Robot:Mr. Machine

Toy inventor Marvin Glass created Mr. Machine for Ideal Toy Corporation in 1960. Ideal packaged the toy in 44 disassembled parts, and part of the play was assembling the robot using the instructions enclosed. Once assembled, Mr. Machine operated on a clockwork mechanism: the kit included a large metal turn key. And kids could watch the wheels and gears of Mr. Machine's moving arms and legs through the clear plastic body housing its internal workings. When a kid tired of Mr. Machine's noisy bell, he could disassemble the robot and return the 44 pieces to its storage box. The robot remained popular for many years. In 1978, Ideal reissued Mr. Machine in a version that could not be disassembled but that did sing "This Old Man." This latter version returned in the 1980s. And in 2004, Poof-Slinky reintroduced the 1960 Mr. Machine in its 44-pieces.