The Jon

The Jon was an art-deco style robot who performed in Steam Powered Giraffe. He played the guitar, keyboard, bass, mandolin, drums, and sang. He left the group in September 2012. He was portrayed by Jonathan Sprague.

Appearance
The Jon is primarily a gold-tone alloy metal automaton. His uniform consists of a pair of pinstriped black pants held on with red suspenders, and a black collared button-up shirt with pleats on the arms and torso. A red bow tie adorns his neck, while black fingerless gloves cover his hands. The top hat that he wears is constantly adorned with any number and variety of feathers.

Personality and Traits
He is said to have no brain, and inside his chassis is a void in which several hot dogs and a koi fish float around. His most notable anomaly is his ability to run his Blue Matter reactor exclusively off of Crystal Pepsi (the result of a failed marketing campaign in 1992). However, this has created some issues with powering The Jon, as Crystal Pepsi has not been commercially available since 1993. This design flaw causes the Walters to have to continually transport themselves back in time via time machine to fetch more Pepsi for The Jon.

History
The Jon was built in 1896 by a man named Peter Walter I, who also is credited with building humanoid automatons The Spine and Rabbit, and the "Steam Powered Giraffe" namesake Delilah. The Walter robots, including The Jon, were soon after employed in 1897 fighting huge copper African elephants near the Nile River, the inventions of Peter Walter's rival Thadeus Becile. In the ensuing Weekend War, the Walter robots stopped the encroachment of the copper menace on the Dandy Candy Mines, and soon after returned to San Diego to a life of performing.

The Jon joined his counterparts The Spine and Rabbit in performance at the first World's Fair in 1915, playing under the title "Colonel P.A. Walter's Steam Man Band". But he was destined to be called for battle yet again, as America entered the First World War in 1917. He and his fellows took part in search-and-rescue missions, where their robotic natures made them more tolerant of the mustard gases used on the battlefield.

In 1933, back from the war, The Jon performed at the Chicago Exposition World's Fair, again with the Steam Man Band. They put in one more major appearance at the California Pacific International Exhibition in Balboa Park, before being sucked into the Second World War in 1941. Reports indicate that no casualties were caused by the robots themselves; instead, they detracted from a bombing raid to save Allied Troops.

In 1942, The Jon's creator Peter A. Walter I died asleep in Walter Manor in San Diego, and in 1945 The Jon, The Spine, and Rabbit returned from active duty to their California home. From this point until 1956, not much is known of The Jon's history; until the Steam Man Band performed at the Plifterston, New Pennsyltucky World's Fair.

In 1957, the Walter Robots were commissioned for classified purposes in Roswell, New Mexico.

Trivia

 * The Jon’s original character biography hinted at a desire to be human, reading “He dances, sings, and aspires to someday be a real boy.”