This 1956 Prop Became One of the Most Valuable Movie Artifacts Ever Sold

Back in 1956, when science fiction was a less explored territory, MGM spent a significant sum of money on Forbidden Planet to create a sophisticated, one-of-a-kind robot that audiences had never seen before.

Robby the Robot was a sleek, seven-foot-long mechanical marvel with an intricate design and a uniquely expressive personality. Back then, making sizeable investments in the sci-fi space was far from the norm. In fact, studios rarely invested in science fiction hardware at all.

The robot’s creation is believed to have cost MGM a remarkable $125,000 at the time, which, as you know, was an enormous amount of money in the 1950s. Fast forward to the year 2017. The same robot sold for an incredible sum of $5.3 million at an auction in New York. Robby the Robot became the most expensive movie prop ever sold at the time.

So, why did the robot cost a staggering $125,000 to make, and why did it fetch $5.3 million in its sale?

Let’s jump right in and explore how a studio expense became a historic, multimillion-dollar icon.

A $100,000 Robot in 1956

MGM had no intentions of holding back when it came to designing its exciting new robot back in 1956. In fact, their outlay of $125,000 in 1956 would amount to approximately $1 million today, an enormous figure for a prop, no matter how you look at it. It is believed that Robby the Robot, a single prop, cost Forbidden Planet roughly 7% of its entire budget. That’s a huge bet. But an important one for Fred M. Wilcox’s sci-fi adventure movie.

Building the robot was far from easy. It required multiple skilled craftspeople and used metal, plastic, rubber, Plexiglas, and various other materials and techniques that weren’t common at the time. However, the complexity of Robby’s form was precisely what Wilcox’s movie was going for.

The design of Robby the Robot, who played a servant to Dr. Morbius in the movie, was believed to be inspired by Fritz Lang’s 1927 classic, Metropolis. The robot was one of the earliest examples of plastic heated over a wooden form. Robby was seven feet tall with detachable parts and had an admirable level of detailing to its torso and overall design.

When compared to other robots from its era of movies, Robby stood out for looking genuinely futuristic with glowing features and a voice provided by Marvin Miller. MGM’s significant investment was aimed at turning Robby into a breakout star in a growing sci-fi wave. Fast forward to 2017: their creation multiplied in value, proving in clear terms how their forward-thinking approach was undoubtedly the right one.

Why Robby the Robot Sold For $5.3 Million

It’s difficult to discuss the value of historic movie props in absolute terms because their price fluctuations do not follow math. However, when Robby the Robot entered the Bonhams auction in New York back in 2017, the bidding war became fierce.

The record-setting total of $5.3 million included the complete original suit, Robby’s control panel, his jeep from Forbidden Planet, and the robot’s spare parts. Primarily driven by the nostalgic value of the Robot’s significance in film history, the sale surpassed previous highs seen by other valuable film props.

Robby the Robot’s sale dethroned previous record-breaking props such as the Maltese Falcon statuette and many other icons from cinema history. The bidding frenzy came from Robby’s status as a “robot pioneer” in the sci-fi genre and its admirable rarity as a fully functional original that was used in one of the most pathbreaking science fiction films of all time.

Robby’s sale proved, yet again, that collectors would pay significant sums of money for movie props that shaped pop culture.

How A Studio Expense Became A Multimillion Dollar Icon

It’s interesting to observe the effects of time on movie props and artifacts. What could be considered a brash investment at one point in time can grow astronomically in value over the course of decades. It’s not hard to believe that MGM may have faced major doubts from the movie business when they considered investing such a heavy amount of money in a film prop.

However, the greatest investments in movie prop history have often been driven by filmmakers and producers with unrelenting belief in their films. Robby the Robot is no different. But his story does not end with the production of Forbidden Planet.

After the film wrapped, it was believed that the Robot was sold privately for $10,000 around 1970, with other props from Forbidden Planet. Robby went on to rack up dozens of appearances in movies, TV episodes, and commercials. His ownership changed hands multiple times; however, his value did not decrease; it kept going higher.

By 2017, nostalgia, rarity, and Robby’s role in redefining robots on screen turned a once-discarded expense into iconic movie memorabilia. Robby’s transformation from a huge “dent in the budget” to being disposed of for very little money did not hamper his true value.

You can’t put a price tag on real film history like Robby the Robot, but if you do, it could be somewhere near $5.3 million!

Summing It Up

Robby appeared on-screen as a sophisticated robot in Forbidden Planet, but his journey over the decades turned him into an iconic and expensive collector’s item. Robby was a revolutionary creation, but that isn’t the only factor behind its enormous auction value; it is the fact that he is a significant part of movie history, and he represents the movie business’s limitless potential.

Which is your favorite sci-fi movie of all time? Tell us in the comments below.