Rocky Steps facts for kids
The Rocky Steps are 72 stone steps in Philadelphia. They lead up to the East entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. These steps became famous because of a scene in the 1976 movie Rocky.
In the movie, a boxer named Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) trains hard. He runs up these steps as part of his training. This scene is one of the most famous in movie history.
Many visitors like to run up the steps just like Rocky. It has become a symbol of working hard to achieve a big goal. At the bottom of the steps, there is a bronze Rocky statue. It's a popular spot for photos. From the top of the steps, you can see Eakins Oval, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and Philadelphia City Hall.
How the Rocky Steps Became Famous
The idea for the famous scene came from Sylvester Stallone, who created Rocky. The movie crew had a small budget in 1976. They were looking for places to film in Philadelphia one night. That's when they found these steps.
Stallone first thought Rocky should carry his dog, Butkus, up the steps. But the dog was too heavy for the scene. Still, the amazing view from the top of the steps inspired him. He decided to film the scene without the dog.
In the 2006 movie Rocky Balboa, Rocky does lift his dog, Punchy, at the top. The end credits of Rocky Balboa show many people running up the steps. This scene was also one of the first times a special camera was used. It was called a Steadicam. This camera lets the person filming walk and climb steps smoothly.
The Rocky Statue
Before the movie Rocky III came out in 1982, Sylvester Stallone asked an artist named A. Thomas Schomberg to make a bronze statue of Rocky. Three large copies of the statue were made. Each one weighed 2 tons and was 10 feet tall.
One statue was placed at the top of the steps for the filming of Rocky III. Later, it was moved to the bottom of the steps. Another statue was in a museum in San Diego, California. When that museum closed, Sylvester Stallone bought the statue himself.
For a while, city officials debated where the statue should be. They moved it to the Philadelphia Spectrum, a sports arena. It was later brought back to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the filming of Rocky V. After that, it went back to the Spectrum again.
On September 8, 2006, the Rocky statue finally returned to the Art Museum. It was placed on a stand near the bottom of the steps. There was a special event to celebrate. The mayor of Philadelphia, John Street, said that the steps were a big tourist spot. He also said that Stallone, who was from New York, had become "the city's favorite adopted son."
See also
In Spanish: Rocky steps para niños
- Rocky statue in Žitište
- Potemkin Stairs
- Exorcist steps
- Joker Stairs
- The Music Box Steps
