Move over, R2-D2. There’s a bigger, badder bot in town. Robby the Robot – a movie prop from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet – outperformed its Star Wars counterpart, at least in the cash-grabbing category. Collectors were stunned when an R2-D2 model sold for about US$2.8 million (HK$ 21.9 million) last year, but Robby came along and raised the bar, going for a record US$5.3 million at Bonhams’ recent Out of This World auction in New York.

Why the discrepancy? At seven feet tall, Robby’s basketball player proportions might offer some clue. Add to that the fact that this fully-functional suit – whose head, torso and legs can be dismantled – came with its Jeep, controls and the original MGM packing crates. Although it’s been more than 60 years since Forbidden Planet debuted, Robby the Robot still holds cult status among sci-fi fans. In an attempt by MGM Studios to get the most bang for their buck, Robby has also featured in The Twilight Zone, The Addams Family and other films.

Robby’s previous owner, filmmaker and collector, William Malone, who brought the robot to auction, said, “I’m astounded by the result, but also sad to part with him. However, it’s time Robby finds a place where he can be displayed, and with someone who can look after him. Of course, he will leave an empty spot in my house—and in my heart.”

Robby’s sale secured its status as the most expensive movie prop ever sold at auction, beating previous record holders including the falcon statue from The Maltese Falcon, the Batmobile and the dress made famous by Marilyn Monroe in The Seven-Year Itch.

The craze for collecting movie props reached a peak in 2013, when Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia Department made history in New York, selling the Maltese Falcon statue from the noir classic of the same name for US$4 million, then a record price for a movie prop at auction (non-automotive). The 12-inch-tall Falcon was the star of the Bonhams inaugural movie props sale with partner Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

Automotive movie props too have grabbed a fair share of the spotlight for quite sometime. In 2010, the Aston Martin driven by James Bond (played by Sean Connery) in Goldfinger had fetched a handsome US$4.6 million. The 1966 original Batmobile again touched the record US$4.6 million when it was bought by a Phoenix-area businessman in 2013.

Dr. Catherine Williamson, Director of Entertainment Memorabilia at Bonhams, says, “This is the fifth year we have partnered with TCM to present auctions of movie memorabilia, and each year the demand only increases. It shows how important these props and costumes are to everyone throughout the world.”

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay