Maker record
Horikawa
Horikawa was a Japanese toy maker known for battery-operated tin robots. Its Roto-Robot combined a rotating body with walking motion, lighted guns and sound effects; a later version also had start-stop movement and opening chest doors. The Science Museum Group records a Horikawa Roto-Robot made in Japan in the 1970s, with metal-printed decoration that gave the toy more colour than an earlier solid version. Horikawa robots are documented in museum collections as examples of postwar mechanical toy design.
- Founded
- 1958
- Locations
- No known locations
- Founders
- Yoshiya Kobayashi
The story of Horikawa
Horikawa was a Japanese toy wholesaler and brand owner associated with battery-operated tin robots. A surviving Horikawa Roto-Robot in the Science Museum Group collection dates from the 1970s. This version walked with start-stop motion, rotated its body, opened chest doors to reveal guns and produced sound effects. Its metal-printed finish allowed more colourful detail than an earlier solid version.
Horikawa’s robots included the Roto-Robot, a design built around body rotation and simulated firing effects. A 1970s example in the museum collection documents these mechanisms and packaging, while the auction record describes a battery-operated version whose body turned continuously as it advanced. These objects place Horikawa among Japanese makers and brands associated with postwar tin robot toys.