The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin is an American/Canadian animated television series based on Teddy Ruxpin, an animatronic teddy bear created by Ken Forsse and distributed by toy manufacturer Worlds of Wonder. It was produced for television syndication by DIC Animation City with Atkinson Film-Arts using 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 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 are held by Don Taffner's DLT Entertainment.
Plot
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin follows young Teddy Ruxpin as he leaves his home on the island of Rillonia with his best friend Grubby to follow an ancient map which leads him to find a collection of crystals on the mainland of Grundo. With the help of his new friend Dr. Newton Gimmick, 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 of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 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 had proved too difficult and expensive. Atkinson 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 because of economic problems at Worlds of Wonder, a second set of episodes was not produced while Worlds of Wonder still had rights to the property. Interest remains among the owners of the Teddy Ruxpin property and the fanbase to continue the story originated in the animated series, which ended its 65-episode run in somewhat of a cliffhanger.Characters
Main characters
The three main protagonists, often referred to collectively in fandom as The Trio:- Teddy Ruxpin : The protagonist of the series. He is a young 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. They are best friends. 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 bald 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. He is also somewhat absent-minded. 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 and speaks with a British-sounding accent. 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. Wooly apparently has a crush on her.
- 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 schoolteacher. Most of her students are elves and woodsprites, but Wooly joined the class as well.
- Burl Ruxpin : Teddy's long-lost father. An Illiop who lost his memory a long time ago, but regained his identity toward the end of the series.
Villains
- Jack W. Tweeg : A Troll/Grunge hybrid and an evil wizard-wannabe who thinks he has a recipe to turn buttermilk into gold. He is very suspicious and often spies on Gimmick from his tower. He is usually referred to as simply Tweeg. Tweeg has desperately wanted to join M.A.V.O.
- L.B. : Short for Lead Bounder, L.B. is 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.
- Quellor : The Supreme Oppressor of M.A.V.O. He is the main antagonist of the series who sees 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.
- Louie : The filmographer.
Species
- Illiops: Humanoid bear-like creatures, with kind dispositions. Reside in modern Rillonia after a forced mass exodus from ancient Grundo, where they had an advanced civilization.
- Octopedes: Yellow and 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. Are often culturally nocturnal, but have no trouble with a diurnal lifestyle.
- Perloons: Humans who usually are professional in nature.
- Illipers: The near-relatives to humans but broad-faced with flat noses, who live in a medieval-type society with a royal monarchy. In ancient times, they shared a close association with the civilization of the Illiops.
- Grunges: Relatives of the Illipers but jungle-dwellers 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 and penguin-like creatures, sometimes kept as sapient pets.
- Elves: Tiny humanoids with pointy ears and shoes. Share a common culture with the Woodsprites.
- Woodsprites: Tiny humanoids with butterfly-like wings. Share a common culture with the Elves.
- Snowzos: A race of large, white and yeti-like creatures who look more dangerous than they are. 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. They are said by some viewers to resemble Ripto from the Spyro the Dragon series.
- Mudblups: A race of large and lumpy animated blobs of mud, dull-witted and slow moving but very strong. 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 and monkey-like creatures who wear brown tribal owl-like armor, usually belligerent. 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 Grow
- The Second Crystal – Duplication
- The Third Crystal – Invisibility
- The Fourth Crystal – Oxygen Generator
- The Fifth Crystal – Speed Altering
- The Sixth Crystal – Flight Ability
- The Seventh Crystal – Restore and Erase Memory
The episodes
Overview
Although the series 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 series 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 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.Season 1
Season 2
Cast
- Phil Baron – Teddy Ruxpin, Burl Ruxpin
- Will Ryan – Grubby, Louie
- John Stocker – Newton Gimmick
- John Koensgen – Jack W. Tweeg, the Wizard of Weegee
- Robert Bockstael – L.B., Prince Arin
- Abby Hagyard – Princess Aruzia, Eleanor Tweeg, Eunice
- Pierre Paquette – The Wooly Whatsit, 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
VHS/DVD releases
Between 1987 and 1988, Hi-Tops Video released twelve volumes of the series on VHS. They featured between 1 and 3 episodes per tape, and often had a live-action Teddy Ruxpin as a host.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. On January 27, 2009, Mill Creek Entertainment released a 6-disc complete series box set featuring all 65 episodes on DVD for the very first time. As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print.
As of 2012, Image Entertainment have acquired the rights to the series. On July 10, 2012, they released a 10-disc set featuring all 65 episodes of the series entitled The Complete Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin on DVD in Region 1.
| DVD Name | Ep# | 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 |