Way back when I introduced this feature, I introduced the little windup tentatively known as the Tomy Rascal Robot. In the course of that review, I mentioned there was one more bot that had eluded me. That was the end of the story at that time, and like many things, it went by the wayside for other things. In the course of going through some old pics for the giant Iron Giant post, I realized that I hadn't gotten around to posting an update. Early this year, I finally bought one of these little guys online, whom I dub Robbie. Here's a few pics I took at the time.
For the circumstances leading up to the purchase, the main factor was simply that I finally got a decent number of listings when I went looking. The one I got was specifically sold as not working for a bit less than several others. The arms proved mobile; the right one turns a full 360, while the left one is obstructed by the knob. I was a little optimistic that I might get it working. On examination, I determined that the legs still moved readily enough if pushed, indicating the action wasn't completely jammed. Alas, working from the other end, there was no result at all. The little knob to wind it up didn't even stick or jam, it just turns and turns without any result at all.
As for further research, the main thing I confirmed is that the Rascal Robot, Acrobot and Robbie were sold collectively as Pocket Bots, as documented at The Old Robots. The first two were also sold on card under their names, but Robbie lacks a known official moniker, a further indication he was made last. An extra discovery I made is that certain copies of Robbie have the Boeing logo on the dome. I actually saw a specimen on sale, for not much more or less than others, but didn't try to buy it. As previously documented, the Rascal Robot has been reissued, but Robbie and the Acrobot fell out of production by the mid- to late 1980s.
That's what I have to report, and really wraps up this story. As always, more to follow. While I'm at it, here's a pic to wrap things up.
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