ROBERT THE ROBOT - IDEAL - USA

ROBERT THE ROBOT VERSIONS:

Robert I - 1954
Robert II - 1955
Robert III - 1956 through 1958

Invented by Sid Noble, Levittown, NY.

Robert the Robot (1st version - 1954) :
Clear plastic eyes and "crown"
Head halves glued and screwed together
"Chromed" plastic sheet inside rear head section to help reflect light out through eyes
Red "belly-button" tool cover & three metal tools: hammer, screwdriver and wrench
Red wooden knob on rear crank handle talking device
No patent information embossed on rear
Control cable connects to base of wheel chassis by means of a cotter pin
Arms swing back and forth when robot rolls forwards or backwards
Talking device held in place with three hex head screws, no glue

Robert the Robot (2nd version - 1955) :
Clear plastic eyes and "crown"
Head halves glued and screwed together
The tools (& the removable tool cover) are eliminated
Black plastic knob on talking device crank handle
"Chromed" plastic sheet in head eliminated
"DES. PAT. No. D-174,588" embossed on rear at shoulder height
Control cable has a small coil spring at tip to aid in maintaining connection to rear of wheel chassis
Arms swing back and forth
Talking device held in place with screws and glue

Robert the Robot (3rd version - 1956)
Grey eyes and "crown"
Head halves glued together, no screws
Arms no longer swing when rolling. Internal connecting rods eliminated.
Shoulders re-designed to permit arms to be pre-positioned
Talking device held in place with screws and glue

All three versions came with a "C" shaped battery bracket and lightbulb holder that fit into the "throat".
Minor variations to the above will be found due to changes implemented during production run assembly, ie:
wooden knobs on 2nd version, no patent info on 2nd version, 1st version head on a 2nd version body, etc.
Each version's box is slightly different to take into account the loss of features to the toy.
United States