TEDDY RUXPIN INFORMATION

This page will help you better understand the different versions and manufacturers of Teddy Ruxpin.

There were 4 Versions of Teddy Ruxpin produced.

INITIAL VERSION

(PROTOTYPES)-ALCHEMY II-WORLDS OF WONDER-DATES ?

The initial version is rarely known and seen.It was made by the creator of Teddy Ruxpin Ken Forsse and his Alchemy II Group.I was fortunate to see one and it sort of looks like the baby bear in the older Country Bear Jamboree of Disney fame which Forsse was a part of.Some would say he isn't as attractive as the production Teddy Ruxpin.I say "hey you got to start somewhere.

It was revamped (above picture) by Donald D. Kingsborough and his elected staff to the look we all know of as the Worlds Of Wonder Teddy Ruxpin.

Here you can see the Prototype of Teddy Ruxpin is closer to what we all know.It used a SHARP Flip Lid Tape Player(would have been way to expensive to produce not to mention makng Teddy alittle bit more heavier)and as you can see had rewind capability.Notice his lower paws(feet) and his slender body.It had gotten a few revisions before production.

FIRST VERSION

WORLDS OF WONDER INC.-1985-1988

This version was produced in September of 1985 and got it's International Debut in December of the same year and was the "1985 Toy Of The Year".WOW had a hard time keeping up with the demand,and it has been rumored they went to their competition at the time to get help in the supply.

It can be indentified by it's size 20"- 21" and weight as well as the (4) "C" Battery power source.The cassettes are normal size.

Below are the revisions made to Teddy Ruxpin.Some were used to keep down the manufacturing cost,from 3 servo to 2 servo motors,metal tape players to plastic ones as well as internal mechanisms and electronics.

TEDDY RUXPIN-1985-1986

This version of Teddy Ruxpin is the First also known as the "Original"

Metal Tape Player(Only Year)-3 Animatronic Servo Motors(One for eyes,upper mouth,lower mouth)

Soft Rubber Nose

Unhinged Battery Cover

This version because of the metal tape player weighs the most of all the versions,it almost weighs as much as a plastic player with all four batteries installed.

The sound quality is noticeably better than the plastic player versions.

The metal tape player is a bit more sensitive to what I call "door jamming" when a tape is put in incorrectly and the door pushed shut, this can bend the actuating tab and cause the tape player to become inoperable.

The tape player has an auto tape shut-off but not really an auto power shut-off, so if you have a metal tape player it would be wise to manually turn it off when changing tapes and when you are done playing with him.

There is no tape recognition( tape recognition switch is very rare on the metal tape player and was only installed on the beginning few production Teddys') and a regular cassette tape being played will make Teddy animate in unsychronized movement diminishing battery life.

The animatronic servo motor noise is quite noticeable as they are the early version which used gear to gear mesh.

This Version is becoming the most collectible as it was made for one year and quantity is limited.

TEDDY RUXPIN-1986-1987

This version of Teddy Ruxpin had the most quantity made.

Plastic Tape Player-3 Animatronic Servo Motors(One for eyes,upper mouth,lower mouth)

Soft Rubber or Hard Plastic Nose-

Unhinged Battery Cover

This version has the plastic tape player which is lighter than the earlier version.

Sound quality is not as good as the metal tape player version(background humming is easily heard).

The plastic tape player has auto tape shut-off and auto power shut-off which is good if someone forgets to turn him off.

It also has tape recognition,meaning if a regular cassette is being played Teddy will not animate and this will prolong battery life.

The animatronic servo motors on some of the first of this version still had the gear to gear mesh,but then were switched to a pulley type which is somewhat quieter in operation.

Noses can be soft rubber,they were used until the supply ran out,and then went to a hard plastic nose.

TEDDY RUXPIN-1987-?

Plastic Tape Player-2 Animatronic Servo Motors(One for eyes,lower mouth)-

Hard Plastic Nose-

Hinged Battery Cover- not as easily lost as the previous versions.

This version has the plastic tape player which is lighter than the earlier version.

Sound quality is not as good as the metal tape player version(background humming is easily heard).

The plastic tape player has auto tape shut-off and auto power shut-off which is good if someone forgets to turn him off.

It also has tape recognition,meaning if a regular cassette is being played Teddy will not animate and this will prolong battery life.

