The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin
Title screen
Genre	Animated series
Created by	Ken Forsse
Written by	Marry Crawford Derek Diorio
Directed by	Chris Schouten
Voices of	Phil Baron Will Ryan John Stocker John Koensgen Robert Bockstael Les Lye Abby Hagyard Pierre Paquette (credited as Pier Kohl) Holly Larocque Michelle Baron
Theme music composer	George Wilkins
Opening theme	"Come Dream with Me Tonight" by Phil Baron
Ending theme	"Come Dream with Me Tonight" (instrumental)
Composer(s)	Andrew Huggett
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	65
Production
Executive producer(s)	Andy Heyward Jean Chalopin W.H. Stevens Jr. Alison Clayton Christopher J. Brough
Producer(s)	Christopher J. Brough Andy Heyward Jean Chalopin Alison Clayton
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Atkinson Film-Arts DIC Enterprises
Distributor	LBS Communications
Release
Original network	First run syndication
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	December 24, 1986 (1986-12-24) – October 23, 1987 (1987-10-23)

The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin is an animated TV show from the United States and Canada. It is based on a special animatronic teddy bear toy named Teddy Ruxpin. The toy was created by Ken Forsse.

The show was made by DIC Enterprises and Atkinson Film-Arts. Many of the voice actors from the original Teddy Ruxpin toy's story tapes also worked on the TV series. Some of the TV show's stories came from the toy's books, but many were new. The series was different from other kids' cartoons because most of its 65 episodes told one long, connected story, rather than separate stories in each episode.

In the U.S., the show first aired through television syndication by LBS Communications. Today, a company called DLT Entertainment handles all international rights for the series.

Story of Teddy Ruxpin

The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin follows a young Illiop named Teddy Ruxpin. He leaves his home on Rillonia Island with his best friend, Grubby. They follow an old map that leads them to find special crystals on the mainland of Grundo.

They meet a new friend, Dr. Newton Gimmick. Together, Teddy and Grubby discover the magical powers of these crystals. They learn the crystals are an ancient treasure. They also find out about a bad group called M.A.V.O. (Monsters and Villains Organization). M.A.V.O. wants to use the crystals for evil. As they travel, Teddy learns about his family's history and finds clues about his missing father.

Main Characters

These three friends are often called The Trio by fans:

• Teddy Ruxpin (voiced by Phil Baron): He is the main hero of the show. Teddy is a young Illiop, about 15 years old. His father disappeared when Teddy was little. Teddy comes to Grundo to find a treasure map. Like all Illiops, he is kind and friendly. He loves adventures, meeting new people, and trying new things.
• Grubby (voiced by Will Ryan): He is Teddy's best friend. Grubby is an Octopede, about the same age as Teddy. He loves to cook and eat "root stew" and other foods made from roots. These foods usually don't taste good to others! Grubby might not be the bravest or smartest, but he always stays by Teddy's side.
• Newton Gimmick (voiced by John Stocker): He is a Perloon inventor who stutters a lot. Gimmick has strange ideas about what "science" is. Most of his inventions don't work or don't have a real purpose. He can also be a bit forgetful. People usually just call him Gimmick.

Friends of the Trio

• Prince Arin (voiced by Robert Bockstael): He is a brave Illiper and the son of Grundo's king and queen. He lives at Grundo Castle and speaks with a British-like accent. He first met Teddy and his friends while looking for his kidnapped sister.
• Princess Aruzia (voiced by Abby Hagyard): She is Prince Arin's younger sister. She is very sweet. Even though she's a princess, she doesn't mind working. Wooly seems to like her a lot.
• The Wooly Whatsit (voiced by Pier Kohl): He is a big, furry purple creature. Wooly is not very smart, but he is very helpful and kind-hearted. Later, it's found out he is a Snowzo, a legendary yeti-like creature. He is usually called just Wooly.
• Leota (voiced by Holly Larocque): She is a strict but kind Woodsprite. Leota is also a schoolteacher. Most of her students are elves and woodsprites, but Wooly joined her class too.
• Burl Ruxpin (voiced by Phil Baron): He is Teddy's father, who was lost for a long time. Burl is an Illiop who lost his memory. He lived alone for a while but got his memory back near the end of the series.

Bad Guys

There are three main villains:

• Jack W. Tweeg (voiced by John Koensgen): He is part Troll and part Grunge. Tweeg wants to be an evil wizard. He thinks he has a secret recipe to turn buttermilk into gold. He is very suspicious and often spies on Gimmick from his tower. He is usually just called Tweeg. Tweeg really wants to join M.A.V.O.
• L.B. (voiced by Robert Bockstael): This is short for Lead Bounder. L.B. is a sarcastic Bounder who works for Tweeg. L.B. isn't very loyal or smart, but he knows that Tweeg's plans never work. L.B. often calls Tweeg by different names, like "Twix" or "Twizzle," which annoys Tweeg.
• Quellor (voiced by Les Lye): He is the Supreme Oppressor of M.A.V.O. Quellor is the main villain of the show. He sees Illiops as enemies to his plan. His goal is to get all six crystals back to the one he has in The Black Box. With all of them, his darkness will rule over Grundo.
• Louie (voiced by Will Ryan): He is a Grunge who makes films.

