Whether your dream was to have a robot help you with your chores, do your homework, or just hang out with you, we’ve all fantasized about having our own robot at some point or another. Unfortunately, despite all the advances they’ve made in technology over the last few decades, robot companions still seem to be a distant dream for most people (sorry Apple, but Siri doesn’t count). Since we can’t have our own robot friends, for now, we’ll just have to deal with watching our favorite robots on television, and interacting with them in video games. To that end, here are some of our favorite helper robots from TV shows and games.
Rosie from The Jetsons
How could anyone not love Rosie? She was the sweet housekeeperbot we were assured would be a commonplace novelty for all families in the future. While many television and movie predictions of the future have already been proven to be bunk, The Jetsons was set in 2062, so we can still hope that in another 50 years, we will have our own Rosies. In the meanwhile, we’ll have to settle for our Roombas.
Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000
Granted, they might not be the most helpful robots in the world, but if you were trapped by evil scientists and forced to watch terrible movies for the rest of your life, having robots to make fun of the movies with would certainly help you stay as sane as possible.
And while we love Gypsy, the fact that she rarely entered the theater makes her not nearly as important to Joel’s sanity as Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.
K-9 from Doctor Who
We love K-9. After all, he’s a robotic dog who answers questions with “affirmative” or “negative” and calls everyone “master” or “mistress.” He’s loyal, smart and he has a laser in his nose, making him the best of possible combination of robot and pet. Is it any surprise that he has starred in three different spin-offs?
GIR from Invader Zim
Poor little GIR, Zim always asks so much from him, but when your robot was made from scraps found in a trash can, you can’t really expect him to be on top of everything can you? Really though, GIR’s flaws, including his ADHD, obsession with junk food and inability to follow simple orders make him by far the most loveable character on the show, providing the perfect level of comic relief for Zim’s dedicated, but poorly thought out, plans to destroy the world. Whether in his adorable green dog suit or in the buff, showing off his robot charms, GIR is one seriously cute robot.
Clank from Ratchet & Clank
Admit it, Clank is absolutely adorable. From his helicopter attachment, to his cute little run, to his trademark laugh, he is a winner. Granted, he does look a little like GIR, but when a robot is that loveable, is it really that bad to take a little influence from his design?
HELPeR from The Venture Bros.
While HELPeR, which stands for Humanoid Electric Lab Partner Robot, was only designed to work in a lab, and maybe occasionally around the house, he has served as the hero in a number of episodes. Despite his hard work and dedication to his beloved family, the Ventures tend to treat him like an appliance more than a family member, constantly allowing him to be sacrificed and destroyed in their battles.
Claptrap from Borderlands
As the stewards of Pandora, opening otherwise locked doors and introducing new areas to the player, Claptraps are pretty darn important to the game. But it’s the Claptrap’s sarcastic attitude and irreverent behavior make him an immediate favorite amongst those who play the game.
Granted, you can buy a downloadable content addition where you fight the Claptraps who have decided to revolt against their human overlords, but…everybody check him out, he’s dancing! He’s dancing!
Twiki from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Twiki’s great personality and kind demeanor make him an ideal companion for Buck Rogers, despite the fact that he was actually designed to work as a space miner. Of course, perhaps the best thing about Twiki, who was voiced by Mel Blanc of Bugs Bunny fame, was his catch phrase, “bidi-bidi-bidi.”
Robot B-9 from Lost In Space
Despite being one of the most useful characters on the show, Robot B-9 never even got a cool name and was generally only called “Robot.” He had many skills, being able to calculate complex formulas, predict danger, lift heavy objects and use futuristic weaponry against the character’s enemies. Even with all of these abilities though, Robot B-9 still had time to develop human emotions and to sing and play the guitar.
ED-E from Fallout: New Vegas
ED-E is one of the earliest companions acquired in New Vegas and with his enhanced sensors and surprisingly roomy storage capacity, he remains a great companion throughout the game. Even better, with the Lonsesome Road download, he can even serve as a workbench or reloading bench, making him the ideal companion no matter what your needs.