Your First Exposure to Teddy ruxpin

[Deleted]

Figured this would be a fun topic for all us fans to discuss.
My first exposure to Teddy was when I received a 1998 Yes! entertainment one from I believe an old family friend of ours when I was about 2 years old. He was still new at the time. But yeah, I had him and a few stories (The Airship, All About Bears, The Wooly What's-It, and Uncle Grubby).

And then somehow I kinda forgot about him over the years. It wasn't until I was around 6 or 7 around 2006 when I was at Target and saw "T.J. Bearytales" in a store display. All the sudden I remembered Teddy again and then I thought to myself. "Wow, this is just some dumb ripoff of Teddy Ruxpin". And so then when I got home that day, I decided to look for mine and I ended up rediscovering him and fell in love with him all over again. Until sadly one day the cassette deck stopped working. I was heartbroken knowing that they probably didn't make him anymore. But I figured maybe i'd look him up online and see if anyone fixed him or sold him. Sure enough, I then discovered there were 2 older versions before mine along with a Grubby. So one day, my grandmother ordered me a refurbished Teddy and Grubby from Dr. Eeyore along with a few stories, (The Airship, The Missing Princess, Grunge Music, All About Bears, Lullabies 1 & 2, and Teddy Ruxpin Summertime). Also, later on in I believe late 2006 or 2007... I happened to find the 2006 Backpack Toys Teddy Ruxpin along with the DVD set of the cartoon series. And let's just say that ever since then I've been collecting and have been a passionate fan ever since.

Would love to hear you guys' stories of how you were exposed to them.

[late2theparty]

I was and am one of the 1985 parents who was introduced to Teddy Ruxpin when my daughter who was 1 or 2, received one as a gift...I believe from either my parents or my uncle.  Not sure which.  Now then he was the hottest toy of the time.  But I have to admit that I was not all that involved with him.  Too busy earning a living and paying bills to pay much attention to toys.  And as my daughter got older, Teddy and the outfits,  books and tapes went to a top shelf in the closet and stayed there for years.

About a year back I was half paying attention to the TV when a stupid show came on and Teddy Ruxpin was a prop in the plot.  This got me wondering whether my daughter's Teddy still worked.  So I pulled him out of storage.  Dead!  I started searching around to see if there was anyone out there who might repair him and came across Dr. Eeyore's Teddy Hospital.  I contacted her and found a really great person who encouraged me to try and fix him myself.  As a long time tinkerer, I tackled it and with her help got him going (and since then a recent re-do to apply some things learned from since fixing a number of dead Teddies and WoW toys.  Having gotten into his workings, I was fascinated by both the technology of the time and in considering and solving the odd problems that would be found in these toys. So since then its not just Teddies.  I've repaired a few Grubbies (including one taken completely apart that I was about to give up on) as well as doing various work on Mother Goose and Hector, Mickey and Goofy, Pamela, Jullie...and I just picked up a basket case Snoopy at an auction which should provide another challenge. These WoW toys were really far ahead of the curve 30 years ago, and in may ways there is still nothing quite like them on the market today. 

I'd mention here that a second aspect of Teddy Ruxpin that I find quite interesting is that of the tape and book stories themselves.  I've managed to obtain all but one of these (although of course there are other special category tapes such  as the "Best of" tapes and other.) The largest majority of these stories include a teaching function of various topics, which is something I never really considered at all until getting into all of this .  Some of course are purely whimsical and some just musical, but those are a small number of the overall.  And all of them are so very well done that its clear that a lot of thought and effort went into putting together stories that incorporated a good tale that built upon the overall story of Teddy and Grubby's adventures, incorporated an educational aspect in the story, and included new music written specifically for the stories.  The Mother Goose and Mickey tapes are well done too, but IMHO the Teddy tapes are something of a gold standard that few toys for young children have ever reached.  And not only that, however:  I now know the difference between a bear and an iliop.

