Joel Robinson
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Joel Robinson was a character on the Peabody Award-winning television series Mystery Science Theater 3000. He was portrayed by the creator of the series, Joel Hodgson. Joel was the host of MST3K from 1988 to 1993. Episode #512, "Mitchell", was his last episode as host; beginning with the following episode (#513 The Head that Wouldn't Die) he was replaced by Mike Nelson, played by series head writer Michael J. Nelson.
The character of Joel escaped the Satellite of Love in an previously undiscovered escape pod (named the Deus Ex Machina) mislabeled as a crate of "Hamdingers." After his departure he returned just once in the show's final season (episode 1001: Soultaker), having turned the escape pod into a homemade spaceship. He returned to the S.O.L. to make repairs and give Mike a pep talk. Since leaving the ship Joel had traveled around the Australian outback doing pyrotechnics for the band Man or Astroman. He now works at a Hot Fish Shop in Osseo, Minnesota.
Joel was more a fatherly figure to the 'Bots and helped them get through all the bad movies the crew watched until Mike came along.
Joel's tenure as host was marked by "invention exchanges," where Joel and his mad scientist tormentors would come up with wacky inventions in a contest with each other. This worked well for creator Hodgson, who was a gifted prop comic.