A fun quiz about robots
Do you remember these mechanical characters from films and television shows?
1. What is the name of the robot in the 1956 film Forbidden Planet?
A) Gort
B) Robby the Robot
C) B-9
D) HAL 9000
2. Which robot reacts to the command “Klaatu barada nikto” in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)?
A) R2-D2
B) Maximilian
C) Gort
D) Tobor
3. In the TV series Lost in Space (1965), what does the unnamed robot frequently say?
A) “Abandon ship!”
B) “Danger, Will Robinson!”
C) “Robot malfunction!”
D) “System override!”
4. What was the name of the robot in the 1954 film Tobor the Great?
A) Gnut
B) B-9
C) Tobor
D) Zarn
5. In Metropolis (1927)—a major influence on later robot films—what is the name of the female robot?
A) Maria
B) Eva
C) Hel
D) Athena
Answers at end
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Fun facts
Cartoon robots have been delighting TV and ciema audiences for decades. Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons debuted in 1962 as a wisecracking maid with a heart of chrome— she even had old-fashioned apron vibes despite being ultra-high tech/
Jump forward to the 31st century, and we meet Bender Bending Rodríguez from Futurama. Bender’s infamous catchphrase, “Bite my shiny metal ass!” made him a fan-favourite bad boy bot. Did you know Bender was programmed for bending girders but found his true calling in drinking and scheming?
Other memorable cartoon bots include Robot Jones, a socially awkward school student learning human life in a short-lived 2002 series titled (wait for it…) Robot Jones, and XJ-9 (also known as Jenny Wakeman), the hero of My Life as a Teenage Robot (2002-2006).
Fans of early anime will also remember Gigantor (Tetsujin 28), the robot hero controlled by a boy named Jimmy Sparks, and Astro Boy (Mighty Atom), an android with human emotions and super powers.
Answers
B) Robby the robot
C) Gort
B) “Danger, Will Robinson!”
C) Tobor
A) Maria