The animatronic servo motors are the pulley type which are somewhat quieter than the earlier gear to gear mesh.

This version runs (2) animatronic servo motors one like normal for the eyes,and then in the lower mouth which activates the upper mouth thru a hinge and return spring.The animatronic movements are more of a "jerking" motion than the other 2 versions, due to the missing upper mouth servo.The lower mouth and upper mouth are tab hinged and a spring is used to close the upper mouth,which makes it more "jittery".

The benefit in having one less servo is less battery consumption,Worlds Of Wonder made this design to save on cost.

The main flaw in the design is because the middle servo is missing if Teddy takes a "nose dive" the motor frame usually cracks.

Grubby Interaction is alittle better on this version due to the last Revised Printed Circuit Board.

Also the battery cover is hinged which makes it less likely to be lost.

This Version is the best for "little kiddles" or if being used in a classroom as he is the lightest version,and uses the least amount of battery power when in operation.These are also becoming harder to find as they were the last large Teddy Ruxpins marketed.

This version is becoming harder to find because of it's short production run.

SECOND VERSION

WORLDS OF WONDER INC.-1988

PLAYSKOOL-HASBRO-1991-1992

This version was first produced by WOW and is indentified by it's smaller size 16"-17" and lighter weight,as well as the (4) "AA" Battery power source.

Teddy Ruxpin uses a cartrigde type cassette(resembles a small 8-track tape).The quality of this version is somewhat lacking as the animatronics are controlled by belts and pulleys driven by a single servo motor.Great for longer battery life but the belts tend to stretch and deteriorate over the years causing Teddy not to operate(usually the mouth).The cartridges had problem issues as well.There is no way to control the volume,it has no volume control switch.

PlaySkool produced this same Teddy Ruxpin simply by using the same design,molding dies,and look by receiving the rights to Teddy Ruxpin from WOW.

PlaySkool's are even easier to tell apart (above picture) as the clothing is brighter red and the legs and arms are larger than the WOW.

The WOW version is on the left and the PlaySkool version on the right.

THIRD VERSION

YES ENTERTAINMENT CO.-1998

This version is very easy to distinquish from the others as Teddy got a whole new look with a Red Shirt with Yellow Stripe and Blue Pants.

He is also a smaller 17"- 18" version which also uses a (4) "AA" Battery source and the cassettes are normal size( YES cassettes ARE NOT interchangeable with the WOW Teddy Ruxpin ).It also uses the belts and pulleys driven by a single servo motor system to activate the animatronics.

A point to mention is YES ENTERTAINMENT INC. produced Teddy Ruxpin due to Don Kingsborough who was part of the Company then.It did not sell as well as the Worlds Of Wonder First Generation version and production ceased abruptly due to some financial issues as well.

Which left a very minimum of book/tape sets to be purchased, they are getting harder to find these days.The quality of this Teddy is not very good either.

FOURTH VERSION

BACK PACK TOYS - 2005

CAN'T WAIT TO ORDER ONE AND DO A REVIEW!!!!!!

TEDDY RUXPIN AND WORLDS OF WONDER "TALKING" TOY PROBLEMS

This section will help you understand some of the problems that can go wrong with Teddy Ruxpin and W.O.W.s' in general.

Long storage and inactivity are not good as well as where it was stored, hot attic, cold and damp basement, in a shed during the seasons, or a garage.

One will have a Teddy Ruxpin who worked great and then 6 years later get him out to play and he doesn't work.

The question is Why won't he work?

This section will help you understand some of the problems that can go wrong with Teddy Ruxpin and W.O.W.s' in general.

Long storage and inactivity are not good as well as where it was stored, hot attic, cold and damp basement, in a shed during the seasons, or a garage.

One will have a Teddy Ruxpin who worked great and then 6 years later get him out to play and he doesn't work.

The question is Why won't he work?

The servo motors are the biggest problem as if he doesn't animate what fun is he.

The original petroleum base grease used as a lubricant in the servos would become liquified in heat,and yes this is even caused by the servo motors being used under normal operation,or stored in an attic or room temperature,as the oils separate they ooze their way into the potentiometer contacts corroding them,causing a loss of the signal.In colder temperatures the grease would harden,causing Teddy not to animate.

