"A robot may not harm a human being, a robot must obey the orders given to it by humans, and a robot must protect its own existence." These are the Laws of Robotics even in the toy business.

Toy robots are still very popular since they first were introduced in the 1940’s. Their appeal is probably due to intriguing cosmetic design combined with mechanical and human characteristics. Also, their high tech functions are constantly being out-done by scientists and toy manufacturers alike. For these reasons, robots will probably always be part of human culture and always exist in some form within the toy industry, says Jay Brotter, a robot retailer, robot collector, and president of the Robot Island web site robotisland.com. Brotter says “anybody who grew up during the space race in the 1950’s and ‘60’s was exposed to a tremendous amount of fantasy and sci-fi material found in books, movies and television shows. It seems that the fantasy and sci-fi appeal of the toy robot has always been strong no matter how much time passes.”

The Lantern Robot and Planet Robot a/k/a Robby the Robot, are currently two of the most popular robot toys. Mr. Brotter has consulted with several manufacturers and we will be seeing some new design creations as well as classic reproductions coming to his web site soon. Just check it out at www.robotisland.com.”