Adding here as I am enjoying these posts and how people got involved with this.  I may not have clearly stated that my initial attraction was simply in fixing them.  And that part of it continues, even though I've gotten a lot deeper into the Teddy and the WoW story overall.. As I've always been a tinkerer I am guided by the rule that "While only God can make a tree, anything one man makes another can fix."   I've got about 10 Teddies now and all needed some work, as well as 4 Grubbies that were repaired,  and also a few  other Teddies and a Grubby repaired for other people.  I also repaired my brother's projector, have fixed a WoW Mickey Mouse, and had to do a very minor adjustment to get Mother Goose and Hector working together.  Baby Teddy was a challenge, but he was fixed as discussed in a prior post here.  And I've fixed a couple of Playskool Teddies, but not something recommended as they are difficult and time consuming to repair.  One real oddity that I've repaired...or think I've repaired as I can't location a tape for him...is Gabby, the Teddy Ruxpin rip-off bear.  He came to me on a group bought on an online auction and I was ready to toss him as I did not know what he was.  But I threw him aside instead and later learned about him: not WoW but certainly an interesting side note to the WoW story.   I have a couple of Answer Boxes and my own Projector as well, and on the Mickey Mouse side a Goofy that actually needed nothing to have working save the wire, although he suffered from the drooping pants common to both characters that needed the cheap elastic replaced.  Also repaired a Pamela with a lot trial and error as the wiring to the board was off, with the latest completed project being a Julie repair. It seems that every one of these non working WoW toys presents individual issues in figuring out what's wrong and what the fix might be.  Sometimes the problem is obvious, but on others you just have to set one aside until the possible answer comes to mind.  But if you a tinkerer that's a large part of the fun.  

[DollyPrince]

This ties in to my fascination with animatronics, and previous toy collecting.
Before I had a Teddy Ruxpin, I already had a large collection of Furbies (when they were still new), and other animatronic, robot and talking toys. Actually I was even a doll and toy collector back then, instead of roughly playing with my toys and dolls, I put them on shelves for display and treated them gently. So at a young age, I already had more fragile vintage toys.

I was already an older child (in pre-teen years) when I saw a Teddy Ruxpin at a secondhand store.
I was instantly in love with this toy, so I asked my mother to buy him for me.

So after that, I began to research about Worlds of Wonder, and years later I bought other Teddies and tapes from online websites. From there my collection grew, and I learned to restore cassette talking toys. In my mid teenage years, I already had a large collection.

Sadly, many things happened and I no longer have my old collection. It is my largest regret in life.

Even though I was alive when Yes! Teddy was in production, I/my family never bought one from stores, they were not released in my area.

[TRO Admin]

Christmas '86. I was 2.5 at the time. Still remember seeing the commercial - the one with the Englishman voice over.

"The only thing he captures... is a Child's imagination."

I think that commercial sums up what Teddy is, not just as a plush toy with servo motors - but way more importantly, as a benevolent, genuine character in a fantasy/adventure epic that
also teaches you a lot of lessons - without you ever realizing you're "learning."

The TV series only heightened my devotion. While a faithful companion to the WoW audiobooks, it also added a lot of depth and humor to the characters. I find it just as entertaining, if not even greater - as an adult. Who HASN'T worked with a guy like Ickley Bognostraclum - or been the victim of the equivalent of a Ying Troll.

I wasn't exposed to the ABC Movie until I was nearing adulthood, but I think it's one of the most adventurous examples of a film - especially something for TV - to be produced
in it's time period, both in storyline and production. The fine detail that went into the props, set design and of course the invention of what
Ken called the "walkaround" animated costumes, was groundbreaking. Ken and AlchemyII were of course responsible for an earlier edition of these on "Welcome to Pooh Corner" for Disney, but they compounded on those ideas significantly for Teddy's first TV production. As Len Levitt, who played Wooly in the movie (and later helped develop the animated series) told me - "It was groundbreaking. We knew we really had something. But of course in show business, everybody wants to do it the way everybody else is doing it - so we got an animated
series. We're still mad about that. Someday, maybe we will get over it."

I doubt I will ever have children of my own, but I dream of one day being part of helping to showcase how wonderful this story is to the general populace. Thanks to bad
business decisions by the people at Worlds of Wonder, most never had the chance to find out originally. Teddy combines elements found in stories like Lord of The Rings, Star Trek,
The Muppets and Forrest Gump, and finds and combines a balance of fantasy and heart, to tell a story that is one of a kind remarkable.

"A Friend For Life That Comes To Life." was a gift that keeps on giving

[TRO Admin]

Oct 3, 2016 3:51:29 GMT -7 late2theparty said:

About a year back I was half paying attention to the TV when a stupid show came on and Teddy Ruxpin was a prop in the plot.

