I guess they didn't want to encourage kids to light themselves on fire?

Or more likely the animators said, "Drawing flames is hard... can we just put a floating robot in instead?"

Robot, and ot, and ot, and ot.

At the time, the license for the Human Torch (different character same name) was already being used for a different cartoon.

I love how that's like the gentlest crash landing ever, yet in the space of about ten feet the ship goes from not having a scratch to looking like a meth lab accident.

It's from the late 70s. If you're wondering why they suddenly had a little robot sidekick blame R2D2.

The Thing looks like Homer.

Herbie has the benefit of being an ongoing joke that even made it into the movie...

Let me use my incredible stretch abilities to...take your hand.

I vaguely remember this cartoon.

They needed loveable/silly sidekicks in the 70s. I seem to remember a Batman cartoon where he got the same treatment:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Batmanbatmite.JPG

I used to watch this when I was a very small child. Even factoring for hindsight, this was much better than the 90's version.

As if being invisible wasn't the norm for a woman in a 70's adventure show.

Each of them was transformed by the mysterious cosmic rays! Except for the robot, he's still worthless.

I'm sorry but how can you include the robot in the Fantastic Four? He doesn't even have a gay blue uniform.