Teddy Ruxpin Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

I’m happy to report this teddy bear didn’t scare my baby girl.

Teddy Ruxpin 2017

Teddy? Teddy, are you in there?

Sarah Tew/CNET

It’s a legitimate concern for tech toys nowadays. When Teddy Ruxpin’s big, blue LCD screen eyes turn off, they become black, empty voids. It gave me the creeps at first. I loved the original Teddy Ruxpin when I was a child, but this is a different species. I’ve never had a teddy bear with disappearing eyes.

To avoid traumatizing my 1-year-old, before turning it off, I told her Teddy was going “night-night.” As soon as the eyes turned off, she waved bye-bye and blew him a kiss.

Cue my melting heart.

The first animatronic talking toy was an instant sensation when he came to life in 1985. He’s now evolved for today’s iPad-toting toddlers. He lost the bulky cassette-tape player in his back, making him more squishy and huggable. This new bear still has a little snout that jabbers, paired to the same voice recordings as his predecessor. But the biggest change are his eyes. His blue peepers never stop moving as he narrates stories, morphing into objects and fluttering with hearts, stars and music notes. 

He’s now sold for $100, and £100 in the UK. (The US price converts to about AU$125.)

teddy-ruxpin-2017-16

teddy-ruxpin-2017-16

Teddy may look different, but he has the same lovable personality. Now his storybooks are synced to an app.

Sarah Tew/CNET

When I was a tiny me, I adored Teddy Ruxpin. Turning on this new model and hearing his same voice unlocked memories I didn’t know I had anymore. 

Tiny me would sit on the bed and turn him on and adjust the volume with the wheel on his back. I’d stare at his slow blinking, plastic brown eyes. His soft voice told of adventures about the far off land of Grundo — his mouth chatting in perfect puppetry. It didn’t matter that I heard the gears of three motors whirling in his head. He was enchanting.

Jump back to today, and big me can’t control this new bear’s volume — I can either set it to loud or louder. His little mouth moves smoothly, no gear sounds like before. And as it turns out, those new eyes have grown on me. (What helps is that he has a sleeping mask to hide those “off” eyes.)

Teddy Ruxpin 2017

Teddy Ruxpin 2017

Night-night, Teddy. A sleep mask hides his “off” eyes.

Sarah Tew/CNET