar. “For those of us over 21, it’s a chance to relive the excitement in a new way.”