Anyone else miss Teddy Ruxpin?

I loved my Teddy Ruxpin. In case you don’t know, this was an “animatronic” toy that had a cassette player built into the back of him, and his mouth would move as the tape played.

When I was growing up I had a ton of books that came with tapes. They were all children’s books, mostly Disney iirc. You’d pop the tape in and read along with the book. I wore my Teddy Ruxpin out. He was definitely a big part of the reason I love to read to this day. I think at the end of life he lost his lower jaw somehow. 😅 I swear it must have just fallen off due to overuse because I was not rough with him.

I was feeling nostalgic and googled it. There’s a new Teddy Ruxpin and he is not at all the same. Looks different, has facial expressions, and is a “smart” toy. Your kids read along on “any device that has the app.” Maybe I’m just a curmudgeon, but handling the physical books as I was reading along was a big part of my experience. Even though I understand why this is how it is now, I’m saddened that kids now won’t have that experience. I don’t want to need to purchase or unlock more stories in app.

I grew up with my mom and aunt’s “books with records” that I played (and read along to) on my old Sesame Street record player, and my generation of childhood had cassettes. I entertained myself for hours reading along to these stories. It was safe. You don’t have to worry about a cassette having a secret “Elsagate” on it (my thoughts were prompted by a recent thread). And even though you don’t need to worry about that with the new Teddy Ruxpin, you also can’t find used “in app” purchases at a garage sale or have them be passed down by a family friend.

I guess I’m just bummed out by nostalgia. As cliche as it sounds, kids these days are growing up in a completely different world. I’m part of the last generation that didn’t have internet during elementary school. Even in middle school, the only time I was able to get online was at school; my family couldn’t afford a computer and internet. I didn’t even have a cell phone until I graduated HS iirc. God I sound old. I’m only 34, I was just poor growing up lol.