If you were glued to your seat watching Rocky IV, you probably remember one of the most unexpected characters in the whole franchise: Sico the Robot. That’s right—before Terminator 2 made robots cool, before Wall-E tugged at our heartstrings, Rocky IV introduced us to a machine with some serious personality.
And now? Sico finally has his own action figure.
Let’s talk about this legendary Rocky IV robot, how he came to be, and why Sylvester Stallone decided to write him into the most over-the-top entry in the Rocky saga.
Sico the Robot Gets an Action Figure
For years, fans of Rocky IV have been asking, “Where’s the Sico figure?” Well, one superfan finally made it happen.
Dawn, the mastermind behind Little Buddies Action Figures, crafted a custom Sico action figure with incredible detail. No mass production, no big-name toy company—just a dedicated artist bringing a cult-favorite to life. If you want to see the figure in action, check out the video from Eccentric Views above.
Paulie’s robot, built to serve drinks, nag him about cigar smoke, and—somehow—switch from a male to female voice, has finally been immortalized in plastic. About time!
Why Was There a Robot in Rocky IV?
So how did a robot end up in a Rocky movie? No, Stallone wasn’t just looking for a sci-fi twist. The real Sico was designed in the early ’80s by International Robotics Inc. and was way ahead of its time. Built by Robert Doornick, the bot was originally created to help raise awareness for autism.
In fact, that’s how Sly first took notice. In 1982, Stallone’s son, Seargeoh, was diagnosed with autism—a condition that wasn’t well understood at the time. When Stallone saw Doornick discussing Sico’s interaction with autistic children on TV, he became fascinated. One thing led to another, and soon Sico landed a role in Rocky IV.
Paulie’s Robot: The Scene That Got Cut
Stallone loved the Rocky IV robot so much that he actually wrote more scenes for Sico—scenes that never made it into the final cut.
In an interview with Trivia Happy, Robert Doornick shared details about one particularly hilarious deleted scene between Paulie and his robotic sidekick:
“One particularly comic scene between the robot and Rocky’s brother-in-law, Paulie, that wound up on the cutting room floor. In the scene, Paulie and the robot had developed an odd couple relationship, with the robot complaining that Paulie always slept in the same t-shirt and made too much cigar smoke. The robot ‘found it offensive to [his] sensors.’”
So, how did Paulie handle this? Like any reasonable man in the ’80s—with some light reprogramming.
“Paulie shuts the robot down,” Doornick remembers, “opens the back panel, and changes the circuits to turn the robot completely female. Which is why in another scene, when the robot brings Paulie a beer, that’s my voice being synthesized into a woman’s voice. Most people in the movie don’t understand why the robot switched from a normal voice to a female voice. That’s why.”
And just like that, Paulie somehow figured out how to rewire the robot to be female. When Sico became Paulie’s girlfriend (?), it even played “Double or Nothing” by Kenny Loggins and Gladys Knight—a song that, if you listen to the lyrics, makes the whole situation even stranger.
If you haven’t revisited the scene in a while, do yourself a favor: play “Double or Nothing” and picture Paulie kicking back with his newly feminized robot, beer in hand. That’s peak Rocky IV right there.
The Fate of Sico in Rocky IV‘s Director’s Cut
Bad news for Sico fans: When Stallone released Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago – The Ultimate Director’s Cut, Sico was completely removed from the film. Stallone explained that he wanted the new cut to be “more serious” and felt the robot didn’t fit the tone.
But for die-hard fans, Sico will always be part of Rocky IV—even if it’s just in the original version.
And now, thanks to Little Buddies Action Figures, you can own your own mini version of Paulie’s mechanical drinking buddy.
Final Round: The Legacy of the Rocky IV Robot
Love it or hate it, Sico the Robot is a piece of Rocky history. It’s weird. It’s random. And it’s exactly the kind of over-the-top, mid-’80s madness that makes Rocky IV such a classic.
Now, the question is: Would you buy a Sico action figure? Or should Paulie have left the robot in the junkyard? Let us know what you think!
