Flashback: Teddy Ruxpin

As a little girl growing up in the 1980's, I wanted my very own Teddy Ruxpin along with everyone else. But for some reason, my parents did not want to get me one. Maybe it was because I owned too many Barbie and Cabbage Patch dolls. Maybe it was because they were put off by a talking bear. I don't know.

What made Teddy Ruxpin so popular? Surely there were other talking dolls around back then. Maybe it was the fact that it was a teddy bear -- that iconic child's toy -- that could talk. I remember thinking as a kid that my toys had lives of their own that went on behind closed doors, when I wasn't there. Kind of like Toy Story.

While I can rationalize Teddy Ruxpin's popularity, one toy's popularity I cannot for the life of me figure out is the Furby. They always reminded me of gremlins for some reason, with those wide unblinking eyes. *shudder*

Here's an old Teddy Ruxpin commercial that I still remember:


What was your favorite toy as a child? Did you own your very own Teddy Ruxpin? Or were your parents anti-Teddy Ruxpin, too?

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4 comment(s):

Jenny☮ said...

I was a Barbie kind of girl. I loved them. I had the dream house and everything. It makes me sad that little girls don't get as excited about Barbies as I used to. :(

Claire Kiefer said...

Hilarious!!! I never had a Teddy Ruxpin or a Furby (they are funny looking, but they're eerily cute, I think). I remember being all over my rainbow brite/strawberry shortcake/my little pony/care bears. But mostly I remember running around outside, climbing trees, and riding my bike.

I loved all your helpful info on my hair post the other day--thank you so much for that! Makes me think about the brazilian blowout . . . though I gotta admit, the thought of not having to do anything post-shower is SO enticing!

danielle and dinosaur toes said...

i always wanted teddy ruxbin, too, but never did get one. some of my friends has one, so i'd play with theirs when i went over.

i'm with you, why in the world were they so popular? now that i think back to it, i can't understand what te draw was.

my favorite toys from that time were my glow worm, lite brite, and of course dolls & barbies. but, i didn't play with my dolls like most girls. since i had a major surgery when i was younger, i was obsessed with anything medical, so used to put water and red food coloring in zip-loc bags so i could attache blood bags to my dolls just like i had, and i'd find things to use for tubes to hook up to my machines (which were pictures i drew then taped to my chest of drawers). if people didn't know me, they may have thought i was a serial killer in the making will all that blood! i even got my diabetic grandma to give me some syringes (of course she broke the needles off which i wasn't happy about).

wow, my comments always end up getting WAY too long!

Nancy Face said...

Yes, Teddy Ruxpin bears were cute, and the Furby was NOT! :P

My favorite toys were dolls...all types of dolls! I STILL love dolls, and I have several of the historic ones from American Girl. :)