Hello all Teddy Ruxpin fans-I'm new.

[friendlyruxpin2004]

Greetings to every Teddy Ruxpin fan on here. I'm new to this forum.

I stumbled upon Teddy Ruxpin online while doing some search for Teddy Ruxpin through Google and through YouTube. The problem is, I never owned a WOW Teddy Ruxpin back then, although I managed to get a non-working TR off eBay for a reasonable price. The reason why I never owned TR back then was because he was expensive, not to mention my parents would have been annoyed by him.

I've only seen one episode of the Teddy Ruxpin cartoon in the early 1990's. I didn't realize what it was until I came to my senses at the age of 14 that it was Teddy Ruxpin. During this time, I met a guy named Ted who many nicknamed Teddy Ruxpin.

Interesting fact for those of you who didn't know: Worlds of Wonder, who originally made Teddy Ruxpin, distributed the Nintendo Entertainment System during the console's early days.

I'm looking forward to enjoying this forum alot, even though I've recently become a TR fan.

[theonemouse]

Old fan, recent fan... who cares!! Glad to have you aboard ^_^ The more the merrier.

[TRO Admin]

Yes, welcome to this board, hope to see you often. Thanks for stopping by my site and joining, and look forward to you joining our discussions and having alot of fun with us here on the board.

Once again, a warm welcome.
Josh

[kaylathehedgehog]

A fan is a fan, regardless of when they joined the fandom. I didn't own a WoW Teddy until about two months ago.

Welcome aboard, and we hope you stick around. More Teddy fans are good.

[Deleted]

I agree. Last I checked there was no criteria for being a Teddy fan! Welcome to the board, and welcome to the TR universe! This is a great time to discover Teddy for the first time, or rediscover him if you knew him as a kid (toy or series, it doesn't matter). With the new BackPack Toys Teddy out and the series now fully released on DVD, there really is no better time to become a fan.

Again, welcome and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Vilicles

[kaylathehedgehog]

You know, this is what I really love about the TR fandom. There's no division between the generations. The older fans happily inform and encourage the newer fans without being harsh or elitist about it, like other fandoms do.

We're just one, big, Teddy-loving family.

[TRO Admin]

Very spot-on from Kayla in the last post.

I think it's a chicken-egg thing when it comes to our big happy family here... while there are certainly *exceptions* to this rule, (although thankfully nobody on here) in general Teddy draws the kind of fans who would be kind and generous to each other... for those of us who were lucky enough to be influenced by him as impressionable children, he may have even had something to do with fostering those kind of character traits in us. For those of us who became fans later, the characters and storyline obviously drew them in because they share some of the common values those characters promote.

This board has been such a joy lately with all of the new fans and all of us who have been around awhile checking in so often. In what is often an unfortunate dreary life, It's a joy everyday to log on here and converse with you all. I'm so glad we share this common interest.

[kaylathehedgehog]

I'm happy I finally found a TR based forum that's actually active.

[tdickensheets]

I had Teddy Ruxpin made by W.O.W.! Now I have Teddy Ruxpin made by Back Pack Toys Inc.

[theonemouse]

My Back Pack Toys made Teddy will be arriving inthe mail this week. I have the tracking ID to prove it. Finally!!

[kaylathehedgehog]

I admit, both the WoW Teddy and the BP Teddy are awesome, but I still hold more fondness for my Playskool Teddy than my WoW even though he's forever a ventriloquist, since no one apparently repairs them.

I guess you just become attached to whichever version you get first. I'll never forget the Christmas I got him. He was the first thing I saw when I woke up that morning. My parents had already freed him from his cardboard prison, and he was just sitting there under the tree with "The Airship" book and tape in his lap as if he were waiting for me. I think I actually slept with him that night. Ah, the joy of your first Teddy.

[friendlyruxpin2004]

Well, I got pretty impatient with the fact that the seller where I got the WOW TR from hasn't returned, so I'm getting a Backpack toys Teddy Ruxpin off Amazon.com. I've heard that the audio's in good quality and it's easier to use.

[theonemouse]

We'll see. My new talker should hopefully arrive by the end of the week.

[TRO Admin]

I highly advise getting a new BackPack version, and not just simply because I worked for them when it first came out. While we are lucky to have people who diligently repair the WoW version, eventually parts are going to run out and repair will become either nonexistant or very expensive. Because the originals use audio tapes, the likelihood of too many copies being around for another generation is also small... audiotapes and their players are unfortunate victims of time... after awhile, the things just won't work anymore. So reason #1 to get a BackPack TR = longevity. They are going to hold up as long or probably longer than the WoW versions because of the new technology they use and the Mp3 cartridges are much sturdier than the tapes. and the newest WoW versions are now 20 years old, the oldest almost 24.

Reason #2- improved artwork and storybooks. While I will always love the old hardback WoW books, the artwork in the new BackPack versions, done by Ken Forsse and Maggie Parr are excellent and creative a cohesive feel to those first few books especially. Additionally, there is new voice recordings by Phil Baron and the storyline of those first few books has been remastered as well.

Reason #3- You are supporting Teddy in present day. The companies involved are very likely to spend most of the money you give them on new products. We are seeing this already with the new plush Teddy's and additional storylines coming out in '09... and the success of the BackPack version also, I'd guess, helped convince the DVD people to release those.

Reason #4- The new BackPack Teddy is safer and easier to use than the original... for kids especially this is a great thing. For those of us who won't be trying to eat the batteries or shove our hands in between tape player decks, the ease of use also translates into less breakable and wear-out-able parts (gosh I love to make up new words so you won't be fishing for a new tape player cover a couple years from now when yours finally wears out.

I could go on and on..... keep in mind I am not discouraging at all picking up a WoW bear. Repair costs on them are reasonable and they do hold sentimental value.. and the sheer size of them just makes them seem that much more 'alive'. But if you are choosing between the two, I would most definately go with a BackPack version, as they are now $49.99 - which is less than you will pay after it's all said and done to get a WoW bear repaired.

I wish for the 25th anniversary someone (BackPack, hint hint) would put out a limited collector's edition line of the original WoW style, including having it the original size and using audiotapes.... basically it would be new units using the WoW blueprint. Also release 7-10 of the original software titles for this limited edition. They could charge out the nose for them and it would give us old school fans one last chance at a new Teddy exactly how we remember him from the old days. Just a thought.

[friendlyruxpin2004]

Good news, everyone...my Backpack toys Teddy Ruxpin arrived today. And he works perfectly fine.