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Post by TRO Admin on May 26, 2013 19:23:18 GMT -7
Welcome!
Thrilled to hear you're sharing Teddy with a new generation. We're glad to have you here!
Feel free to lurk, but feel free to jump into the conversation too!
Josh
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Post by TRO Admin on May 9, 2013 22:19:31 GMT -7
Sorry to hear you thought "The Movie" was something different. At the time it was released, in 1999 I believe, we were all pretty excited about it as we thought it would be a good way to introduce the series to a new generation. Unfortunately they didn't do a great job of marketing it. I don't plug it at all on the website as it's been out of print forever anyway, but I will consider making a page on it now that I've heard your concerns, in hopes that doesn't happen to others.
On a positive note, I thought the cover artwork for it was spectacular.
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Post by TRO Admin on Apr 7, 2013 11:28:33 GMT -7
I'm (once again) late to the party welcoming a new member to the fold. Apologies! And WELCOME! Thanks for stopping by. We look forward to getting to know you better. ~Josh
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Post by TRO Admin on Mar 7, 2013 23:45:12 GMT -7
Great photoshop on the Panda lettering. I obviously couldn't tell it wasn't a font I wish I could come across this font. It was WoW's font, Not AlchemyII's , and has been replaced on everything post-WoW with the classic Alchemy Teddy font, which is just as great - but it would be cool to do a few things on the site with the WoW version. I may have to contract someone someday to make one. Thank you so much for the compliments on the site. Unfortunately I don't have the amount of time I used to have to update - but I'm hoping to marathon a bunch of work on it soon in hopes of having a "finished" product by 2014 sometime. I'm glad you found what is there useful. The interviews were conducted in my teens and early 20's, and it really felt like a giant extension of my childhood getting in contact with all these folks. It's really one of my happiest memories, so I'm thrilled to hear it when people enjoy them. So glad you joined us, and look forward to conversing with you more!
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Post by TRO Admin on Mar 7, 2013 22:16:37 GMT -7
I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the outfit.... It was changed at Yes!'s insistence because they thought it would appeal more to children. They also glued red shirts over some of the original WoW artwork for use in the updated books... wish they would have just hired an artist or got a really good document photographer so they could have skipped the glue.
You have all convinced me to take a lighter tone with regards to Yes! though. I never want anyone to feel like I'm bashing their very treasured memories of how they got hooked on our favorite Illiop, even though that was never my intentions.
One thing I loved about the Yes! version was Phil Baron's new recordings for the VHS "TV Pack".
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Post by TRO Admin on Mar 7, 2013 10:45:34 GMT -7
I'm glad the Yes! version has a fan! He needs one! just joking. I think we're all fans of that version - and any version - because it's Teddy. I hope nobody feels like their favorite isn't up to par with the others. I think what we're disappointed in is missed opportunities by the company that produced it.
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Post by TRO Admin on Mar 7, 2013 10:43:04 GMT -7
I need to do a better job. I'm the moderator/webmaster and I'm always the LAST one to welcome someone!
WELCOME! Thanks for your input here so far. We all look forward to more contributions here from you and getting to know you better.
I like your avatar. Any chance you can share the Teddy Ruxpin font you used for the "Panda" ?
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Post by TRO Admin on Dec 11, 2012 12:39:55 GMT -7
Wow. What a fascinating conversation here you two. I will add a brief two cents here.
BackPack indeed was successful compared to Yes! Entertainment's efforts. I get a bad wrap for 'talking smack' on TeddyIII, but I really don't hate the product at all - what I am disappointed in is missed opportunities. The late 90's would have probably been the best time for Teddy to make a full scale comeback. Name recognition would have been at a higher level than it was in 2006 or today - the economy was in much better shape, leading to more folks purchasing the product on impulse, and technology had not yet advanced to the point where a teddy bear would have been competing with an ipod for room in a proverbial shopping basket. Teddy could have then been slowly updated, adopting new technologies and being at the forefront of technological advances, at the same time millions of people were falling in love with the characters and storylines. It would have been a success on a lot of fronts.
Yes! blew it. By mostly their own fault(s). They were coming off successes such as the Yak Back and could have introduced the traditional Teddy, using cassette tapes, in a high quality fashion that also made economical sense. I'm not sure Yes! would be around today regardless of the mistakes they made in the 90's - the toy landscape has changed that much - but they could have been a great placeholder for Teddy.
By the time 2005 rolled around, a startup called BackPack Toys, with good intentions, decided to give the traditional Teddy his fourth incarnation (a fourth go-round... not even Michael Jordan got that. There's no way Teddy has been unsuccessful) as a startup, they lacked the funds necessary to roll out a large scale technological advance or a winning marketing strategy. As you pointed out, Vincent, they relied on word of mouth and viral marketing, which was somewhat of a new concept. They also openly admitted they were relying on nostalgia sales rather than newbies. The thought was grandparents who were parents in the 80's would buy for grandkids, and the older of the kids who initially played with Teddy were now becoming parents and would buy for their own children. In 2013, these strategies might very well have worked to bring Teddy back to the marketplace in a meaningful way. Teddy's been mentioned in multiple TV shows and movies since 2009 and the name seems to have a buzz around it, much more so than it did when BackPack began. In 2006 though, there were just not enough social media addicts, YouTube wasn't yet a household name, and there weren't quite as many kids of first generation Teddy fans as BackPack thought there were.