Creatures of Grundo

The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin has many different kinds of creatures:

• Illiops: These are bear-like creatures who look a bit like humans. They are very kind. They live in Rillonia now, but they used to live in ancient Grundo. They had a very advanced civilization there.
• Octopedes: These creatures are yellow and look like caterpillars. They have eight legs, each with hands. Their first pair of legs are used as hands, and the others are for walking. They are often active at night, but they can also be active during the day.
• Perloons: These are human-like creatures who often have jobs like scientists, doctors, or wizards.
• Illipers: These are close relatives to humans, but they have wide faces and flat noses. They live in a medieval-style society with kings and queens. Long ago, they were good friends with the Illiop civilization.
• Grunges: These are relatives of the Illipers. They live in jungles and have antennae instead of ears. They are very passionate about their hobbies. There are two types: tough jungle Grunges and relaxed, fun-loving surf Grunges.
• Fobs: These are small, furry, colorful creatures without limbs. They look a bit like penguins. Sometimes, they are kept as smart pets.
• Elves: These are tiny human-like creatures with pointy ears and shoes. They share a culture with the Woodsprites.
• Woodsprites: These are tiny human-like creatures with wings like butterflies. They share a culture with the Elves.
• Snowzos: These are large, white, yeti-like creatures. They look dangerous but are usually not. They love very cold places.
• Bounders: These are red, round creatures with two legs and a rhinoceros-like horn on their heads. They are usually sarcastic.
• Mudblups: These are large, lumpy blobs of mud that can move. They are not very smart and move slowly, but they are very strong. They don't like bright light because they live underground.
• Trolls: These are thin, green creatures with pointed noses. For them, being good means being bad.
• Gutangs: These are green, monkey-like creatures. They wear brown armor that looks like an owl. They are usually aggressive. They are known for attacking in their flying machines.
• Anythings: These are small, shy creatures that can change into other objects, like carrots or potatoes. They use this ability to hide. They used to be called Nothings.

The Seven Crystals of Grundo

These crystals have special powers:

• The First Crystal (Imagination) – Can make things shrink or grow.
• The Second Crystal (Honesty) – Can make copies of things.
• The Third Crystal (Trust) – Can make things invisible.
• The Fourth Crystal (Bravery) – Can create oxygen (air to breathe).
• The Fifth Crystal (Friendship) – Can change how fast things move.
• The Sixth Crystal (Freedom) – Can give the ability to fly.
• The Seventh Crystal (The Black Box) – Can erase or bring back memories.

The Episodes

Overview

The series tells one long story, but it's also broken into smaller story parts each week. These parts often involve visiting a new place in Grundo or exploring a big part of the main story. Many episodes end with a cliffhanger, making you want to watch the next one! Some stories came from the toy's books and tapes, with new parts added to make them longer for TV.

Protect Yourself

When the show first aired, each episode had a short part called "Protect Yourself." This part came after a preview for the next episode and before the credits. It showed an animated Teddy Ruxpin in a real-life setting. He would introduce young stars like Jason Bateman or Shannen Doherty. These guests would give kids advice on important topics. This included how to avoid strangers, what to do in an emergency, how to react to inappropriate touching, or what to do if you wanted to run away. A common message was always to talk to a trusted adult for help.

Season 1

There are 65 episodes in total. Here are a few examples from the first season:

There are many more exciting episodes in Season 1, continuing the adventures of Teddy and his friends!

Season 2

Season 2 continues the story with more adventures and challenges for Teddy and his friends. Here are some of the episodes:

Voice Actors

Here are the main voice actors who brought the characters to life:

• 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 (credited as Pier Kohl) – The Wooly Whatsit, and other voices
• Holly Larocque – Leota the Woodsprite
• Les Lye – Quellor, and other voices

Note: In the original toy's tape and book series, and in the animatronic pilot episode, some characters had different voice actors. For example, Tony Pope voiced Gimmick, and Katie Leigh voiced Princess Aruzia.

DVD Releases

Over the years, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin has been released on DVD multiple times.

• In 2008 and 2009, Mill Creek Entertainment released all 65 episodes in different sets, including a complete series box set.
• In 2012, Image Entertainment released a 10-disc set called The Complete Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, which also included all 65 episodes.

Original Idea

The creators, Alchemy II Inc., first wanted to make a live-action TV show using animatronic characters. This was similar to what Ken Forsse had done for Disney shows like Welcome to Pooh Corner. However, making a show this way was very expensive and difficult. So, they decided that an animated series would be better. That's how the 65-episode animated show was created.

The pilot episode for the animatronic series was instead released as a special on ABC in 1985. It also aired as a two-part episode in syndication. This "animatronic movie," as fans call it, mostly used the same voice actors as the Teddy Ruxpin toy. However, most of these voice actors (except Phil Baron and Will Ryan) were replaced by Canadian voice actors for the later animated TV series.

See also

In Spanish: The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin para niños