Robby the Robot

Robby the Robot was a fictional character popularized on Earth in the mid-20th century through appearances in many films and TV programmes. The character, an intelligent android, was introduced in the 1956 film Forbidden Planet (based upon the William Shakespeare play The Tempest and later cited as a direct influence on the later creation of Star Trek). This first appearance made the robot a cinematic icon and many of its later appearances in film and TV played off this notoriety. The robot also inspired a similar character (simply called "Robot") in the late-1960s TV series, Lost in Space.

A figurine of Robby the Robot is seen in the home of the little girl who has visions of The Library (DW: Silence in the Library)

Behind the scenes
With Robby's cameo appearance, Doctor Who joins an elite group of TV series to have featured Robby the Robot in some way, including The Man from UNCLE, The Simpsons, Columbo, The Twilight Zone and The Addams Family, to name a few.