The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin is a children's animated 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 (Henson Independent Properties) 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. (short for Monsters and Villains Organization). Along the way, Teddy learns the long-lost history of his species and clues to the location of his missing father.Lovable Teddy Ruxpin evolves from toy to animated star of his own half-hour program thanks to Crawley Films, Toronto Star – October 31, 1987
Characters Main characters The three main protagonists are often referred to collectively among the fandom as The Trio:
Teddy Ruxpin (voiced by Phil Baron) is the protagonist of the series. He is a teenage Illiop (roughly 15) 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 (voiced by Will Ryan) is 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 (which usually do not taste good to non-Octopedes). Though not the bravest or smartest of Teddy's friends, he always sticks by Teddy. Newton Gimmick (voiced by John Stocker) is 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 and is usually referred to simply as Gimmick.
Allies Prince Arin (voiced by Robert Bockstael) is 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 (voiced by Abby Hagyard) is Prince Arin's younger sister who has a sweet demeanor. Though a princess, she does not mind doing work. The Wooly Whatsit (voiced by Pier Kohl) is a large furry purple creature who is not very bright, but very helpful and good-hearted. He is later revealed to be a Snowzo, a legendary yeti-like species. He is usually referred to simply as Wooly. Leota (voiced by Holly Larocque) is a strict but kind Woodsprite and teacher. Most of her students are elves and woodsprites, but Wooly joined the class as well. Louie (voiced by Will Ryan) is a Grunge filmographer. Burl Ruxpin (voiced by Phil Baron) is Teddy's long-lost father and 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, is an organization that terrorizes the land of Grundo. Quellor (voiced by Les Lye) is a 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 is an unspecified blue creature with red hair who is one of Quellor's henchmonsters and a monster in M.A.V.O. Trudge is an unspecified green-gray creature with black spots who is one of Quellor's henchmonsters and a monster in M.A.V.O. Drudge is an unspecified yellow, orange, and blue creature who is one of Quellor's henchmonsters and a monster in M.A.V.O. Dweezil is Quellor's pet rat/bat hybrid that is often used by Quellor to send secret messages. Ickley Bognostroclum (voiced by Pier Kohl) is a troll and the gatekeeper of M.A.V.O. Ickley has the encyclopedic knowledge of all of M.A.V.O.'s rules and laws and is also a good friend of Eleanor Tweeg. Mrs. Maggotheart is an unspecified creature who is the dues collector of M.A.V.O. and makes sure its members pay their dues. Understander of Legends (voiced by John Stocker) is an unspecified creature and a member of M.A.V.O. who serves as the interpreter of the ancient runes. Jack W. Tweeg (voiced by John Koensgen) is 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. (short for Lead Bounder) (voiced by Robert Bockstael) 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. Eleanor Tweeg (voiced by Abby Hagyard) is a troll and 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 are 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 are 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 are humans who usually are professional in nature (e.g. scientist, doctor, wizard). Illipers are a 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 are 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 are small, furry, limbless, multicolored penguin-like creatures, sometimes kept as sapient pets. Elves are a tiny humanoids with pointy ears and shoes, who share a common culture with the Woodsprites. Woodsprites are a tiny humanoids with butterfly-like wings, who share a common culture with the Elves. Snowzos are a race of large, white yeti-like creatures who look more dangerous than they are and they prefer very cold temperatures. Bounders are a race of red, round, two-legged creatures with a rhinoceros-like horn on top of their heads, usually sarcastic. Mudblups are 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 are green, thin creatures with pointed noses. For them, being good means being bad. Gutangs are 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 are 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.
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
NOTE: In the tape & book series and the animatronic pilot episode, Tony Pope voiced Gimmick, Will Ryan also voiced Tweeg, Prince Arin, and Wooly, Katie Leigh voiced Princess Aruzia, and Russi Taylor voiced Leota.
The Seven Crystals of Grundo The First Crystal (Imagination) – Shrink and Grow The Second Crystal (Honesty) – Duplication The Third Crystal (Bravery) – Invisibility The Fourth Crystal (Trust) – Oxygen Generator The Fifth Crystal (Friendship) – Speed Altering The Sixth Crystal (Freedom) – Flight Ability The Seventh Crystal (The Black Box) – Restore and Erase Memory
Episodes 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 storylines 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.
Season 1 (1986–87)
Season 2 (1987)
Development In mid-1986, Atkinson Film-Arts, based in the Canadian city of Ottawa, was commissioned to co-produce (with Worlds of Wonder, Alchemy II, and DIC Entertainment) 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.