Record-setting bid for Robby the Robot

Robby the Robot and the original film poster. Wikipedia.

Robby the Robot, star of the 1956 sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet, just broke the world record as the most expensive movie prop in the world, after clinching a winning bid of $5.37 million USD at auction in New York City. Measuring 7 feet tall, Robby was one of the most memorable robots of his genre; he became that generation’s robot archetype, and inspired many of the toys created in the 1950s-60s. Professor Edward Morbius, who lived on Altair IV (the “Forbidden Planet”), created the robot in the 23rd Century. Robby had metal pincers, a see-through dome head, spoke 188 languages, and brewed whisky… he even knew how to cook. Robby eclipsed the record for most expensive prop, previously held by The Maltese Falcon statue, which sold for $4 million USD, and Marilyn Monroe’s white dress from The Seven-Year Itch, which sold for $4.6 million USD in 2011 – the same price fetched by the original Batmobile from the 1966 TV show. For the price, Robby came with the Jeep he drove on Altair IV, his auxiliary control panel and his original MGM packing crates.

⇨ Cnet, “Robby the Robot sells for record $5.38 million at auction.”