Teddy Ruxpin / Grubby
Teddy Ruxpin is probably one of the more famous toys from the 1980's. We personally never owned one, because frankly this thing scared us. Teddy Ruxpin was a talking bear, initially created by a company called Worlds of Wonder, and was the best-selling toy of 1985-1986. The original Teddy Ruxpin was manufactured until 1988 with other manufactures making the unit well into the 1990’s and beyond. World of Wonder went bankrupt in 1988. Teddy Ruxpin was resurrected in the 2000’s, ultimately winning an award for the best Animated Interactive Plush toy for 2006.
As most of you know, you would put tapes into Teddy's back and he would move his eyes and mouth while reading you the story on the tape. Teddy had a worm friend named Grubby that would connect to Teddy using a cable. The cable allowed the two to communicate with each other. Stories revolved around Teddy and Grubby’s adventures, such as finding treasures, escaping dangers, and meeting new friends. Although not animated, there were other plush companions in the series as well, such as hand puppets and little birds.