Robot's from Argentina.
During the last few decades, toy robots have regained popularity because of
the new impulse given by collectible space items. The Buenos Aires Toy
Museum holds a spectacular collection of robots made or found in Argentina,
as well as a very interesting input of information on the subject. This huge
task of collecting and searching information is the result of a very hard
work carried on by our team of specialists.
It may seem simple to define a robot, most of us would describe the first of
those metallic invented creatures as one, though it's quite more complicated
to come up with a general definition for robots, since there are quite a lot
of variations and differences among them, which make much more complicated
to come up with a general definition.
The word Robot became popular in 1922 when the Czech writer Karel Capek used
it in his play R.U.R to refer to a bunch of animated creatures -created by
the leading man of the story- whose main task was to work. Etymologically
the word meant slave or servant in Czech, but it was redefined because of
this new meaning as a servant or salve that was specially created to work
instead of its creator.
As a general approach to the subject we can say that robots are machines or
devices that move independently, they might be defined as a combined and
mechanical system of computation and sensors that receive information
through various means in order to act on it through pre-established
technical or physical maneuvers.
Nowadays there are many types of robots that adjust to this general
definition. For example androids; these look alike humans, are what we
usually refer to as robots. However there are much more robots than we
acknowledge as such, take for example the mobiles, these machinery that has
the ability to move from one place to another independently of an immediate
indication from outside, are also robots in spite of the fact that they don'
t have any esthetical similarity to humans. The medical ones are specially
prosthesis control systems. And the industrial robots, very common in these
days, are machinery specially designed to carry on pre-established tasks
within the working places. In spite of all the esthetic and functional
differences, all these robots share a common origin and mechanism.
It's quite interesting to find scale reproductions of each and every one of
these robots with which millions of children play and that many adults
collect because of their cultural, historical and esthetic value.
Regarding robots history, it was very common to hear during the fifties that
by the next millenium there would be intelligent creatures created by man.
This hasn't happened, nonetheless the amount of scientific progress in this
field it's bringing much closer the possibility of that to happen.
As it happens in every other aspect of life, toys have reflected the boom of
robots.
At first the design of these toys showed hard angled lines using clockwork
mechanisms. Japanese wind-up tin robots from early 30s and 40s are the last
expression of that esthetic trend in robot design.
These toys were mostly made in tin, though it was during mid 50s and 60s
when plastic became the newest material in toy manufacturing, and was also
incorporated into the toy robot production and design. During was is
commonly known as the Atomic Era and -may be- as a reflection of the
competition between the US and the URSS those hard lines in the design of
toy robots were left behind, now they used rounded edges and smoother lines,
plus this toys had become battery operated. It was during the sixties when
these androids appearance evolved into more human features, but
paradoxically it was also then when the demand for these kind of toys
dropped dramatically.
Email: The Buenos Aires Toy
Museum,Bob Frassinetti.
The Buenos Aires
Toy Museum,Argentina.
Bob Frassinetti. Copyright 2005 and updated 2009. Roberto Dario Frassinetti.
Robot Wind up Walking Hong Kong,no 1079. In Box
The Buenos Aires Toy Museum is an integral cultural project that was born over 10 years ago. Bob Frassinetti has been ever since, his alma mater and inventor.
Thanks to the now globalize world, provided by the Internet, we have been able to build the first virtual Toy Museum of Argentina. All we had at that point was our will to share the amazing world of toys and games we were discovering at the time. Argentine toys of all times, the stories behind them, the stories they had been part of, were coming back to life every time we found a new item in a toy-shop, fair or market.
Back then, Bob was mainly working as an art and antiques dealer. His son Christian was only 5, and the thought of developing an idea, a place, in which they could have fun, enjoy a moment and grow together, began to grow stronger in him. At one point, one of the father-son weekends, they were walking thru a flea market, and they bumped into a wonderfully crafted antique toy. To Bob's surprise, they both were touched and amazed by the item. He bought the item and they both played together for hours. Vintage toys were the answer! That was how the project of the Buenos Aires Toy Museum began.
During its early days, the museum was both an excuse for quality parenting time as well as thorough hunt for antique toys and games of all times made or found in Argentina.
What had began as an anecdotic finding was soon followed by many others. The individual findings began to come together as a truly interesting collection, large, top quality and very amusing.
Each finding brought along a story together with the item... It soon appeared clear that vintage toys were much more than antiques. These were design items, they expressed in their motives, shapes, colors and technology a specific cultural moment, a moment in history. This was an amazing discovery and Bob, so fond of his collection and museum project, gathered together a team of enthusiastic social sciences students to work with him in the development of the museum. The BA Toy Museum was recovering wonderful toys from the pass of time and from the darkness of oblivion, while at the same time it was working on a broader research and cultural project that aimed to reconstruct their history and story in the Argentine society.
The online museum in which the items were shown and exhibited began to work also as an online specialized site for antique toy lovers, were we published research works and papers, as well as interviews and insightful information on the history and stories those toys had brought to our attention. This was an important turning point in the Museum's history, for we discovered a whole new meaning for those wonderful toys and games as we unveiled their history.
Our development in terms of private collection and research work is growing even today.
We're pioneers in this field in Argentina and in many ways in Latin America as well. The international collector's community has not only recognized our work thru emails and phone calls, but also by means of specialized publications, online and paper magazines, articles and interviews in United States, England, France and Italy. In Argentina, several of the most prestigious local news papers such as La Nacion, Clarin, InfoBAE and La Razon have interviewed Bob, local radio shows and TV shows also have worked together with us, in recent years.
At the moment we're working on a new project together with the British Arts Center for a July show in which we'll be exhibiting some of our collection, together with research work, toy related artists work and paintings and live shows for children and parents to enjoy.
The Buenos Aires Toy Museum has developed until now with no financial aid of any sort. We love what we do, and that's why we've come so far.
We're always aiming for more, and that's why our goal for this year is to finally have a real show room in which the Museum can monthly present exhibitions, lectures and special events for the local and international collectors community, toy lovers, enthusiast and curious visitors.
The Buenos Aires Toy Museum;
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The Buenos Aires Toy Museum
More information on the Art and Toy Museum project
Travelling with Bob Frassinetti for Antiques and Art
Antiques and Collectibles from Argentina
The Buenos Aires Toy Museum
More information on the Art and Toy Museum project
Travelling with Bob Frassinetti for Antiques and Art
Antiques and Collectibles from Argentina