How Teddy Ruxpin went from a head on a stick to an ’80s phenomenon
<iframe src="https://www.cnet.com/videos/share/teddy-ruxpins-strange-disney-infused-origin-story/" allowfullscreen frameborder=0 style="width:100%;height:470px;"></iframe><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->
Teddy Ruxpin needs an eye massage. After 30 years in a cramped storage garage near Los Angeles, his brown eyes no longer blink. It’s a common problem with bears his age. But with a click of the volume wheel on his back, his snout comes to life. Motors whirl. A speaker crackles. He sings his famous opening line: “Come dream with me tonight.”
It’s a humid summer day outside Los Angeles, and I’m with the toy’s creators in a storage facility nicknamed The Vault. We’re sorting through dusty boxes of merchandise, original artwork, tapes and blueprints that shed light on Teddy’s whimsical, Disney-infused origin story and the rich fantasy universe he roamed.
