Doll-A-Day 2023 #224: Teddy Ruxpin

  Today we are looking at an old favourite...not of mine. I was way too old by the time this guy came around, and even Unsentimental Niece was already more than eight years old. I was aware of him at the time though, especially since I worked at a retail store. He's Teddy Ruxpin.

  Teddy Ruxpin has been the favourite of a lot of people though, since he premiered in 1985. At the time, the technology that allowed him to move his eyes and mouth in sync with the tapes that were played in the slot in his back, and essentially 'tell' stories, was considered to be pretty amazing. 

This particular Teddy Ruxpin is a later model, made by Backpack Toys, made in 2005. Like the other Teds, his battery compartment and controls are on his back, under his shirt.

Instead of cassettes, like the original Teddy, he uses digital Rom Cartirdges.

The cartridge goes in where the yellow thing is, but I tried, and it doesn't pull out. I haven't delved into the question any further, in spite of having his original instructions.

Teddy always came with books, so kids could read along while Teddy told the story.

The Treasure Series belongs to this Teddy. The other books go to a Worlds of Wonder Teddy Ruxpin. Unfortunately, we have no cassettes for the WoW books, and I'm not sure what's in his back is a ROM cartridge. I tried to pull it out and it wouldn't budge. I have no idea if this Teddy works.

  Teddy Ruxpin was the best selling toy of 1985 and 1986. He was named the official spokesbear for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children not long after his appearance in the toy world. He had his own TV show in 1986 and '87. He spawned a friend, Grubby the caterpillar, who could be connected to the WoW Teddy with a cable and the two could have conversations. Teddy also had a 'sequel' of sorts, Worlds of Wonder's Talking Mother Goose, who, like Teddy, came with a book, was activated by a cassette, (under her wing), and had moving eyes and mouth. There were WoW clothing sets available for Teddy and Grubby.

Like this nightgown and cap set. Pretty sure only the WoW Teddys had clothes available. 

  

  Worlds of Wonder, or WoW were the makers of Teddy Ruxpin, and also Laser Tag, another popular toy of the day.  WoW then came up with Nintendo. As popular as Nintendo became, it's hard to imagine that WoW had trouble selling it. But retailers were wary of video games, after video game sales died off following oversaturation of the market around 1983. In order to get Nintendo sales off the ground, WoW did a little Columbia/Three Stooges move. (In my post on the Three Stooges I explained that, while telling the Stooges that they couldn't give them a raise because their short subjects were barely making money, their studio, Columbia, was using the Stooges shorts to sell their B-movies. If theatres wanted the very popular Stooges shorts, they had to also take Columbia's lesser quality feature films.) Retailers were told that if they wanted Teddy Ruxpin and Laser Tag, they had to also take Nintendo. It worked, and Nintendo went on to massive sales. Oddly, it was Nintendo, and the company's confidence in Teddy Ruxpin, that helped kill Worlds of Wonder. In 1987 WoW invested too much in Teddy Ruxpin production, ignoring the fact that Teddy's sales had declined, while sales of Nintendo were soaring. To make a long story short, WoW overinvested in Teddy, ended up in debt, and went out of business. Since then Teddy has been made in various forms by various companies.

  My tastes run more to T.J. Bearytales. Now he is cute. This Teddy is looking for a home. If anybody want him, since he's untested and they thing in his back may or may not be a cartridge, you can have him and his instructions and book, in it's case, for $15 and postage. Just eave me a comment with your contact information.

  See you tomorrow.