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UPDATED 9/2006
USA TODAY WEEKEND Interview with Teddy Ruxpin Online
webmaster Josh Isaacson
In August of 2005, I was lucky enough to be asked by BackPack Toys to represent
Teddy Ruxpin's return in an interview with USA Today Weekend magazine. You can check out the finished article
Here- At Their Website However
they used only a couple of quotes from the article as they decided to go with a smaller piece than they originally thought-
so below is the full interview I did with Bobbi Dempsey, a freelance writer who did the piece for the magazine.
USA WEEKEND:
When/How did you buy your first
Teddy Ruxpin?
JOSH ISAACSON:
I was 2 1/2 years old when I recieved Teddy for Christmas.. It
was #1 on my Christmas List. I almost wore out the tape that came
with Teddy over the Holidays. We have home video of that Christmas
which pretty much consists of me telling my parents to turn Teddy's
tape over to start the story again.
USA WEEKEND MAGAZINE:
What do you think is the key to Teddy Ruxpin's appeal, to people of all
ages?
JOSH:Teddy and the supporting characters Ken Forsse created
really do appeal to a universal audience. Teddy, while naturally aimed
at Children, was as much fun for grandparents and parents and in a lot
of cases older siblings as it was for the intended age range. Teddy's
initial release was a huge step forward for toys that could be
interactive, educational and a lot of fun all at the same time. I
think a lot of people were initially drawn to Teddy because there was
something a little bit magical about him. The slogan that was used, "A
friend for life comes to life." really said it all, it was like Teddy
was really alive and telling you stories and introducing you to his
world, although if that's all there was to Teddy the appeal would have
been much shorter lived. Because he talked, Teddy also seemed more
like a friend than a toy and an attatchment develops. 80 percent of
people who had a Teddy Ruxpin recall him today, which speaks volumes.
I can't remember most of the other toys I had when I was 3, but I
could have never forgotten Teddy. The reason for the longer lasting
appeal is quite simply the quality of the characters and the
storylines that were produced. A story from Teddy was never boring, it
made you think about the world around you, taught good lessons on
loyalty, friendship and had a lot of imagination without being
preachy, and Teddy was always on adventures that were seamlessly fun
and thought provoking and educational What I like best about the
world of Teddy Ruxpin besides the brilliant characters is that Teddy
never had a one-track mind, he was never put into a box., he had
something a little different to say everytime Dad changed the tape.
Also, the diverse supporting characters helped provide a lot of
humorous and dramatic storylines for Teddy both for the toy and the TV
series which followed later. Subplots of a lot of stories had elements
which adults can relate to, falling in love, having problems with
neighbors, dealing with shady characters, etc. In a way Teddy helps
provide kids some insight into things that will happen to them later
on. Also, Teddy appeals to a general audience because he never was
programmed to talk down to kids, which in turn makes him likable to
adults as well.
USA WEEKEND:
How do you think this toy has managed to remain popular after all these
years?
JOSH:
Kind of what I said before, the well-written characters and the
magical qualities of Teddy are really universal and will be relevant
for generations to come. Kids and Parents who were exposed to Teddy
during the 1980s are now parents and grandparents and realize that
Teddy was a step above anything else out there and is again today.
Plus, there have been other toys that made noise and maybe had moving
eyelids and a mouth, but Teddy is for sure the only one that ever
really 'talked' and made you believe it.
USA WEEKEND:
You're involved with a Teddy Ruxpin fan site. Is there a "typical" Teddy
> Ruxpin fan? What kind of people have you met through this shared interest?
JOSH:
The biggest highlight of running my website over the years was
meeting Ken Forsse, the creator of Teddy, and his wife. Out of all the
movie stars and anyone else I'd ever want to meet Ken was always at
the top of my list, so it was very neat to have had that experience.
I've talked to probably thousands of people from all over the world,
but I'd say there's not one typical fan. There are people of all ages,
even adults who didn't have children who became a fan of Teddy in the
1980s. A lot of fans from around the world also became aquainted with
Teddy through the TV Series. The only thing always typical about a
Teddy fan is they want him to come back.
USA WEEKEND:
I believe you're involved with the new Teddy Ruxpin model coming out this
year. Can you give me any info on that, and how you're involved?
JOSH:
I was fortunate enough to be
contacted about helping out with aspects of online marketing and
acting as a consultant to BackPack Toys when they started producing
the new Teddy, which will be released September 1st. It's technology
has been improved and will now use digital cartridges rather than
audio tapes, so Teddy should look and sound better than ever. Teddy is
going to be available at Target stores and online at TeddyRuxpin.com.
Related Info
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