It wasn’t just a toy, but a product of space technology. Engineer Mikhail Krivopalov invented the robot in 1975 and, a few years later, production began at the ‘Progress’ factory in Kuibyshev, which makes launch vehicles. The toy was made of plastic and then coated with a chrome finish – just like a space rocket. It was as if a character from a science fiction story had stepped out of the pages of a book into the real world. But, due to swindling popularity and sales, production of the toy was discontinued in 1991.