This version of Teddy Ruxpin is the First also known as the "Original"
Metal Tape Player(Only Year)-3 Animatronic Servo Motors(One for eyes,upper mouth,lower mouth)
Soft Rubber Nose
Unhinged Battery Cover
This version because of the metal tape player weighs the most of all the versions,it almost weighs as much as a
plastic player with all four batteries installed.
The sound quality is noticeably better than the plastic player versions.
The metal tape player is a bit more sensitive to what I call "door jamming" when a tape is put in incorrectly and the
door pushed shut, this can bend the actuating tab and cause the tape player to become inoperable.
The tape player has an auto tape shut-off but not really an auto power shut-off, so
if you have a metal tape player it would be wise to manually turn it off when changing tapes and when you are done playing with him.
There were a few tape recognition metal tape players (shown below) produced,and these are the rarest Teddy Ruxpin's produced.
With tape recognition a regular cassette tape being played will not make Teddy animate in unsychronized movement
diminishing battery life.
Most production metal tape players came without tape recognition.
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The tape recognition switch (marked with white rectangle)
is on the lower left of the tape player,and to the left of the tape holder assembly.
It should be noted that not all switches were wired for use,as some I found have the switch mounted but no wiring connected.
This is the rarest Teddy Ruxpin produced as he was the first run of production,but the switch had gotten cancelled to save money.In the lower right corner picture you can see the date stamping SEP 17 1985 to verify this.
So don't get excited about the ebay auctions stating the rare chestnut color brown Teddy Ruxpin they are not as rare as one of these guys. |
The animatronic servo motor noise is quite noticeable as they are the early version which used gear to gear mesh.
This Version is becoming the most collectible as it was made for one year and quantity is limited.
TEDDY RUXPIN-1986-1987
This version of Teddy Ruxpin had the most quantity made.
Plastic Tape Player-3 Animatronic Servo Motors(One for eyes,upper mouth,lower mouth)
Soft Rubber or Hard Plastic Nose-
Unhinged Battery Cover
This version has the plastic tape player which is lighter than the earlier version.
Sound quality is not as good as the metal tape player version(background humming is easily heard).
The plastic tape player has auto tape shut-off and auto power shut-off which is good if someone forgets to turn him off.
It also has tape recognition,meaning if a regular cassette is being played Teddy will not animate and this will prolong battery life.
The animatronic servo motors on some of the first of this version still had the gear to gear mesh,but then were switched
to a pulley type which is somewhat quieter in operation.
Noses can be soft rubber,they were used until the supply ran out,and then went to a hard plastic nose.
TEDDY RUXPIN-1987-?
Plastic Tape Player-2 Animatronic Servo Motors(One for eyes,lower mouth)-
Hard Plastic Nose-
Hinged Battery Cover- not as easily lost as the previous versions.
This version has the plastic tape player which is lighter than the earlier version.
Sound quality is not as good as the metal tape player version(background humming is easily heard).
The plastic tape player has auto tape shut-off and auto power shut-off which is good if someone forgets to turn him off.
It also has tape recognition,meaning if a regular cassette is being played Teddy will not animate and this will prolong battery life.
The animatronic servo motors are the pulley type which are somewhat quieter than the earlier gear to gear mesh.
This version runs (2) animatronic servo motors one like normal for the eyes,and then in the lower mouth which activates
the upper mouth thru a hinge and return spring.The animatronic movements are more of a "jerking" motion than the other 2 versions,
due to the missing upper mouth servo.The lower mouth and upper mouth are tab hinged and a spring is used to close the upper mouth,
which makes it more "jittery".
The benefit in having one less servo is less battery consumption,Worlds Of Wonder made this design to save on cost.
The main flaw in the design is because the middle servo is missing if Teddy takes a "nose dive" the motor frame usually cracks.
Grubby Interaction is alittle better on this version due to the last Revised Printed Circuit Board.
Also the battery cover is hinged which makes it less likely to be lost.
This Version is the best for "little kiddles" or if being used in a classroom as he is the lightest version,and uses the least amount
of battery power when in operation.These are also becoming harder to find as they were the last large Teddy Ruxpins marketed.
This version is becoming harder to find because of it's short production run.
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3 SERVO MOTORS
(Better Animatronics) |
2 SERVO MOTORS
(Less Battery Consumption)
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HINGED BATTERY COVER |
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GEAR MESH TYPE
SERVO MOTOR
(Noisier During Operation) |
PULLEY TYPE
SERVO MOTOR
(Less Noise During Operation)
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UNHINGED BATTERY COVER |
****VERY IMPORTANT NOTE****
Make sure you buy YES ENTERTAINMENT Cassette Tapes for your YES ENTERTAINMENT Teddy Ruxpin.
YES ENTERTAINMENT made a smaller version Teddy Ruxpin in 1998 which uses cassette tapes which look similar to the Worlds Of Wonder tapes.They will have "YES" printed on them and WILL ONLY WORK on a YES ENTERTAINMENT Teddy Ruxpin.
Worlds Of Wonder tapes WILL NOT WORK in your YES ENTERTAINMENT Teddy Ruxpin.
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WOW Tapes have the WOW Logo(upper left). |
YES ENT. have the YES! Logo(lower left). |
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***NON-INTERCHANGEABLE*** |
