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Nanny
Nanny is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick, first published in 1955 in Startling Stories and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick. It has since been republished several times, including in Beyond Lies the Wub in 1988.
The story takes place in the future where every family has a mechanical robot as a Nanny. A family of four has an older model Nanny, and every night, when the family goes to sleep, the nanny and the neighbor's nanny, which is a different model, meet in the back yard and fight. The Nanny gets damaged and must be repaired, which frustrates the family, as they're advised to upgrade to a newer model.
One day, the kids take the nanny to the park, where it gets assaulted and killed by another, much larger and more powerful Nanny. Their father, upset with this, goes and buys a brand new Nanny, the toughest model available. The kids are excited, but later, their new nanny kills the nanny of another family, whose father is forced to buy another Nanny, an even bigger one.
The story takes place in the future where every family has a mechanical robot as a Nanny. A family of four has an older model Nanny, and every night, when the family goes to sleep, the nanny and the neighbor's nanny, which is a different model, meet in the back yard and fight. The Nanny gets damaged and must be repaired, which frustrates the family, as they're advised to upgrade to a newer model.
One day, the kids take the nanny to the park, where it gets assaulted and killed by another, much larger and more powerful Nanny. Their father, upset with this, goes and buys a brand new Nanny, the toughest model available. The kids are excited, but later, their new nanny kills the nanny of another family, whose father is forced to buy another Nanny, an even bigger one.
19 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1955
57 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Dick
1,989 books22.7k followersPhilip Kindred Dick was a prolific American science fiction author whose work has had a lasting impact on literature, cinema, and popular culture. Known for his imaginative narratives and profound philosophical themes, Dick explored the nature of reality, the boundaries of human identity, and the impact of technology and authoritarianism on society. His stories often blurred the line between the real and the artificial, challenging readers to question their perceptions and beliefs.
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick’s most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott’s iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick’s legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick’s most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott’s iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick’s legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 9, 2019
First published in Startling Stories in 1955, “The Nanny” is a small masterpiece. It is remarkable for the way it weaves a variety of themes—artificial intelligence and child-raising, family robots and their effect on territoriality and aggression, planned obsolescence in manufacturery and marketing, our species’ tendency toward conflict escalation—into an exciting and ominous tale of robot nannies battling in back alleys at midnight and at noon in the public parks.
It is cautionary, for it reveals the ways in which we can be manipulated by business and government, but it is frightening too, for it shows us the truth about our nature, why—in spite of such revelations—we may find it impossible to stop ourselves from hurtling toward destruction.
August 15, 2017
Nursery Riots
Thus begins PKD’s short story Nanny, which was published in “Startling Stories” in 1955, and in this quotation the author already brilliantly summarizes the problem of modern life that is dealt with in this little tale, namely our inclination to get used to all sorts of technical equipment, so much so that life seems impossible, or at least very bleak, to master without these gadgets for us – although there was a time we might have considered not a few of those little helpers as extravagances for the faint-of-brain. Interestingly, I observed this tendency in myself a few weeks ago, when we had problems with our dishwasher and I seriously considered taking the family to a restaurant for some days until the machine would have been fixed or replaced. My wife, as usual, adopted the role of the voice of reason in that matter, and sometimes reason can speak very loud … and adamantly.
Nanny also addresses another snare of our consumerist society, i.e. companies’ treacherous strategies of making us buy later versions of technological equipment we already have – by fitting them up with new functions and “improvements”, or, most perversely, by planning them to become obsolete or deficient after a certain time. Whereas the underlying ideas of this story are still topical today and important to address, I could not help thinking the execution of the story a wee bit clumsy in that child-minding robots who start fighting and destroying each other are strangely over-the-top, whereas the companies in question would surely have gone for something more subtle.
