Updated: December 28, 2023

A mid rush to capitalize on the Robby the Robot craze inspired by MGM's 1956's classic, Forbidden Planet, came a flurry of Robby knockoffs from a wide variety of Japanese manufactures. Though the best-known is Nomura's Mechanized Robot ( 1950's ), others did a good job of replicating the seminal Robot's design. Yoshiya's Action Planet Robot is one of the best to emerge from this gold rush, due largely to the toy's solid functionality and it's approximate replication of Robby's good looks.

Created from enamelled tin, Action Planet Robot is an eight-inch wind-up, with forward walking motion and sparkling through both the chest and "mouth" area. Though smaller, and lacking the complex set of head-piston movements of the Nomura toy, Action Planet Robot does capture the form factor of the movie Robot. An inexpensive toy in lesser grade, it's obvious Yoshiya marketed Planet Robot variants for a number of years, attesting to the large quantities available today, as well as production variations such as tin-claw hands ( earlier ) and molded-rubber ones ( later ).

Note that a number of color variations are known across both wind-up and battery-op versions, with blacking being the most common for wind-ups. For Robby enthusiasts, Action Planet Robot is a must have toy for any collection.

Value: $1,500. ( Complete with Box )