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Post by retrobear on Apr 16, 2012 9:17:29 GMT -7
A friend of mine said she remembers seeing a teddy bear in a store in the late 70's. She said there was a tape player in his back and they had him holding the book like he was reading it. His mouth and eyes moved. She said he was reading a classic story, she thinks it was the Three Little Pigs or something like that. She thought he was Teddy Ruxpin, but I told her that I didn't think so because Teddy has his own stories and he isn't supposed to animate to other tapes. Does anybody know anything about this? She says she thinks it was the late 70's because she thought about getting the bear for her son, but he wasn't interested because he thought he was too old. She was creeped out because she loves teddy bears, but she doesn't like plushies with electronic stuff in them. She now associates Teddy with that creepy guy she saw. I told her that when I saw her I would have Teddy play a Floyd Cramer tape for her and maybe she would like him that way, lol.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2012 11:18:39 GMT -7
It wasn't the late 70s, but during Teddy's production in the early 1980s, one of the companies who they went to with a mind to contracting them as a manufacturer created a knock-off called Gabby Bear, which got to the market shortly before Teddy did, before being pulled from shelves after a lawsuit.
There were also at least a couple of knock-offs of Gabby Bear, which looked identical but were named "My Talking Bear", and which came with a tape filled with traditional fairy-tales.
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Post by retrobear on Apr 16, 2012 11:32:49 GMT -7
What kind of stories does Gabby Bear tell?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2012 17:50:46 GMT -7
I honestly don't know - sorry about that.
There are some video clips on YouTube of him, showing him telling a story about a goat with a missing horn - I believe that that story was the pack-in tape, but I don't know if they ever made any others.
I haven't seen a My Talking Bear in action, so I have no idea what the stories from those are like, either.
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Post by retrobear on Apr 16, 2012 19:47:25 GMT -7
Which one is it that plays tapes and also records your voice? I had several recording bears as a kid and I love them. They're hard to find, though. Is there really one that plays tapes and also repeats or am I crazy?
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Post by TRO Admin on Apr 16, 2012 20:38:01 GMT -7
Not one before Teddy, for sure. The technology was something of a revolution when it was released, and Ken Forsse holds all the patents on the technology - which were first put into use for Teddy. I believe Cyborg is probably right about Gabby Bear probably being what your friend is thinking about. There were several ripoffs made after word of Teddy got out - that's how groundbreaking the tech was. Gabby Bear was probably the most original in that at least it didn't copy Teddy's outward design, so I will give it that. I have never had a desire to own the Teddy ripoffs - to borrow the old phrase - why buy a hamburger when you have steak on the table?  so I'm not sure what kind of stories Gabby told. From what Ive heard they were pretty generic. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2012 23:42:03 GMT -7
No he didn't hold a book and he has his own little land kinda like grundo. I have one so I should know
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Post by retrobear on Apr 17, 2012 9:00:37 GMT -7
I would probably get one of the knockoffs if I saw one just because I love all teddy bears, but it is really annoying when they label them as Teddy Ruxpin, especially when you can't see what you're getting. I love and respect all teddy bears, but don't make me think I'm getting a Teddy Ruxpin if what you're selling me is a knockoff.
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Post by lachlant1984 on Apr 23, 2012 2:52:37 GMT -7
I honestly don't know - sorry about that. There are some video clips on YouTube of him, showing him telling a story about a goat with a missing horn - I believe that that story was the pack-in tape, but I don't know if they ever made any others. I haven't seen a My Talking Bear in action, so I have no idea what the stories from those are like, either. My best friend had a Gabby Bear as a young child, he lent it to me and I broke it sadly. Wooly The World's First Unigoat was indeed the pack in tape I understand, and there were other tapes, how many I don't know, nor do I know how many tapes there were for My Talking Bear, the only one I heard featured short nursery rhymes like Mary Had A Little Lamb etc. There was a video of My Talking Bear on YouTube at some point and someone left a comment on the video saying that they thought My Talking Bear sounded like a pedophile. |
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Post by lachlant1984 on Apr 23, 2012 2:54:13 GMT -7
I understand that the concept behind Spinoza Bear was being worked on in the early 80's, but I may be wrong here. I'm not really sure if there's any definite information about when Spinoza Bear was officially released, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was around the time of Teddy Ruxpin, however Spinoza Bear isn't animated.
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Post by tdickensheets on Apr 23, 2012 15:08:46 GMT -7
I was born in 1961. I never saw any animated talking toy. In 1980's, Teddy Ruxpin came out.
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Post by herdmentality on Nov 26, 2015 16:17:14 GMT -7
Gabby has his own stories his adventures with willie the goat including Robin Raven goes nutty,The Purrr Pet Pillow Caper, Fooley the unfoxey fox, The Persnickety Pristine de Pigge, Bandit the outrageous raccoon, Ruff wolf's not so tuff, Knuckles the squirrel knuckles under, Woodpecking with the peck brothers, Willie the world's first unigoat and Mary Jo the kindly cow.There is a rip off of Gabby My Talking Bear that told traditional fairy tales they looked identical except Gabby's Jeans say Gabby Bear on the butt. |
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so I'm not sure what kind of stories Gabby told. From what Ive heard they were pretty generic. 
