BBB give B+ to Backpack Toys Inc.

[tdickensheets]

I went to BBB web site & found out that the BBB give Backpack Toys Inc. got B+.

[TRO Admin]

If I were objective when it comes to Teddy, which I am proudly not, that is also the grade I would likely give them. While not the same Teddy WoW produced, it was a very quality effort and I think will hold up fairly well over time in most cases. From a consumer's point of view, if I didn't know how great the stories were, it was a little overpriced for the technology, but the price has come down in the second half of the run to a very reasonable level. When you factor in the quality of the character and the stories, a price of $5000 per unit would be a bargain. I told you I'm not objective.

[Deleted]

Josh,

Is there any news on the position of BackPack Toys? Are they still producing new units? Will they be releasing further stories? I haven't heard from them in a while, and I was getting worried.

[tdickensheets]

You need to e-mail to Backpack Toys. at www.teddyruxpin.com

Ask them what's going on about Teddy Ruxpin.

[tdickensheets]

The Backpack Toys refuse to fix there Teddy Ruxpin. They told me that you need to puy a new Teddy Ruxpin if your Teddy Ruxpin you got from them. You can send a complaint to FTC or BBB. That the Backpack Toys are refuse to fix your Teddy Ruxpin.

[TRO Admin]

Although I understand your frustration Tom, we must remember that nearly all products we buy in these days of cheap Chinese manufacturing have a very limited warranty and once that expires (usually 90 days for something like Teddy) we're stuck. Complaining to govt. organizations about BackPack will be counter productive to what we're all here for- continuing to see Teddy flourish. The BackPack Teddy was actually quite sturdy when compared to Yes! , Playskool and a lot of other such toys on the market now. I hate to break it to you, but any company that takes on Teddy's manufacturing in this day and age will have a limited warranty and refuse to set up a fix it shop.

[kaylathehedgehog]

I don't know if I'd agree with the idea of the Playskool Teddy not being sturdy. Like I said before, I've have mine for almost twenty years, and the only thing wrong with him after all this time is that his mouth doesn't move. That's probably just because there was an extended period of time when I didn't play with him as often as I should have, and the mechanism that moves the mouth froze up. It's a phenomenon that occurs even in the WoW Teddies.

If you were just talking about Playskool toys in general, and not Teddy, then I retract my previous statement.

[TRO Admin]

@kayla... I was in fact referring to the Playskool Teddy, as nearly all accounts I've heard pegged that toy as identical in makeup to the Yes! version. I have never owned a Playskool version so cannot speak for myself, was just referencing those other experiences I've heard second hand.
I did however own a Yes! version and it was clearly a thrown together product with very little long term stability. I bought mine in 1999 and it was no longer functioning by 2001. It now serves simply as a book end. It's really a shame these later versions- (all versions post-Wow) are not fixable. I have yet to see the insides of the BackPack version but other than Tom's I have not heard of any bad experiences. They seem to be in much better shape on the outside than the previous version which makes me reason they are probably better inside as well. I've never been much of a hardware guy.. more of a software enthusiast myself, including TR.

I am however glad Playskool's version has an advocate. Would you like to helm that section of TRO?

[Deleted]

I remember seeing the Playskool Teddy Ruxpin, but even as a child, something about him "just didn't seem quite right". I notice now that his sleeves cover his whole arms, instead of the short sleeves of his red tunic on the WoW version. He was also smaller, and something about his eyes seemed wider.

The Yes! Entertainment was, in my opinion, an attempt to redo Teddy in an entirely new way. They even went so far as to call their stories "The New World of Teddy Ruxpin", though the stories remained the same. It just seemed odd, because by then animatronic toys had become commonplace, even, dare I say, dated. Cassette tapes were on their way out, and everyone bought their listening materials on CD, so it felt almost like a legacy product. The worst thing they did, however, was change Teddy's outfit. I remember someone, perhaps Josh, telling me that they wanted to use primary colors because young children reacted more strongly to them. While this may be true, even people who may only know Teddy by name know his trademark outfit, and taking that away, in my opinion, is Ruxpin sacrilege. I only owned one tape for the Yes! Entertainment version ("The Airship" tape and book set that came with it). I hated seeing that same red shirt and blue pants in those illustrations. I hold "The Airship" very close because it was the one story I listened to more than any other, and seeing those images, which were so classic, now re-rendered for the sake of commercial appeal just hit the wrong cord with me. Ironically, Teddy's outfit remains the same on the cover of the book (red tunic, tan vest).