Although I'm still mad they didn't use Phil's voice - I'm glad the 2 Broke Girls episode helped bring a new member our way!


Teddy was also in a movie last year - "90 Minutes in Heaven." starring Kate Bosworth. I helped set that up.

[d.ruxpin]

REACT got me there. I had an interest in animatronics before, but watching the REACT video for Teddy Ruxpin (kids react to Teddy Ruxpin) really got me interested. I now have 3!!

[worldsofwonderfunfan]

I was when my mom got me the cartoon and about a year later I got a teddy toy

[Panda Ruxpin]

I remember when Teddy Ruxpin first came out in 1985. I remember thinking it was cool, but I was really into the typical boys' action figures and just getting into the skateboarding craze that took off around that time.

Well a year or so later, my younger sister and brother each got Teddy, and shortly after my sister got Grubby and my brother got the Picture Show projector. I really thought they were neat, but felt I was "too old" to ask for one of my own. So I experienced and enjoyed "The World of Teddy Ruxpin" vicariously through them.

I remember the anticipation for, and watching the live action movie when it aired on TV. I recall us feeling like it was a major TV event, so we recorded it on BetaMax (lol) and we watched it again and again. Later, my younger brother ended up getting VHS tapes of the animated series, and I remember watching those quite often with him.

Fast forward to a few years ago, sometime in 2013 (or maybe late 2012). My brother and I had been going through some old things packed away at my parents' house, and he came across his Teddy Ruxpin stuff. When I saw the Picture Show projector, I had a very unexpected rush of Teddy Ruxpin nostalgia that had been completely dormant in my life over the years. I realized how much I truly enjoyed the World of Teddy Ruxpin back then, when life was simpler and more fun and innocent. So I started digging around the internet looking for information about Teddy Ruxpin and that lead me here.

Since becoming reacquainted with Teddy and the gang, I bought the most recent DVD release of the animated series and finally have watched the series all the way through. Man, what memories. I had previously forgotten how good the show was. The writing, music, and of course voice acting all are really excellent. The animation was even really well done. I don't think I ever appreciated the quality of it like I do now as an adult. Although, I am a little sad it did not reach a proper conclusion.

I also finally have a Teddy and Grubby of my own after all these years. I have also acquired the Picture Show projector, many tapes and books sets, most of the action figures, the Airship, map, and other odds and ends such as lunch boxes and other collectibles. Today I am mainly only interested in the WoW era, but I do have the Backpack Teddy as well.

[Deleted]

I can't remember my very first exposure to Teddy Ruxpin. I may have seen the animated series prior to 1990, but, I got my first Teddy Ruxpin in January 1990, on the day my younger sister was born. I eventually got most of the book and tape sets, missing several, but thanks to a member of the now defunct Teddy Ruxpin Yahoo! forum, I have digital recordings of the entire original WoW series. Sadly, my parents got rid all of the book and tape sets about ten years ago. Because I have MP3s of all of the original stories, I don't care so much about them getting rid of the tapes, but, the books themselves were the real loss. Luckily, I also still have my original Teddy Ruxpin. I had two recently, but, I got rid of one because it's broken, I don't have space for it in this new house, and I can't afford to send it away to anyone to have it fixed (I live in Canada).

I had several episodes of the animated series on factory tapes, as well as recorded from Television by my father, but, I never had the complete set of tapes. I also had the factory tape of the movie. Now, I have the animated series on DVD, the most recent release, and as soon as it arrived in the mail I sat down and watched it all the way through. Which reminded me of why I loved it so much as a kid, even though, prior to getting the DVD set, I hadn't seen all 65 episodes before. Just the ones I had on VHS, and whichever ones happened to be on TV in reruns. I was never interested in learning about the mechanics of the toy or anything like that, but, growing up as sickly as I was (I spent a lot of time in the hospital), the stories kept me occupied during those long days at the hospital, or stuck at home because I was recovering from surgery or an asthma attack.

[nekohoshizora]

The first time I heard of Teddy Ruxpin was when I was about 8 or 9, but I didn't get one till I was 11. I got it at a thrift store, and it worked for only a few minutes, then it started messing up my tape! So my mom gave it away.

