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The 21st century is all about reboots and revivals. Think of all the toys you played with as a child and how they may be remodeled for the next generation. And then get ready because the iconic talking bear, Teddy Ruxpin, is making a comeback.
Teddy came onto the scene in 1985. The original was one of the first animatronic toys in the market. His mouth and eyes moved, and Teddy told stories via a cassette tape. (Remember how you’d have to flip over the tape to hear another story?) Numerous animatronic toys have come after dear Teddy Ruxpin, like Furby and Tickle-Me-Elmo—so why the comeback now?
Well, for nostalgia’s sake, for starters.
“We felt the time was right to bring back this nostalgic toy but with the right technology to fit the time,” Jeremy Padawer, co-president of Wicked Cool Toys, the company that’s bringing Teddy back told CNN. “The kids who embraced him back then are 28 to 40 years old now. They have kids who they’d want to introduce to Teddy to.”
Teddy Ruxpin 2.0 is taking it one step forward into the future with a hard drive to hold stories (sorry, no more cassette tapes), interactive apps and color LCD eyes with more than 40 expressions. Ruxpin can look up and down and kids will have the option to download more stories on top of the 10 already stored in his hard drive.
Even with all the new technology, Teddy Ruxpin 2.0 will strive to be both educational and fun for children. The app for Ruxpin will allow children to read along with him as he tells stories. It will also have touch sensors in the hands and feet to provide an easier interface for younger kids.
“Teddy Ruxpin is more than just a toy,” said Ken Forsse, President of Alchemy II, the company that created the original Ruxpin. “He’s about friendship, magical fun, storytelling and literacy, and we believe the team at Wicked Cool Toys has just the right experience to bring this friend-for-life franchise back to life for a whole new generation of kids.”
Priced at $99, Teddy Ruxpin 2.0 will be released in the summer of 2017. Can’t wait that long? You can still find the old-school version on sites like Amazon.
For all the ’80s babies who never got to have Teddy Ruxpin, summer 2017 will be your second chance!