The other problem is the tape player.It uses a rubber tape player drive belt, this belt is in a stretched state constantly and because it goes from a large pulley to a small pulley if not being rotated will be in the shape of a pear versus it's normal circular shape.

It will also deteriorate(dry rot) over time and will cause the drive belt to ride incorrectly in the pulleys causing Teddy to sound sick.

Glues and adhesives will weaken over time causing problems as well, a glued plastic retaining cap which holds a retracting spring in the plastic tape players is notorious for popping off as the glue weakens making the tape player inoperable.

Some parts will start to crack or break as they become brittle with age.

My Restorations involve modifications and updates to remedy the above problems.

BUYING A TEDDY RUXPIN

Now that you have decided which Teddy Ruxpin you would like to purchase, comes the next step and the most hardest.

Buying one that works.Because no matter what version you get a working version is the best version.

Here are a few helpful tips that may help.

I have gotten a number of e-mails from folks who have purchased Teddys on eBay and when they received them found out they didn't work as described.

Always ask a seller if a Teddy or W.O.W. fully works,not just like some sell them that the tape player works so it is "so called works"

Beware of the "Untested" Description Auction as most sellers know a working Teddy will be worth more than a non-working one so most likely tried it and it didn't work so they listed it this way so they would assume no liability, although there are some sellers who don't have a tape to use to test him,but if one is being listed with tapes beware.

The NRFB(Never Removed From Box) is another auction, just because it was never used and has been stored for 19+ years doesn't guarantee you will get a working Teddy.

The other famous auction listing is "It worked fine when we packed it away so it should work fine now" this is not the case.

These are only helpful guidelines so you do not end up like those I have known who paid high bids and then had to pay more to get them working.

TEDDY RUXPIN AND W.O.W.s' PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Now that you have gotten your working Teddy Ruxpin or W.O.W. there are a few things to do to keep him healthy for a long time.

It is a good idea to play him every month this will keep the tape player drive belt from staying in the same position,as well as keep the servo motors active.

If you play your W.O.W. alot it is a good idea to get a tape head cleaner they come in dry and wet type and some have demagnatizing capability as well, use the manufacturer's directions.These should be used every 20 hours of playing time to clean the tape player head,capstan,and pinch roller.

Alkaline Batteries are the best food for Teddy and W.O.W.s as they last longer than regular batteries, it is a good idea to remove the batteries if your W.O.W. will be inactive for a month or longer,so the batteries don't leak and cause corrosion.

TEDDY RUXPIN AND W.O.W.s' IN OPERATION

Here are a few things to point out while playing your W.O.W.

You may come upon while playing your W.O.W. that the eyes seem to only move half way open, this can be from low batteries or even a bad cassette tape.

Some cassette tapes will have a defective animatronic track open the eyes half way, work on one side and not the other, work great until you get to the middle and the animatronic movements go heywire, have the animatronics work but no sound.

I have gotten some like this and yes even new ones, some are defective from the factory and those that are used get this way from normal usage.This is the unfortunate part with a cassette tape everytime you use it, the tape wears down.

Make sure you have the batteries in the correct sequence after you change them,one in the wrong way will have you wondering why he isn't working.

If one or more of the batteries seems to sit to low take your finger and pull up slightly on the bottom metal battery post.

Always go to the right to turn a W.O.W. on and to increase volume,and when turning it off go left gently, I have had to replace on/off/volume control switches that were taken to far right and left.

Metal tape players need the tape placed in square so the door isn't forced shut when the tape is placed incorrectly, so as not to damage the tape player.A good idea with the metal tape player is to manually turn it off when changing tapes or the supply spool/guide will continually turn and you may damage the player or tape.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:

Make sure you buy Worlds Of Wonder Cassette Tapes for your Worlds Of Wonder Teddy Ruxpin, YES ENTERTAINMENT made a smaller version Teddy Ruxpin in 1998 which uses cassette tapes which look similar to the Worlds Of Wonder tapes.They will have "YES" printed on them and WILL NOT WORK in the W.O.W. Teddy Ruxpin.You need cassette tapes which have WOW printed on them.

WOW Tapes have the WOW Logo(upper left).

YES ENT. have the YES! Logo(lower left).

***NON-INTERCHANGEABLE***

NO information(Including all images)on this site may be used or reproduced without my consent.