The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin is a children's animated television series based on Teddy Ruxpin, an electronic children's toy created by Ken Forsse and distributed by toy manufacturer Worlds of Wonder (WoW). Produced in 1986–1987 for television syndication by DIC Enterprises with Atkinson Film-Arts, the series employed many of the same voice actors used in the book-and-tape series that was made for the eponymous animatronic toy. While some of the stories used in the TV series were adapted from the books, many were original and greatly expanded upon the world established there. The series differed from traditional children's animation at the time in that most of its 65 episodes were serialized rather than in traditional episodic form.
In the United States, the series was originally syndicated by LBS Communications. Today, all international distribution rights to the series were previously held by Don Taffner's DLT Entertainment. The series is currently owned by The Jim Henson Company under its HIP subsidiary.
Plot
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin follows Teddy Ruxpin as he leaves his home on the island of Rillonia with his best friend Grubby to go on a treasure hunting expedition. They follow an ancient map which leads him to find a collection of crystals on the mainland of Grundo. With the help of their new friend Newton Gimmick, an occasionally successful inventor, Teddy and Grubby discover the magical powers of what turns out to be an ancestral treasure as well as an organization with ambitions to use it for evil known as M.A.V.O.. Along the way, Teddy learns the long-lost history of his species and clues to the location of his missing father.Series history
In mid-1986, Atkinson Film-Arts, based in the Canadian city of Ottawa, was commissioned to co-produce a 65-episode animated television series based on the World of Teddy Ruxpin characters. The series followed a prior attempt to produce a live-action series, which proved too difficult and expensive. Atkinson Film-Arts was in charge of the principal animation and casting.Of the previous voice actors associated with the Teddy Ruxpin property, only Phil Baron and Will Ryan traveled to Canada to remain part of the cast; most other characters were re-cast with local Canadian voice talent. The series was originally intended to continue after the first series of episodes, but due to economic problems at Worlds of Wonder, a second set of episodes was not produced while Worlds of Wonder still held the rights to the property. Interest remains among the owners of the Teddy Ruxpin property and the fanbase to continue the story that originated in the animated series, which ended its 65-episode run on a cliffhanger.
Characters
Main characters
The three main protagonists, often referred to collectively among the fandom as The Trio:Teddy Ruxpin – The protagonist of the series. He is a teenage Illiop whose father disappeared when he was a child. He comes to Grundo to follow a treasure map. Like other Illiops, he is kind and friendly. He loves adventure, meeting new faces, and having new experiences.Grubby – Teddy's best friend, who is an Octopede about Teddy's age. Noted for his large appetite, he is fond of cooking and eating root stew and other foods made from roots. Though not the bravest or smartest of Teddy's friends, he always sticks by Teddy.Newton Gimmick A balding Perloon inventor with a severe stuttering problem and a broad and otherwise questionable definition of "science". Most of his "inventions" either do not work or don't serve any real purpose. Newton is also somewhat absentminded. He is usually referred to simply as Gimmick.Allies
Prince Arin – The brave Illiper son of the king and queen of Grundo. He lives at Grundo Castle. He first met the heroic trio while searching for his kidnapped sister.Princess Aruzia – Prince Arin's younger sister who has a sweet demeanor. Though a princess, she does not mind doing work.The Wooly Whatsit – A large furry purple creature who is not very bright, but very helpful and good-hearted. Later revealed to be a Snowzo, a legendary yeti-like species. He is usually referred to simply as Wooly.Leota – A strict but kind Woodsprite and teacher. Most of her students are elves and woodsprites, but Wooly joined the class as well.Louie – A Grunge filmographer.Burl Ruxpin – Teddy's long-lost father. An Illiop who lost his memory a long time ago and lived as a hermit, but regained his identity toward the end of the series.Villains
M.A.V.O. – Short for Monsters and Villains Organization, it is an organization that terrorizes the land of Grundo.- * Quellor – The Supreme Oppressor of M.A.V.O. and the main antagonist of the series. Quellor is an unspecified creature dressed in dark heavy robes who sees the Illiops as an enemy to his master plan of regaining all six crystals to the one he has in The Black Box. With them, his darkness will reign supremely over the land of Grundo.
- ** Sludge – An unspecified blue creature with red hair who is one of Quellor's henchmonsters and a monster in M.A.V.O.
