History of Japanese Toy Robots

To trace back as early as possible, in the mid-1880s, Japanese puppeteers expanded their woodwork craft into complex clockwork toys and mannequins that emulated simple tasks like dancing and archery. These mechanical creations operated on wooden gears and appeared to move on their own the way we would describe robots today. However, the actual term “robot” wasn’t coined until 1921 in a stage play by Karel Capek, titled R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The term Robot was derived from the Slavic word rabota, which means servitude or forced labor.

By the 1930s, robots had gained popularity in broader science-fiction novels and magazines. Audiences were fascinated by the spur of technological advances brought forth by the second industrial revolution. The earliest known print serialized robot in Japan was a comic strip called Tanku Tankuro. Tanku was a small round robot full of holes from which it could pull an assortment of tools and weapons from. Later in 1943, in the midst of World War II, a piece of Japanese propaganda began to circulate depicting a giant robot warrior attacking New York City. The idea that Japan could defeat a global power like America using a technologically superior weapon must have been the zeitgeist of the time.

"The Science Warrior Appears in New York"

Post-war Japan witnessed a surge of toy manufacturing taking advantage of mass production techniques for tin and similar alloys. Japan’s defeat in WWII and subsequent post-war censorship codes meant they were limited in what they could create. Toy weapons like tanks and rockets were prohibited, so robots became a popular theme. By 1950, wind-up tin robots were all over Japan.

In 1952, artist Osamu Tezuka created Mighty Atom (known as Astro Boy in the west), a comic about a heroic robot boy. Unlike other comics at the time, Mighty Atom was a long-form narrative with a deeper story and complex ideas. Mighty Atom went on to become hugely popular and is credited with forming the Japanese cartoon animation style known today as anime.

With the success of Mighty Atom, many comic series featuring robots began to spring up. The first of these manga to popularize the giant robot was Tetsujin 28-go (known as Gigantor in the west) in 1956. Created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Tetsujin 28 has more than a passing resemblance to the Science Warrior of the previously mentioned political cartoon. In fact, the story of Tetsujin 28 is that he was developed as a weapon of war but wasn’t completed before the war ended. Notably, Tetsujin 28 was a remotely controlled robot and its pilot was a young boy.

Giant robots also found success in live-action television. In the 1967 TV series Ultra Seven, an enemy alien robot called King Joe made its debut. King Joe is considered the first “combiner” robot in which multiple smaller robots combine to form one larger robot.

The year is now 1972 and the ground breaking manga/anime Mazinger Z would be created by artist Go Nagai. Mazinger Z is credited with popularizing the term “mecha” as a genre and series convention. Here, “Mecha” refers to a humanoid robot that is vehicle for a human pilot, lacking intelligence of its own. Mazinger Z was extremely popular and its influences can be seen across a myriad of Japanese robot visual designs. The ideology of mecha would extend to the world-renown Godzilla franchise with the introduction of Mechagodzilla in 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.

The success of Mazinger Z led to a line of diecast toys called “Chogokin” figures made by toy manufacturer Popy in 1974. The combination of an on-going manga, anime series, and collectible line of toys proved a valuable enterprise for Japanese media companie; and a resurgence of licensed robot toys took over Japan. Hot on the heels of his success with Mazinger Z, Go Nagai would then create a robot of the combining variety, Getter Robo. Getter Robo was a giant robot formed by three different robot vehicles in various configurations.

Getter Robo anime opening featuring 3 robot combining.

1975 would bring us our next big robot anime hit with Brave Raideen. The titular Raideen robot was the creation of an ancient civilization. This time, the robot was a living, sentient robot. What set Raideen (and his toys) apart from other robots was his ability to transform into a bird-like jet called Godbird. This was the first true mechanical depiction of a robot transforming into a vehicle without the aid of special effects. A diecast toy from Popy would be released in 1975 to coincide with the anime. It would be the first ever transforming robot toy, with the playability of its transformation laying the foundation for other mechanically interesting toys. When these robot toys were brought to the US by Mattel in 1978, they were sold under the “Shogun Warriors” toy line which included other Japanese robots such as Grendizer, Great Mazinger, and UFO Robot.

The Raideen figure and its transformed mode.

By the late 1970s, there were countless robots of all types on Japanese TV. There were combining robots like Gaiking and Voltes V. There were transforming robots like Daimos and Daitarn 3. Even live-action TV shows got their fix with Daitetsujin 17 and the Japanese version Spider-Man. The latter of which would go on to inspire giant combining robots for the Super Sentai TV series. Meanwhile the toys kept coming. Popy continued to produce plastic and diecast incarnations of many of these popular robots.

