Norby
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Norby is a fictional robot created by Isaac Asimov and Janet Asimov who stars in his own series of children's books. His first appearance was in the 1983 book Norby, the Mixed-Up Robot.
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Background, Appearance and Features
Norby was originally a robot called the Seeker and created by Mentor First on the planet Jamya. His ship crashed in the asteroid belt and many years later was found by a man named McGillicuddy who welded the Seeker into a steel barrel that originally contained Norb's Nails, which later became the basis for his name. Norby eventually fell into the possession of a used-robot shop where he was sold to Jefferson Wells.
Norby's body is a barrel. His arms are retractable and have double-sided palms. His head is round with four eyes, two on each side, and the top is a dome which he can retract into his barrel. His feet are also extendable/retractable. Norby has a tenor voice but can communicate through telepathy.
Norby is equipped with a miniature anti-gravity device allowing him to float along with a little extra weight. He also possesses hyperspace technology, although his choices of locations can be limited to Earth, Jamya, Izz, or somewhere else he has been. He also has the capability to travel through time via hyperspace. Norby's many features make him a target for scientists, the army, and the rogue Inventor's Guild for disassembly and study.
Heroic Feats
In the first Norby book, Norby, the Mixed-Up Robot, Norby and his friend/owner Jefferson Wells stop the evil Ing the Ingrate from taking over the Solar System.
In the second, Norby's Other Secret, Norby and Jeff go to the planet Jamya where they have to restore Norby's "Father" and robotic governor of the planet, Mentor First's, mental health. Along the way they learn about the Others, a race that bio-engineered the dragon inhabitants of the planet.
The third book, Norby and the Lost Princess introduces the planet Izz and its monarchy. While Norby and company prepare for a singing contest, they go to Izz where they find out that Princess Rinda has taken their only hyperspace ship to Melodia. Norby, Jeff, Fargo, Yobo, and Albany go to the planet only to be imprisoned by the singing slugs that live on that planet. There they find the princess has been eaten by a tree. Norby and Jeff try to hyperspace to their ship only to go to an ancient ship monitoring the creation of the planet. Norby rescues the robot monitoring the planet, Pera, before she is crushed by the forming planet. Then Norby and Jeff ask their dragon friend Zargl for help, and she blows a hole through the cage and everyone makes it back to Izz and they save the princess and Pera elects to stay on Izz.
The fourth book, Norby and The Invaders, pits Norby and Jeff against a race of balloon aliens nicknamed the Invaders because they travel to the planet Jamya and kidnap the Grand Dragon and place her in a zoo. Norby is deactivated and stolen by a young Invader, but Jeff is able to make his way to the zoo where he confronts the Invader and frees the Grand Dragon. However, an intelligent vine named the Dookoza is not happy about Jeff making trouble and tries to kill him, but Jeff is able to contact Norby who takes them all to Melodia where the Dookoza decides to stay. Norby is freed by the Invaders, but not before Jeff meets the Others in their primitive form on the Invader's planet back in time.
The fifth book, Norby and the Queen's Necklace sends Norby and Jeff to the French Revolution using the Queen's Necklace, a time travel device that also serves as a basis for Marie Antoinette's necklace. After escaping the Bastille, Norby and Jeff take a Frenchman named Marcel through a wild romp through time as they try to find the origin of the device. Jeff also meets a council of the Others in this book.
The sixth book, Norby Finds a Villain introduces the character of Threezey the Clown, who in reality is Ing. In this book, Ing/Threezey kidnaps Pera at a magic show. He tries to use her to create a superbomb that will leave him as the only thing left in the universe, but instead opens a portal to another reality where the tree-like Master Cult (MC) rule. In an alternate reality, they conquer Earth and Mars, but Oola kills the Martian Overlord, which prompts the MC to destroy the planet. Norby, Jeff, and Oola then find Ing and Pera in the MC's universe with the help of a Remberandt and YIB from another reality. There they defeat the MC and save the universe. Ing/Threezey moves to Iz to become court jester.
Friends and Foes
Jefferson Wells: Norby's "owner" and partner who Norby constantly needs or gives help from and to. Jeff is in the Space Academy and purchases Norby to teach him Martian Swahili.
Fargo Wells: After losing the Wells family fortune, Fargo became a secret agent for Admiral Boris Yobo of Space Command. He eventually settles down with Albany Jones but not before battling Ing, Space Slugs, the Grand Dragon of Jamya, and non-existence in the time line.
Admiral Boris Yobo: Jeff's CO and Fargo's boss, Yobo has a big appetite for adventure and a larger one for food. Because of Norby, Yobo becomes a sort-of liaison to whatever world Norby takes him and his hyperspace ship, the Hopeful.
Albany Jones: A police officer and daughter of the Mayor of Manhattan. She fought Ing with the help of other police officers and eventually marries Fargo.
Zargl: A dragon from Jamya, Zargl is great-niece of the Grand Dragon. She follows Jeff and Norby through their adventures.
Mentor First: An ancient robot with three eyes and four arms, Mentor First constructed Norby as a way to contact his creators, the Others, for supplies. Mentor First went insane for a long time, but eventually got better (thanks to Norby) and helped battle Space Pirates trying to loot an ancient ship and also track down McGillicuddy's daughter and her collection of Other technology.
Rembrandt: A four armed, three eyed Other, Rembrandt studies the art of cultures with his computer Y.I.B, which stands for Your Immense Brain. He is Jeff and Norby's contact with the Others and they call on him whenever things get so far out of hand not even Norby's ego can take care of the task at hand. Jeff named him Rembrandt, after the artist, as his real name is unpronounceable to Humans.
Rinda and Pera: Princess of Izz and her robot. Rinda stole Izz's first hyperspace ship and took it to a planet where she was fed to a tree but later restored to her human self. She has a crush on Jeff. Pera is her robot who was monitoring a planet's formation for the Others. Norby rescued her and gave her to Rinda. When she was kidnapped by Threezey/Ing, she opened an inter-dimensional portal allowing the Master Cult to take over the universe.
The Grand Dragon: The ruler of Jamya, the Grand Dragon is regal and loves nothing more to be praised.
Lizzy: A floating, talking, and thinking Taxi Cab who takes Norby and Company around Manhattan.
Benjamin Franklin: When Norby and Jeff travel to the French Revolution in search of an ancient device, they encounter Ben Franklin.
Oola: Fargo's pet. She is green and normally looks like a cat but can shape-shift. She was designed by Mentor First and the Others.
Ing: The first villain of the series, Ing tries to take control of the Solar System. When Norby stops him, he later becomes Threezey the Clown, kidnaps Pera, opens a trans-dimensional portal, almost allows the Universe to be conquered, and ends up Court Jester of Izz.
Melodians: Singing slugs from Melodia that kidnap Norby and co. and feed Rinda to their tree.
The Invaders (a.k.a. Hleno) : Floating blob aliens who kidnap the Grand Dragon and Norby to put in their zoo.
Miscellany
It has been speculated that Norby was named by his authors after Norbert Weiner, the "Father of Cybernetics".
Comics
Norby was made into serialization comics for the magazine Boys' Life in the 1990s. The comics were adapted from the first and second book, Norby: The Mixed Up Robot and Norby's Other Secretfr:Norby sv:Norby