ABOVE: A thoroughly modern Santa graces the delightfully styled cover of the Christmas 1957 FAO Schwarz Toys Catalog and appears in a variety of very entertaining illustrations throughout the big 98 page book.
ABOVE: Appearances of Yonezawa's Battery Operated Robot in print are exceptionally rare. Inclusion of the toy in the 1957 FAO Schwarz catalog is one of the few clues collectors have today that let us know when the toy was originally available. In an interesting twist, batteries were included with the robot. By 1961 Yonezawa's Battery Operated Robot, often referred to as the Directional Robot today, had been superceded by a trio of new Yonezawa releases named Mr. Robot, Modern Robot, and Cragstan Robot.
ABOVE: Despite a very French sounding name, Susie Robette was made in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, by Metal Ware.
Proclaimed to be the first female robot by FAO Schwarz, Susie was part of Metal Ware's "Little Lady"
series of popular housekeeping toys that had been entertaining children since 1922. By the 1950s the
Little Lady product lineup was quite extensive and effectively mirrored the colorful and rapidly
changing 1950s consumer appliance and housewares market in miniature. Susie Robette was perhaps one of
the most elaborate toys to be ever be shown at Metal Ware's New York showroom located in the 200 Fifth
Avenue building. Although pricey, the battery operated robot was substantial in size and well-detailed
with a silver metallic finish, copper wire ponytail, and a bright turquoise and red apron. Several
very realistic cleaning accessories were included which could all be held by Susie's special gripping
hands. Susie was available for several seasons and landed a brief mention as part of an article profiling toys for Christmas 1960 in the August
1960 issue of Changing Times magazine.