- ** Trudge – An unspecified green-gray creature with black spots who is one of Quellor's henchmonsters and a monster in M.A.V.O.
- ** Drudge – An unspecified yellow, orange, and blue creature who is one of Quellor's henchmonsters and a monster in M.A.V.O.
- ** Dweezil – Quellor's pet rat/bat hybrid that is often used by Quellor to send secret messages.
- * Ickley Bognostroclum – A troll who is the gatekeeper of M.A.V.O. Ickley has the encyclopedic knowledge of all of M.A.V.O.'s rules and laws. He is also a good friend of Eleanor Tweeg.
- * Mrs. Maggotheart – An unspecified creature who is the dues collector of M.A.V.O. and makes sure its members pay their dues.
- * Understander of Legends – An unspecified creature and a member of M.A.V.O. who serves as the interpreter of the ancient runes.Jack W. Tweeg – A troll/Grunge hybrid and an evil wizard-wannabe who thinks he has a recipe to turn buttermilk into gold, is very suspicious, and often spies on Gimmick from his tower. Usually referred to as simply Tweeg, he has desperately wanted to join M.A.V.O. where his plans have often been ridiculed by Quellor.
- * L.B. – A sarcastic Bounder who usually acts as Tweeg's henchman. L.B. does not show a particularly high degree of loyalty or intelligence, but has enough sense to know that Tweeg's schemes never work. L.B. constantly calls Tweeg by variations of his name, such as "Twix" or "Twizzle", much to Tweeg's annoyance. Eleanor Tweeg – A troll who is the mother of Jack W. Tweeg. She supports his campaign and is good friends with Ickley Bognostroclum.
Species
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin features a large menagerie of sentient species for its character base.Illiops: Humanoid bear-like creatures, with kind dispositions. They reside in modern Rillonia after a forced mass exodus from ancient Grundo, where they had an advanced civilization.Octopedes: Yellow caterpillar-like creatures with eight legs & orange spots, each with fully-formed hands. The first pair are employed as hands, while the rest are used for walking. They are often culturally nocturnal, but have no trouble with a diurnal lifestyle.Perloons: Humans who usually are professional in nature.Illipers: Near-relatives to humans, but broad-faced with flat noses, who live in a medieval-type society with a monarchy. In ancient times, they shared a close association with the civilization of the Illiops.Grunges: Jungle-dwelling relatives of the Illipers, with antennae in lieu of ears, who tend to be passionate about their hobbies. There are two distinct cultures: the tough and hardy jungle Grunges, and the laid-back, fun-loving, hippie-like surf Grunges.Fobs: Small, furry, limbless, multicolored penguin-like creatures, sometimes kept as sapient pets.Elves: Tiny humanoids with pointy ears and shoes, who share a common culture with the Woodsprites.Woodsprites: Tiny humanoids with butterfly-like wings, who share a common culture with the Elves.Snowzos: A race of large, white yeti-like creatures who look more dangerous than they are. They prefer very cold temperatures.Bounders: A race of red, round, two-legged creatures with a rhinoceros-like horn on top of their heads, usually sarcastic.Mudblups: A race of large and lumpy animated blobs of mud, dull-witted and slow-moving but very strong. They are sensitive to bright light, since all of their lives are spent underground.Trolls: Green, thin creatures with pointed noses. For them, being good means being bad.Gutangs: Green monkey-like creatures who wear brown tribal armor and are usually belligerent. They are known for attacking in their fixed-wing flying machines. Anythings: Small, shy creatures able to change into other objects, e.g., carrots, potatoes, other produce. They use their ability to hide. They were previously called Nothings.The Seven Crystals of Grundo
The First Crystal – Shrink and GrowThe Second Crystal – DuplicationThe Third Crystal – InvisibilityThe Fourth Crystal – Oxygen GeneratorThe Fifth Crystal – Speed AlteringThe Sixth Crystal – Flight AbilityThe Seventh Crystal – Restore and Erase MemoryEpisodes
Overview
Although the Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin is mostly serialized, it is further broken down into weekly story arcs which involve visiting a different part of Grundo or exploring a major plot thread, often ending in cliffhangers. Some story lines were taken directly from the toy's book & tape story sets, with secondary plots added to increase the running time.Protect Yourself
