When MGM spent $125,000 to create Robby the Robot for the 1956 film “Forbidden Planet,” it was the most expensive movie prop ever produced.
It was also the keenest thing 4-year-old Fred Barton had ever seen.
Robby remains his life passion, and today, Fred Barton Productions Inc. takes in about $1 million a year mostly from the sale of expensive Robby replicas to collectors and museums. When Warner Bros. re-releases the re-mastered 50th anniversary “Forbidden Planet” DVD in November, demand for Robby may kick up even more.
For Barton, who has made fewer than 100 of the replicas over the past decade, the Robby biz is booming.
“Not only does it keep me busy, I’ve pretty much become famous for it, which is really cool,” said Barton of his work. “It’s a hobby that turned into a nice business.”
For non-aficionados of classic science fiction films, Robby originally more a mechanical suit worn by an actor than a true cyborg is a 7-foot, 2-inch robot. He’s had roles in “The Invisible Boy,” the TV series “Lost in Space,” as well as an appearance in the 1984 film “Gremlins,” among others.
Robbie earned his way into the Carnegie Mellon University Robot Hall of Fame (yes, there really is one), not so much because of scientific sophistication he was equipped with flashing faux gyroscopes and scanners but rather because he was the first Hollywood droid to have a personality and sense of humor.
Warner Bros. Home Video division is banking on Robby’s fan appeal, among the movie’s other lures, to make the expensive film restoration process that preceded the special edition a sound investment. Robby will even be appearing at a screening of the restored film in Hollywood on Nov. 8 with much of the original film cast.
“This is one of those hallowed films that never ceases to have an audience,” said George Feltenstein, senior vice president of Warner Home theatrical catalog marketing. “It’s ageless and Robby’s appeal is ageless because it is a period piece that is still set in the future (the year) 2200.”
Feltenstein said Barton’s commitment to his creation impressed him.
“To do licensing right you have to have someone who really has a passion for the product to take it past the normal realm and really turn it into something amazing, and he’s done that,” Feltenstein said.
Robby isn’t the only robot in Barton’s life. He has been selected by Lucasfilm Ltd. to make animatronic versions of the beloved “Star Wars” bots C-3PO and R2-D2, and he has been tapped by Universal Studios to make a classic Cylon robot from “Battlestar Galactica.”
Made his own
The young Barton got toy Robbies, but as a teen he tired of the tiny toy versions and decided to make his own.
Barton was a regular at a large, offbeat museum in Buena Park called “Movie-World: Cars of the Stars, Planes of Fame,” which housed the real robot suit. Jim Brucker, the owner of “Movie-World,” had purchased the original Robby from a 1970 MGM auction for $10,000.
Barton frequently jumped the velvet rope protecting the robotic relic to take measurements and make detailed drawings, and in 1974, he created his first full-scale Robby replica. When Brucker saw the teenager’s work, he immediately asked him to restore the original. For two months, “Robby” resided in Barton’s home and was restored to perfection.
Back then, the appeal of Hollywood movie memorabilia was not as widespread as it is today, and the museum closed its doors in 1979. The real Robby which was designed by Robert Kinoshita was sold and retired to the collection of Hollywood director Bill Malone, who is now a friend of Barton’s.
Years passed, but with the advent of the Internet, science fiction fans from across the country tried to determine the fate of Robby. Barton began fielding a steady stream of calls and requests.
“I didn’t even have a Web site up, so I have no idea how these people caught wind of it,” Barton said.
So about 10 years ago Barton who had by then graduated from Cal State Northridge University and embarked on a successful career in ad writing built his second replica.
When it became clear to Barton that Robby had plenty of star power left, he went to Turner Broadcasting in 1997, which had acquired MGM’s catalog including “The Forbidden Planet.” Barton obtained the license so that he could make another Robby.
Barton said the deal required him to pay the studio a percentage of sales as well as a guaranteed minimum. Even today, Barton has to renew the license the MGM theatrical catalog is now owned by Warner Bros. every two to three years.
The hobby became a career.
“I had essentially made the decision when I went to get the license,” he said. “By 1998 it was a full-time job.”
Each custom Robby takes four to six weeks to complete. While Barton assembles each robot himself and completes detailing, he outsources manufacturing of the parts and circuit boards to local machinists and other technicians.
“I just buy what I need and get it done,” he said. “I subcontract everything. I don’t want to run a big business and have a lot of employees, I’m very happy with the way things are.”
There are three versions of Robby made by Barton that range from $16,000 to $30,000.
“They cost me a bundle to make,” Barton explained. “It’s a sophisticated product, so it’s not going to be as affordable. The tiers are almost like optioning out a car.”
All of the models have the same detailing of the original 1956 version. The price differences are determined by the amount of movement, the extra gadgets and the talking ability of the models.
Not all Barton’s revenues come from sales. Some customers mostly businesses lease a Robby for their lobby, tradeshow booth or even commercials, for a variety of periods and prices.
Several times a year, Barton and Robby will turn up at trade shows like Comic-Con, the World Science Fiction Convention or the National Association of Broadcaster confab.
Aside from increased public appearances, Barton has advertised Robby more in recent years, in high-end magazines and gift catalogs like Hammacher Schlemmer, the Robb Report and Sharper Image, but said he has to choose carefully.
“I don’t really advertise to the young crowd because they don’t have 20 to 30 grand to spend, and I don’t advertise in sci-fi mags because the more active fan base doesn’t usually have that money either,” he said. “At $4,000 to $5,000 a shot, (advertising in) magazines can get really expensive.”
So, whom does he target?
“I have a lot of ‘future lottery winners’ on the list,” Barton said, and a few of the rich and famous, too. Barton’s clients include actors Tim Allen and Nicholas Cage, billionaire Paul Allen and Nike Inc. president Charlie Denson.
Some customers, Barton said, will negotiate on the price and try to get Barton to customize Robby with free options and extras.
“First of all, I don’t have to put in extras or negotiate; I can get what I want for it,” Barton said. “It’s the regular Joes who are usually my nicest customers because it means so much for them to have it.”
The original Robby is now completely retired. At 50 years old, it’s far too risky to take him out in public, so Barton’s replicas make all the public appearances.
