Some nostalgic fans will remember Robby the Robot as the famous mechanical character from the classic 1956 science fiction movie, Forbidden Planet, directed by Fred Wilcox and starring Leslie Nielsen. The popularity of the film and its high tech robot inspired a series of toy lines during the 1950′s and 1960′s. The original Robby the […]
When we take a moment to look back at the many past toys produced around the world, Marx’s line of toy robots are undoubtedly among the most beloved by collectors. Marx introduced this line in the 1950s and 1960s to capitalize on the space and robot craze of the era, when the US was engaged […]
In the classic ’80s animated series, the Voltron Force’s number one mission was to protect the planet Arus from the evil king Zarkon and his force of Robeasts. The incarnation of with lion Voltron robots was originally based on the Japanese animated series “Beast King Go Lion” which was later re-edited and dubbed into English […]
The Wonder Festival Toy Convention (aka “Wonderfes”) in Japan featured an amazing showcase of action figures, model kits, and robotic toys. These robot toys, commonly known by collectors as “mecha,” are popular with Japanese toy collectors. The interest for these robotic collectibles has crossed the Pacific, attracting a large fan base in North America. This […]
During the 50′s, Japanese toy companies excelled at mass producing small battery operated or small motorized wind up tin robot toys. The toys were inexpensive and attracted a lot of interest from children. The Japanese toy industry boomed during this time, cheaply mass producing robot toys for American children. Many of these tin robots were […]
Shop for classic 1960′s vintage toy robots on sale. Collect classic antique sci fi robot toys for your collection. Classic popular battery operated robot toys from this era include Marx, Taiyo, Horikawa, and other classic brand robots from Japan. If you are shopping for the classic Robby the Robot toys click here. Browse through the […]
The company Nomura, similar to many other Japanese manufacturers, began in the tin toy industry in the late 1940′s after World War II to help reconstruct the economy. Nomura is famous for their tin robot toys such as Tetsujin 28 aka Iron Man and Astro Boy. In addition, coming off the success of the movie […]
In Japan, Horikawa, recognized by their company logo “SH” on their products, was one of the most prolific manufacturers of battery operated tin toys in the industry. Their collectible tin toys include robots, rocket ships and space stations. Horikawa was so popular as a toymaker during the 1950′s through the 1980′s that collectors often find […]
During the 1950′s and 1960′s post war era, Yoshiya was a major toy manufacturer in Japan and stayed in business until the 1970′s. The company was also known as Kobe Yoko Ltd. and produced several friction, wind-up, and battery powered mechanical toys during their run. Many of their robot toys are now popular with toy […]
Japanese toy company Bandai during the early 70′s created a toy division called Popy. Although they initially made tin toys such as the Grendizer robot photographed on the left, Popy started to incorporate die-cast metal into their action figure robot toys to reduce production costs during this decade. The metal was zinc based and became […]
If you grew up in the Eighties, you’ll probably remember the classic robot cartoon action series, The Transformers, that ignited the toy robot craze in the United States that fueled the toy and children television industry during that time period. Robot action figures were already popular in Japan, but it didn’t capture the attention of […]
Founded in the ’50s, the Japanese company Yonezawa Toys was one of the biggest toy manufacturers in Japan during the post-war era. Yoneza produced thousands of small tin mechanical and battery powered toys until the early ’70s. Their robot toys are known for doing more than just walking. For example, the “Winky” robot walks as […]
Shop for mint vintage toy robots from the 1970′s. Classic Popular toys from this era include Popy Godaikin Chogokin brand robot action figures. Review the special offers from various online sellers and see what valuable bargains on antique robots that you can buy today.
The classic cartoon character Mazinger Z was the main robot hero in the popular classic Japanese animation television show during the 1970′s created by Go Nagai. This was one of the original super robot series that later inspired several other series and toy lines. The popularity of this character is worldwide, especially in Spanish speaking […]
If you grew up during the early ’80s, you will probably remember this line of robot toys and its cartoon show. The GoBots were somewhat similar to Transformers in which the robot action figures could be transformed into different vehicles like cars, trucks, planes and helicopters. Go Bots initially started as Machine Robo, a puzzle […]
The classic Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots toy was introduced in 1964 and was so popular it became something of a cultural phenomenon, and of course, spawned a horde of imitators. The toy featured two robots on a platform that resembled a boxing ring; each player would take control of one of the robots, using […]
In the ’80s, the American fascination with Japanese toys and robot action figures exploded when US television broadcasted several animations based on popular robotic toys from Japan. Memorable cartoons such as Robotech, Voltron, Transformers, and GoBots quickly grew in popularity. Robots that change or transformed from vehicles or spaceships became a favorite with American kids. […]