Why Toho gave Godzilla a son: the surprising strategy behind a 1967 monster classic

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: To revitalize the franchise, producers introduced a baby monster to appeal to the date crowd. By anthropomorphizing the relationship between a father and his offspring, the filmmakers aimed to blend monster action with a touch of humanity, resulting in a unique, budget-conscious experiment in the long-running Godzilla series.

Released in 1967, Son of Godzilla was a strategic pivot for Toho Co., Ltd. Facing a series that felt creatively exhausted, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka and writer Shinichi Sekizawa introduced Minilla, a juvenile Godzilla. The goal was to capture the 'date crowd'—young couples who were then a primary demographic for cinema—by creating a 'cute' monster. Director Jun Fukuda leaned into this by framing the film around the father-son dynamic, even patterning Minilla’s face after the popular manga character Chibita.

The production was notably distinct from other monster films of the era. While the studio's A-list talent worked on King Kong Escapes, this project utilized a 'second string' crew, including director Jun Fukuda and special effects director Sadamasa Arikawa. Budget constraints were significant, with the film produced for 260,000,000 yen. To achieve the necessary scale, the Godzilla suit was designed with increased girth to appear more paternal, which proved so cumbersome that veteran actor Haruo Nakajima only wore it for two scenes, leaving the bulk of the work to Seiji Onaka and Hiroshi Sekita.

The film’s technical execution relied on a mix of practical effects and puppetry. While the giant mantises (Kamacuras) and the spider (Kumonga) required teams of up to 20 puppeteers, the island setting—filmed in locations like Guam and the Fuji Five Lakes region—was transformed into a frozen wasteland using styrofoam and paraffin. Despite mixed critical reception, the film remains a curiosity for its tonal shifts, including deleted scenes that depicted a harsher, more indifferent Godzilla, and its legacy as a rare, character-focused entry in the Shōwa era.

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