I think the winning strategy for the next run isn't to focus on nostalgia or on technological advancements as the key component to marketing - it will be to focus on the characters and the stories. Without a physical unit that moved it's mouth and eyes as the stories were told, we may never have had Teddy Ruxpin. But without Teddy Ruxpin, the talking toy would just be a bunch of "thingamajig's". Technological advancements will make a toy more commercially viable. Nostalgia will shave off some marketing dollars. Letting people fall in love with these characters will be like winning the lotto.
Technology will always advance and products can adapt. People don't fall in love with technology, except when it's brand new. The cassette tapes from the 80's would be in the garbage if they didn't hold Teddy's stories within them. When people fall in love with a story, when something in it takes a hold of their heart and imagination, they will follow it through any wacky technological trend. Teddy is capable of this. We are the proof.
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Post by TRO Admin on Dec 11, 2012 12:16:02 GMT -7
In a post where I'd usually wish everyone Happy Holidays, this year I get to be a little more sentimental 2013 will mark the 15th anniversary of the website. It was a late summer day and I had been studying up on crude HTML coding for a class I was going to take in school. There wasn't much on the web about Teddy's TV show at that time so I decided it would make a great idea for a new webpage. I didn't even have my driver's permit yet. Who would've thought I'd still be doing this rounding the corner to 30. I've known some of you for most of these 15 years. I don't express it enough (or update the website enough, or visit these message boards enough) and I want to take this opportunity to tell all of you who visit, those I've known a long time and a short time, how much your presence here in this humble slice of a tribute I built to something I really believe in, means to me. I hope someday soon all these years of our efforts and prayers/good wishes will result in what we've all been waiting for - a triumphant return to the world stage for Teddy Ruxpin. God Bless you, and have a great Holiday season! Josh
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Hi
Dec 3, 2012 20:23:08 GMT -7
Post by TRO Admin on Dec 3, 2012 20:23:08 GMT -7
Thanks for joining the group! Look forward to conversing with you.
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Post by TRO Admin on Oct 2, 2012 19:55:24 GMT -7
Sleeping Beauty would have to be my favorite... but I am admittedly biased. One of the artists from that film has been my hero since I was 3
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Post by TRO Admin on Oct 2, 2012 18:30:34 GMT -7
Reading your post and re-reading my long forgotten thoughts about the old account literally brought some mist to my eyes. Thank you Vincent There's really nothing more that can be added to your thoughts. You summed it up beautifully.
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Post by TRO Admin on Oct 2, 2012 18:29:39 GMT -7
Family Guy as a two hour experience, such as a movie or TV special, would probably interest me greatly. There is definitely enough cynicism in me to allow that style of humor to make me chuckle. As a weekly lifestyle choice though, I'd have to say I feel sorry for those who rely on it as their main source of entertainment - and dare I say - sometimes only exposure to culture and political humor/thought. I think we have to draw some lines - maybe not in the direction that kind of humor takes, but in how much we allow ourselves to be exposed and sculpted by it. With that being said, I of course have no beef with anyone who enjoys the show.
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Post by TRO Admin on Oct 1, 2012 23:15:12 GMT -7
Neat topic Vincent Years ago I ate right across the street from where I worked almost everyday for lunch. One of the waitresses was quite easy on the eyes and a sweetheart. But I always feel like I have 8 left feet in those situations... so, I didn't say anything. Years pass and we develop a mutual friend. I find out the waitress is now married - but, by the way, she had a huge crush on me about the same time I did her. Story of my life. In any case - she and I became friends and ironically she's the biggest Teddy fan I've ever met outside of my role as the manager of the site and these boards. We would have had a lot in common, and I could have probably even gotten Phil on the phone to tell her hello and won some brownie points. Talk about a missed opportunity. Carpe Diem, folks!
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Post by TRO Admin on Sept 27, 2012 19:43:55 GMT -7
I haven't yet recieved my copies of the new DVDs, so thanks for putting up a review Vincent I also checked out BlueOctopede's review video and it was also informative. The box and artwork looks great and with a show that is 25 years old, it's never a bad idea to buy an extra set even if you have the Millcreek edition. Should I ever have children I have no doubt a full set will be worn out, and could be out of print by that time. I am disappointed they didn't use the inserts I wrote and Mr. Forsse edited. They were brief descriptions of each episode of the show. They did take a snippet or two for the back of the box I believe, although I didn't write any of that.
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