Collectively Speaking

Jay Brotter couldn't believe the price of a simple tin robot he saw in a toy store window when he first came to New York 20 years ago from Scranton, Pa. The robot, Robbie the Robot, was $250 and didn't come in a box.

Back then, Brotter didn't know much about toy robots and believed the tin form he saw in the window would be an interesting find…for a collector, that is. He soon started finding other stores that had similar, human-like figures while browsing in stores like Second Childhood (still in New York) and Children of Paradise, New York, to see what he could find.

Today Brotter knows better. He knows that you can find a much better mint version (in a box) of Robbie for the same price. In the 20 years since his first exposure (which ultimately sparked his interest in the tin, plastic and other man-made figures), Brotter has amassed hundreds of toy robots from all over the world. He's even the president of robotisland.com, New York, a robot retailer of collectible tin, plastic, wind-up, battery-operated, you name it, androids.

Brotter, who grew up during the space race, always had an interest in the fantastic, other space and beyond, but it wasn't until he moved to New York that he started seeking out other collectors and tried to learn more about the figures.

And collecting robots isn't for the not-so-rich. Brotter says he quickly had to find a way to finance his collecting. Robots don't come cheap!

“I liked the tin robots,” Brotter tells Playthings. “I also liked the plastic robots, but they are harder to find. Most of my collecting started in toy shops and antique shops, finding major dealers and meeting with them. It's an expensive hobby, unless you're wealthy. In order to finance it, I had to become a dealer. There are only so many collectors and so many wealthy collectors.”

Brotter, who has robots from Brazil, Russia (where it's called a pobot), Greece, Spain, Japan and India, says each robot has a story. And finding the robot's story adds to its personal value. Brotter remembers a friend's wife finding a robot in the airport in Korea for him and finding an exclusive robot in Russia, when he found a “pobot” at an industry show in Utrecht.

That trip to Russia also pushed him into traveling for robots. His most prized robot of the moment is a Japanese prototype, which can sell for $2,000 or more. Brotter once sold a “bot” for $14,000.

“Just because a robot is expensive doesn't mean it's my favorite,” he says. “It's just the journey to find the robots.”

The industry has changed since he first started 20 years ago. Brotter says robots are constantly being reintroduced, but it's difficult to find real, vintage robots in the United States. He says the robots market was healthy from 1989 through the '90s, until slowing down in 2000.

“Everyone is looking for the next new idea,” says Brotter. “Robots will always be a part of the industry. It's fun to watch their movement. The toy is made in the image of man—legs, arms, walking. And everyone has fantasies about the future.”

Are you an avid collector of toys and have a story to be told? Please e-mail Maria Weiskott at: mweiskott@reedbusiness.com.