Due to the partnership between Worlds of Wonder and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, when the Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin was originally syndicated, each episode included a short segment called "Protect Yourself", which ran after a teaser for the next episode and prior to the closing credits. It featured an animated Teddy Ruxpin on a live-action set, who would introduce contemporary child stars such as Jason Bateman, Brice Beckham, Tiffany Brissette, Shannen Doherty, Corey Feldman and Shalane McCall. The guest would then give young viewers advice on topics such as avoiding strangers, what to do in an emergency, how to respond to inappropriate touching, or running away. A common theme was to talk to a trusted grown-up for help.Cast
- Phil Baron – Teddy Ruxpin, Burl Ruxpin
- Will Ryan – Grubby, Louie
- John Stocker – Newton Gimmick, Understander of Legends
- John Koensgen – Jack W. Tweeg, the Wizard of Weegee
- Robert Bockstael – L.B., Prince Arin
- Abby Hagyard – Princess Aruzia, Eleanor Tweeg, Eunice
- Pier Kohl – The Wooly Whatsit, Ickley Bognostroclum, Additional Voices
- Holly Larocque – Leota the Woodsprite
- Les Lye – Quellor, Additional Voices
- Heather Esdon – Additional Voices
- Donna Farron – Additional Voices
- Rick Jones – Additional Voices
- Anna MacCormack – Additional Voices
- Doug Stratton – Additional Voices
- Terrence Scammell – Digger, Additional Voices
Home media
United States
Hi-Tops Video initially released a lineup of VHS tapes of the show. Episodes range from 1-3 per tape, and often featured wrap-around footage of a live-action Teddy Ruxpin, providing the role of the host of the tapes. Hi-Tops released twelve volumes altogether, making up seventeen episodes in all.On August 8, 2000, EnterTech Home Entertainment and Blue Steel Releasing released a VHS tape entitled Teddy Ruxpin: The Movie. Despite being marketed as a movie and being "based upon the television series", it actuality contains the first four episodes of the series edited together to form a movie.
In February 2006, First National Pictures released two volumes of the series on DVD. Two additional volumes were to be released to complete the series, but for unknown reasons, they were never released.
In January 2008, Mill Creek Entertainment acquired the rights to the series; they subsequently released all 65 episodes in three volume sets. In January 2009, Mill Creek Entertainment released a six-disc complete series box set featuring all 65 episodes on DVD for the first time. As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print.
In 2012, Image Entertainment acquired the rights to the series. On July 10, 2012, they released a ten-disc set featuring all 65 episodes of the series entitled The Complete Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin on DVD in Region 1.
| DVD name | No. | Release date |
| The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin: Six Crystals | 20 | January 15, 2008 |
| The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin: Mysteries of Hard to Find City | 20 | May 6, 2008 |
| The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin: Return to Rillonia | 25 | July 22, 2008 |
| The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin: Come Dream With Me – Complete Series | 65 | January 27, 2009 |
| The Complete Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin | 65 | July 10, 2012 |
Original concept
Originally, Alchemy II Inc. had hoped to create a live-action series using animatronic characters, as Ken Forsse had helped Disney do with Welcome to Pooh Corner. Due to production costs and difficulties in this format, Forsse, Alchemy II and Worlds of Wonder decided animation would be a better route and the 65-episode animated series was created. The pilot episode of what would have been the animatronic series was instead broadcast as an ABC Weekend Special in two parts airing from November 30 to December 7, 1985, and also aired in syndication as a two-part episode. The show can be found on videocassette. The "animatronic movie" used primarily the same voice talent as the Teddy Ruxpin toy software had, most of which were replaced in the later animated TV series by Canadian voice talent.Impact in popular culture
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, was one of the first animated series from the Western world to be broadcast in Bulgaria in the late 1980s. The influence of this show can be seen in the text of the contemporary post-punk band REVIEW and their song "Teddy Ruxpin" . Also, the first underground music shop to open in the nation's capital of Sofia was called MAVO, a reference to the antagonists in the cartoon series.The 2017 film Brigsby Bear featured an animatronic bear suit, similar to the one in the animatronic pilot for the Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin. In the film, the suit is used in the production of a children's television series, which features magical crystals and creatures, just as The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin cartoon did.