Robby the Robot Robby the Robot Robby the Robot is a fictional character and science fiction icon who first appeared in the 1956 film "Forbidden Planet". He made a number of subsequent appearances in science fiction movies and television programs, usually without specific reference to the original film character. The name "Robbie" (spelled with an "ie") had appeared in science fiction before "Forbidden Planet". In a pulp magazine adventure "The Fantastic Island" (1935), the name is used for a mechanical likeness of Doc Savage used to confuse foes. The name is also used in Isaac Asimov's short story "Robbie" (1940) about a first-generation
Forbidden Planet and laserdisc, both for the film's 40th anniversary. But it was The Criterion Collection that later re-issued "Forbidden Planet" in CinemaScope's original wider screen 2.55-to-1 aspect ratio, on a deluxe laserdisc set, with various extra features on a second disc. Warner Bros. next released the film on DVD in 1999 (MGM's catalog of films had been sold in 1998 to AOL-Time Warner by Turner Entertainment and MGM/UA). Warner's release offered both cropped and widescreen picture formats on the same disc. For the film's 50th anniversary, the Ultimate Collector's Edition was released on November 28, 2006, in an oversized red metal