[d.ruxpin]

...Teddys do that. Mine was talking and he jammed a tape. You just fix the tape back up, wham...he's ok...

[sparkpikachu]

I had heard of Teddy Ruxpin when I was little. All my parents were able to tell me was that he was a teddy bear that told stories and that my cousin had one when he was little. I guess the name stuck in the back of my mind for years. I was alive for the Yes! version but the closest I got to having a Teddy was Spinoza when I was about four. I got curious about Teddy and looked him up online about a year ago to see what he sounded like and learn about the stories. A youtube video of "The Airship" was my first true exposure. I fell for Teddy's voice almost instantly. My comparison may sound strange but it was like meeting an old friend for the first time. Teddy wasn't nervous about my blindness. In fact, he seemed to say: "Come on, I'm sure we can be great friends and have a lot of fun." I was eager to hear more of his stories and was lucky to find several on youtube with good sound quality. I also watched the TV show and love it. I got excited when I learned about the Wicked Cool Toys Teddy because I hadn't completely missed out on getting one for myself. I am hoping to see it in the future and hear his stories in person. I'm also curious to feel what an illiop is. I heard a pretty good description recently but even the best descriptions can only go so far.

Edit:

Time has passed since I first wrote this and I now have physical exposure to Teddy. I first got to feel Teddy on Christmas of 2017. This was the Wicked Cool  Toys version. I instantly liked his soft fur but something was still missing. A chance encounter on Ebay a couple months ago brought my Backpack Toys Teddy a day before my birthday. It was amazing to feel a more classical style of Teddy, as well as hear Ken Forsse's reworking of the original stories, which  I had previously only heard on youtube. I like being able to feel him blink and understand more of what he does. I also like holding the physical books, even though I can't see to read them. Now, I have two Teddies,as well as a wonderful Gimmick figurine. I have yet to see the original Teddy but hope that will happen one day. I feel more Connected to Teddy now than ever before

[Paul]

In the fall of 1985 I just turned 5. I saw the commercial (I believe it was the "Boy brings Teddy to Show And Tell one), saw the store display demo, and saw that a family member had one. I had to have one! I got him for Christmas of 1985 (so the first generation one with the metal cassette deck and two servos) and for about two years it was pretty much the only toy I cared about. What a great toy!

I had 5 or 6 outfits and maybe 20 or so book and cassette sets. I also had a Fob puppet and the Wooly Whatzit. Oh and Grubby too.  I watched the cartoon in the Fall of 1986 and now I have it on DVD (it holds up pretty well!). 

[lachlant1984]

How long ago was this?

[pappde]

Hi All!
I would like to introduce myself to you all.
I came in touch with TR through my daughter.
We emigrated to the USA from Hungary in the summer of 1985. In the beginning we illegal/undocumented aliens and we had meager living. Me and my wife had all sorts of odd jobs. Still when I saw Teddy Ruxpin in a toy store before Christmas, I just could not resist. 70 dollars in 1985 for us was a small fortune. In may whole life I have never seen anything like Teddy, he was magical, kind of an embodiment of what for us the US was about. I know it sound kind of tacky, but I really was totally smitten by Teddy. So TR came to our family on the first Christmas in this country.
Luckily I am mechanically inclined, because TR got ill quite frequently and I had to do surgery on him several time. Once he had a broken jaw that I had to fix it with several screws. Over the years I replaced the casette player once and replaced two servos. In the beginning I sourced "body parts" from a defunct Teddy I found during garage sale. My daughter had slowly grown up, but I kept Teddy and turned him on from time to time just to keep his "joints" moving. Five years ago he had another surgery for broken drive belt. Currently my Teddy is in excellent shape all happy and functional. Nowdays it is much easier to source Teddys from the Bay. I have two donors in storage just in case. However I am aware time is running out, like me Teddy is not getting any younger. It will be harder and harder to keep Teddy functioning. I am thinking about converting my Teddy to MP3 use. One way is to put in one of those casette player adaptors, though aligning the two heads could be tricky. Or I just can solder my Ipod output directly to the board instead of the the tape player wires. So as you can see my personal Teddy story continues.
Funny though life makes a full circle. I just bought a WCT Teddy Ruxpin for my granddaughter for this Christmas.
Denes