Looking to stand out in the now-saturated robot market, creator Yoshiyuki Tomino and Studio Sunrise created the historic anime Mobile Suit Gundam which depicted its giant robots as realistic weapons of warfare. This new style of robot was deemed “real robot” and focused on mechanical consistency of giant war machines and their implications on humanity. Gundam was aimed at teenagers and adults, so instead of toys, plastic model kits were sold as merchandise.

As we enter the 1980s, robots were still going strong with notable entries such as Godsigma, Golion, and Dougram. Our next big hit would appear in 1982 with the premier of Super Dimension Fortress Macross from Studio Nue. The success of Macross is largely attributed to its unique story telling involving human drama, romance, and realistic mecha that appealed to more mature audiences. Shoji Kawamori designed the iconic transforming robot the VF-1 Valkyrie. The sleek and functional design of the Valkyrie resulted in toys that could actually transform like they did on the show without compromise.

Super Dimension Fortress Macross or Macross for short.

The VF-1 Valkyrie and its three modes of transformation.

Throughout the 1980s, the demand for transforming toys were at an all-time high. It’s here where we would see the very first transforming “Car Robot” toys created by toy company Takara in 1982 as part of their Diaclone toy line. A year later in 1983, American toy company Hasbro would import these toys retitled as Transformers giving each toy a more prominent identity and personality. Shoji Kawamori again was responsible for perhaps one of the most iconic robot designs of all time, the Car Robot, Convoy (known as Optimus Prime outside of Japan).

Popy meanwhile would release their own set of transforming toys known as “Machine Robo”, which would be imported to the us by Tonka under the name Gobots— a direct competitor to Transformers which had become a massive hit in a short time.

The transformation craze even impacted the legendary Gundam franchise and its next iteration, Gundam Zeta would feature a robot that could transform from humanoid mech to “Wave Rider” spaceship.

Optimus Prime is one of the most recognizable robots in the world.

By 1990, advancements in plastic manufacturing, as well as rising costs for metal materials, caused toy manufacturing to shift to largely plastic designs. New plastic molding techniques led to more detailed and articulated toys, which inspired more inventive robot designs. These new toys could transform, combine, light up, play sound effects, and even shoot projectiles.

In 1992, the long-running Japanese Kids TV series Super Sentai had just premiered one of its most successful series to date: Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. This live-action show featured giant mechanical dinosaurs that could combine to form a single giant robot piloted by the show’s five main characters. The immense success of the show meant a large amount of toys were made, and in 1993, American company Saban Entertainment licensed the show for the US changing its name to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. The result was a pop culture phenomenon and popularization of giant robots in the US. Many of these toys sold out immediately and created a shortage among toy retailers during the holiday season.

A toy ad for Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers showcasing a variety of robot toys and action figures.

While Zyuranger toys continued to sell extremely well in the US, back in Japan where the show only aired for a single year, kids had moved on to other shows. This period of the 90s saw the success of a series of super robot shows known as the “Brave” series from Studio Sunrise. Meanwhile legacy franchises like Gundam and Macross continued with shows like Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) and Macross 7 (1994).

Arguably, the giant robot genre reached its apotheosis in 1995 with Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion. Evangelion was a radical take on the super robot genre. The mecha featured in Evangelion were no longer blocky mechanical tanks-with-legs, instead they were sleek, almost alien-like cyborgs that moved fluidly. Evangelion served as a deconstruction of the mecha genre turning the previously perceived children’s toy-commercial-in-disguise programming into a show of adult themes and philosophical musings. Ironically, Evangelion became a titan of merchandise selling far more than robot toys and into branded home goods and snacks. Evangelion was so popular it began attracting non-mecha fans and soon people who had never owned a robot toy in their life were staring at an EVA Unit toy on their shelf.

The robots in Evangelion were far removed from the chunky mechanical designs of the 80s. Evangelion spawned many similarly designed mecha shows like *Gasaraki* and *Code Geass*.

By now, it was the late 90s and early 2000s, the robot craze had died down a fair bit. Many robot shows from the 80s would get remakes (Mazinkaiser, New Getter Robo, Reideen), the Brave series would see its final entry with the seminal GaoGaiGar in 2001, and Transformers toys would continue to sell consistently. Despite this, the anime that propelled tin robots into stardom began to lose popularity in favor of isekai and slice of life anime and the easy to produce plastic figures that accompanied them.

When people today refer to the popularity of robot toys and anime on the decline, they simply mean it has come down from its tremendous popularity during the late 80s and early 90s. While the shows and merchandise are still popular today, they aren’t the #1 properties they used to be. Today, giant robots are considered nostalgic with shows like Gurren Lagan and SSSS.Gridman inherently being tributes to the mecha shows that came before them. In 2019, the Gundam franchise celebrated its 40th anniversary with continued strong sales that put it among the highest-grossing media franchises in the world. While they may not be as popular today, the robot toys of the 80s are inexorably linked to modern anime and Japanese culture as a whole.