Top 20 Robots

Every since I was a kid I have loved robots. From real life robots to works of science fiction, robots are incredibly cool. Shiny die-cast metal toys were the gateway drug. Now anything with a robot in it has my immediate attention.  And so I give you my top 20 robots of all time.

A couple of ground rules: No cyborgs, they must be full robot. This disqualifies Robocop and Steve Austin. All robots must not be directly operated by a human- no mecha or gundam. OK, here goes!

20. V.I.N.CENT- The true hero of Disney’s 1979 sci-fi creep-out The Black Hole.

19. Tom Servo- A robot with a gumball machine for a head that cracks wise at bad movies? Yes please!

18. KITT- This robot is a car that belongs to David Hasselhoff and is voiced by Mr. Feeney himself, William Daniels. Does it get better than that?

17. Cylons- Whether it’s the old school “toasters” or ex-Victoria’s Secret models, the Battlestar Galactica’s protagonists are awesome.

16. Mega Man- The numbered Mega Man games are some of the best video games ever.

15. Cookie Robots- From Despicable Me. They’re robots. And they’re cookies. Win-win.

14. D.J. Roomba- The best robot on Parks and Recreation, he’s a Roomba with and iPod and speaker dock strapped to the top.

13. Iron Giant- Before he made The Incredibles, Brad Bird directed this amazing movie.

12. Optimus Prime- He’s a truck that turns into a giant robot that fights other robots. The movies are garbage but they got one thing right. They added flames to Optimus’ paint job.

11. Terminator- The scariest robot in the countdown because he will not stop until you are dead. Note: not a cyborg as he claims, he is a robot with meat attached to it.

10. ED-209- The coolest robot/worst cop in the Robocop franchise.

9. Ash- From Alien. The robot that you didn’t know was a robot until it was too late.

8. Robby the Robot- The classic 1950’s movie robot.

7. Fembots- Yeah Baby!

6. Pin*Bot- Because pinball is the best.

5. Asimo- He’s real, he can walk and kick a football.

4. GLaDOS- From the video game Portal. Smart, funny and she wants to kill you.

3. MechaGodzilla- It never actually beats Godzilla but can you really ever lose with a giant lizard robot?

2. Goldar aka Ambassador Magma-When I was a kid there was a show that broadcasted old Flash Gordon serials and Japanese sci-fi. This was my first exposure to the awesomeness of Godzilla, Star Blazers, Ultra Man, Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot, and my favorite, The Space Giants. Goldar was a golden long haired robot that could transform in to a rocket ship and then become giant sized. The kid protagonist of the show had a whistle that he could blow to summon Goldar! Amazing!

1. R2D2-You can’t lose when R2 has your back!