“‘When I look back […] I marvel that we ever could have grown up without a Nanny to take care of us.‘”
Thus begins PKD’s short story Nanny, which was published in “Startling Stories” in 1955, and in this quotation the author already brilliantly summarizes the problem of modern life that is dealt with in this little tale, namely our inclination to get used to all sorts of technical equipment, so much so that life seems impossible, or at least very bleak, to master without these gadgets for us – although there was a time we might have considered not a few of those little helpers as extravagances for the faint-of-brain. Interestingly, I observed this tendency in myself a few weeks ago, when we had problems with our dishwasher and I seriously considered taking the family to a restaurant for some days until the machine would have been fixed or replaced. My wife, as usual, adopted the role of the voice of reason in that matter, and sometimes reason can speak very loud … and adamantly.
Nanny also addresses another snare of our consumerist society, i.e. companies’ treacherous strategies of making us buy later versions of technological equipment we already have – by fitting them up with new functions and “improvements”, or, most perversely, by planning them to become obsolete or deficient after a certain time. Whereas the underlying ideas of this story are still topical today and important to address, I could not help thinking the execution of the story a wee bit clumsy in that child-minding robots who start fighting and destroying each other are strangely over-the-top, whereas the companies in question would surely have gone for something more subtle.
April 13, 2018
BATTLE-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Planned Obsolescence!
In the United States, automotive design reached a turning point in 1924 when the American national automobile market began reaching saturation. To maintain unit sales, General Motors head Alfred P. Sloan Jr. suggested annual model-year design changes to convince car owners that they needed to buy a new replacement each year, an idea borrowed from the bicycle industry, though the concept is often misattributed to Sloan.[6] Critics called his strategy "planned obsolescence". Sloan preferred the term "dynamic obsolescence". This strategy had far-reaching effects on the auto business, the field of product design, and eventually the American economy. The smaller players could not maintain the pace and expense of yearly re-styling. Henry Ford did not like the model-year change because he clung to an engineer's notions of simplicity, economies of scale, and design integrity. GM surpassed Ford's sales in 1931 and became the dominant company in the industry thereafter. The frequent design changes also made it necessary to use a body-on-frame rather than the lighter, but less easy to modify, unibody design used by most European automakers.
Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence, by Bernard London, 1932
The origins of phrase planned obsolescence go back at least as far as 1932 with Bernard London's pamphlet Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence.[7] The essence of London's plan would have the government impose a legal obsolescence on consumer articles, to stimulate and perpetuate consumption.
Planned Obsolescence!
In the United States, automotive design reached a turning point in 1924 when the American national automobile market began reaching saturation. To maintain unit sales, General Motors head Alfred P. Sloan Jr. suggested annual model-year design changes to convince car owners that they needed to buy a new replacement each year, an idea borrowed from the bicycle industry, though the concept is often misattributed to Sloan.[6] Critics called his strategy "planned obsolescence". Sloan preferred the term "dynamic obsolescence". This strategy had far-reaching effects on the auto business, the field of product design, and eventually the American economy. The smaller players could not maintain the pace and expense of yearly re-styling. Henry Ford did not like the model-year change because he clung to an engineer's notions of simplicity, economies of scale, and design integrity. GM surpassed Ford's sales in 1931 and became the dominant company in the industry thereafter. The frequent design changes also made it necessary to use a body-on-frame rather than the lighter, but less easy to modify, unibody design used by most European automakers.
Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence, by Bernard London, 1932
The origins of phrase planned obsolescence go back at least as far as 1932 with Bernard London's pamphlet Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence.[7] The essence of London's plan would have the government impose a legal obsolescence on consumer articles, to stimulate and perpetuate consumption.
April 17, 2021
A story with so many themes: competition, capitalism, consuming, child raising, bots... Absurdly written like only he can do it. Perfect size and just hits the spot.
August 14, 2022
Yeah this guy was definitely a communist
August 20, 2022
Its like buying a cellphone today
December 30, 2023
la niñera
el cuento con mas critica social al consumismo y al capitalismo, que gran analogía de comprar niñeras con el presente de los celulares, pantallas, etc.
el cuento con mas critica social al consumismo y al capitalismo, que gran analogía de comprar niñeras con el presente de los celulares, pantallas, etc.
April 5, 2015
Своего рода приквел к "Второй Модели" за авторством того же Дика. "Вторая Модель.Начало", как бы его обозвали Хулевудские фильмоделы)
June 26, 2016
A quick study on consumerism.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews