Minsky is a small, multi-colored robot created by Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot. He had a large smile painted on his face, and was good-natured (though limited in his conversational skills).
History[]
At some point prior to Episode #504, Tom and Crow began constructing Minsky. Upon completing him, they proudly presented their creation to Joel. Joel activated Minsky, who began to walk after a short initiation sequence. Minsky emitted a high-pitched electronic whining noise, followed by a clicking sound, interspersed with the phrase "I am the atomic-powered robot. Please give my best wishes to everybody!".
Joel was not amused by Minsky and waited for him to do something more impressive. Tom and Crow informed Joel that Minsky didn't do much else, and that Minsky was a new, unique life form with no "off" switch. Joel complained that Minsky's noises gave him a headache, and Magic Voice insisted that the 'Bots keep Minsky out of her hair.
Minsky walked slowly across the countertop on the bridge until Commercial Sign. Upon returning, Joel attempted to swat Minsky with a baseball bat, but stopped when Tom and Crow approached. Joel knocked Minsky off the countertop as the SOL was being contacted by Frank, and Minsky was not seen again aboard the Satellite of Love.
During A Tribute to Secret Agent Super Dragon, Tom stated that Minsky eventually made it back to Earth, with Crow adding that they still get letters from him. Tom claimed that Minsky had apparently earned a Masters Degree in Social Work, but both Tom and Crow (reading between the lines of Minky's messages) believed that Minsky plots to conquer the world.
Construction[]
Joel menaces Minsky
- Minsky seems to be made from a robot toy called Walking Talking Toby (aka Magnetron MT-2 and Robotron RT-2) originally produced by the New Bright company in 1984 and re-released in various colors throughout the 1980s.
- Minsky had functioning legs and was locomotive.
- Unlike many of the other Bots seen on the show, Minsky was not a puppet.
Notes[]
Walking Talking Toby in one its several color schemes
- Minsky was referred to as "he".
- The phrase that Minsky says is a feature of the original robot toy and was not added by MST3K.
- Minsky's name may be a reference to computer scientist and A.I. researcher Marvin Minsky.