You can’t really do classic and vintage SciFi robots it due service without remembering Rosey Jetson. Voiced by Jean Vander Pyl, the same actress who voiced Wilma Flintstone, she was actually characterized as a obsolete XB-500 robot who found a home with the Jetsons because she was the cheapest model they could afford.
Based on the relationship Rosey strikes up with a maintenance robot called Mac, it’s sort of inferred that Rosey has feelings…is maybe sentient? Can’t image that Mac is, as he was constructed from random parts and an antique filing cabinet by the Skypad Apartments building supervisor, Henry Orbit.
But it’s Rosey’s design that I find so interesting. She’s clearly based on the 50’s sitcom ‘Hazel‘ staring Shirley Booth. Both in the actor’s stature and costume, Rosey is the exaggerated cartoon version of Booth’s characterization of a 50’s maid in a the day of the paternal family structure. Although it’s pretty clear that the 50’s sensibility didn’t provide much opportunity for Hazel to have a love interest.
Rosey runs on only one leg, centrally positioned under her main torso and rolling on a set of casters. She has what appear to be dial knobs for eyes, that display her emotions with the pointers heading into various positions, along with the antenna on the side of her head drooping when she is sad.
If cartoon robots are of interest to you, and if you are a classic SciFi robot fan as I am, you should spend some quality time watching old Jetson’s episodes like Wedding Bells for Rosey where Rosey is highlighted. It’s time well spent.