Still, Yes! did seem to get certain parts of their Teddy Ruxpin right. They made him more than just a storyteller. He interacted with the Yes! version of their VHS releases (probably to compete with the likes of TV Teddy). There was also a promise that he would interact with computer software which was never released (I believe he was one of the first toys that promised to do that). Still, shotty craftsmanship kept him from being anything more than a footnote in the Ruxpin legacy...perhaps for the better.

Then BackPack toys released their Teddy Ruxpin, and I don't know exactly what it was, but BackPack Toys just got "it". He is the spitting image and spirit of the original Teddy Ruxpin, and while he can't beat the Yes! Entertainment version's $20 price tag, he is an infinitely superior model. I wish they had done more with him, released more stories and marketed him better, but for what he is, he is a terrific product.

I have to agree, however, that toys just seemed to be made to last back in 1985. Nowadays, quality is sacrificed to lower costs, but cost did not seem to hinder the original Teddy Ruxpin from becoming the most popular toy of his day. We were given an 18" talking bear with a hardcover, fully illustrated book, and cassette. Books for the subsequent Teddy's are softcover, and I don't know why that bothers me so much, but it does. The BackPack Toys version definitely gave you the most bang for your buck. The bear is great quality, the books are beautifully illustrated, the cartridges play clear as a bell, and they come in a wonderful plastic protective case that makes for great preservation and display. You're also given four books, for those who don't know: two stories in each set for the same price that one story might've cost in 1985. You're given two illustrated books, and two books containing the full dialogue for each story. I'm not sure why BackPack Toys went this route, but both books are wonderfully crafted, and I just feel like they cared about their product and tried a little more to capture Teddy's spirit in their work. Whereas Yes! Entertainment seemed intent on remolding Teddy, BackPack Toys seemed intent on reviving him.

They are having a sale right now on their website that gives you Teddy and all their stories for a terrific price, so I would encourage anyone who does not already own a BackPack Toys Teddy Ruxpin to please get one...or two...he would also make a great gift for someone special.

[kaylathehedgehog]

I am however glad Playskool's version has an advocate. Would you like to helm that section of TRO?

I'd be happy to. I suppose I feel obligated to stand up for the Playskool Teddy since he was my first. I owned a Playskool Teddy for nearly fifteen or so years before I got my first WoW. I own "The Airship," "Lost in Boggley Woods," "The Mushroom Forest," "Quiet Please," and "The Do-Along Songbook."

I remember seeing the Playskool Teddy Ruxpin, but even as a child, something about him "just didn't seem quite right". I notice now that his sleeves cover his whole arms, instead of the short sleeves of his red tunic on the WoW version. He was also smaller, and something about his eyes seemed wider.

Curious you should mention that.

According to the Unofficial Teddy Ruxpin FAQ the smaller Playskool Teddy was actually a very late WoW design. Playskool just picked that version up and sold it a few years after WoW tanked.

I've actually seen images of the smaller version produced by WoW, and the differences are really only cosmetic. The WoW undershirt is closer in color to the rusty red of the bigger WoW Teddy compared to the bright red of the Playskool Teddy. Also, the WoW version has more of a light tan color for the fur as compared to the reddish brown of the Playskool version.

[tdickensheets]

I had the Yes Ent! Teddy Ruxpin. Why they change his outfit? I like Worlds Of Wonder better. Back Pack Toys Inc. is OK. They have to be more nice. The guy I talk to was a not nice guy. Teddy Ruxpin have talk to him.

[kayjay123]

I have to agree with Kayla. My Playskool Teddy still works very well, except for his eyes and mouth. He even survived a (completely accidental) tumble down the stairs some 16ish years ago. He kept on singing as he fell lol.

[kaylathehedgehog]

I can't remember if mine ever took a tumble like that, but he survived many nights of me sleeping with him.

Who needs a security blanket when you've got an oh-so-cute singing teddy bear?

[Deleted]

I dropped my WoW Teddy from a top bunk at least three times. He continued to function 100% for years after that. He needs to see Dr. Eeyore now, but he's still in great shape.

[tdickensheets]

Mar 5, 2010 22:04:16 GMT -7 @vilicles said:

I dropped my WoW Teddy from a top bunk at least three times. He continued to function 100% for years after that. He needs to see Dr. Eeyore now, but he's still in great shape.

I wonder Teddy Ruxpin said "Owch!"