Robby the Robot

Robby the Robot was a popular fictional character who made a number of appearances in science fiction movies and television programs from 1956 onward.

Description and overview

Robby the Robot was a 7 foot, 2 inch tall mechanical suit designed for an actor to wear, to play the part of a robot. It was originally designed for the 1956 MGM movie "Forbidden Planet", [Robby original role/bio, [http://www.robothalloffame.org/04inductees/robby.html Robot-Hall-of-Fame] ] and quickly became a science fiction movie and television icon.As "Forbidden Planet" was inspired by Shakespeare's play "The Tempest", Robby's character was inspired by the Sprite in the play.

The "Robby" robot suit was reused in a less popular movie called "The Invisible Boy", and it made several further appearances in other movies and TV shows over the next few decades. While Robby's appearance was generally consistent, there were notable exceptions, such as the 1962 "Twilight Zone" episode "Uncle Simon", where he was given a somewhat more human "face". At other times, Robby usually retained the working gears inside his bubble head, although the details of his "brain" and chest panel were sometimes altered. Robby has made few television or film appearances since the 1970s, although he is featured in a 2006 commercial for AT&T.

Robby differed from his successors in that he walked (somewhat awkwardly) on mechanical legs, while later models by his principal designer Robert Kinoshita, such as Robot B-9 of "Lost in Space", moved smoothly on motorized treads. In "Forbidden Planet" Robby was operated by Frankie Darro from inside the suit and his distinctive voice was provided by actor Marvin Miller. In that film, the phrase "Order cancelled" causes Robby to desist from his current orders/activity. [ [http://estraven.silverday.net/warren/films/forbidden2.html Warren Stevens: Films - Forbidden Planet ] ]

Before the appearance of Robby, robots in movies and plays tended to lack personality characteristics, being simple mechanical devices. Since his appearance, robots with personalities have become more and more common in movies.Fact|date=August 2007

In 2004, Robby the Robot was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame.

Fate of the original "Robby" suit

For many years, Robby the Robot was on display at the Movie World / Cars of the Stars Museum in Buena Park, California. The museum is now closed. A replica is currently on display at the Metreon entertainment complex in San Francisco. There are, however, many full-scale reconstructions and duplicates of the original "Robby" suit presented to the public in various venues. "Robbies" are now being sold at Hammacher Schlemmer.com and the original one is owned by the world's foremost "Forbidden Planet" collector, film director William Malone.

Appearances

* "Forbidden Planet" (1956)
* "The Invisible Boy" (1957)
* "The Thin Man" (1958) - season 1 episode "Robot Client", original aired February 28 1958
* "The Gale Storm Show" (1958) - season 3 episode "Robot from Inner Space", first aired December 13 1958
* "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (1959-1963)
* "The Twilight Zone" (1960s)
** Episode "Uncle Simon"
** Episode "The Brain Center at Whipple's"
** Episode "One for the Angels" (as an action figure)
* "Hazel" (1961-1966)- episode "Rosie's Contract"
* "The Addams Family" in the episode "Lurch's Little Helper" aired March 18 1966
* "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1966)
* "Ark II" (1976)
* "Holmes and Yo-Yo" (1976)
* "Lost in Space" (1966 and 1967) - in two episodes as two different characters (in "War of the Robots" as a robotoid [ [http://www.tv.com/lost-in-space/war-of-the-robots/episode/96534/summary.html?tag=ep_list;title;21 Lost in Space: War of the Robots - TV.com ] ] )
* "The Banana Splits Adventure Hour" (1968 and 1970) - appeared as a maid
* "Columbo" (1974) - episode "Mind Over Mayhem"
* "Hollywood Boulevard" (1976)
* "Music Machine" (1977)- a K-tel compilation LP, photographs featured on both the front and back of the cover
* "Project UFO" (1978)- season 1 episode "Sighting 4010: The Waterford Incident"
* "Wonder Woman" (1979) - season 3 episode "Spaced Out", as the master of ceremonies at a science fiction convention
* "Mork & Mindy" (1979)
* "Space Academy" (1979) - episode "My Favorite Marcia"
* "Charmin" Television commercial (1981) - as an assistant to Mr. Whipple, named Squeezak, repeating the phrase "Don't squeeze Charmin".
* "Night Stalker" video game (1982) - featured in the print advertising for the Mattel video game for the IBM and Mac [http://www.tomheroes.com/Video%20Games%20FS/game%20ads/nightstalker.htm Nighstalker Ad]
* "Gremlins" (1984)
* "Cherry 2000" (1987)
* "Earth Girls Are Easy" (1988)
* "Space Quest" (VGA Remake, 1991) - cameo as one of the models purchasable as a nav unit on Corona.
* "" (1999) - cameo as a piece of junk in Watto's Junk Shop)
* "" (2003)
* "The Simpsons"
** "" (2003)
** "Mayored to the Mob" - "Danger Danger! Bart Simpson!"
* "Stacked" (2005) - as the Nightmare NASA Robot
* "Teen Titans" (2005) - "Episode 257-494" (renamed Seven-Gorn-Seven and presented as a robot villain)
* Television commercial for AT&T (2006) - with WOPR, KITT, and Rosie the Robot Maid
* "Doctor Who" episode "Silence in the Library" (2008) - Robby toy or model seen in the background

ee also

* List of fictional robots

References

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1119475/ Robby the Robot] at Internet Movie Database
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEp6ca9Ppks The AT&T commercial] at YouTube