The story of our Teddy Ruxpin

It's been quIte a whIle sInce I've had to joIn the hordes of parents searchIng the stores for that most elusIve of santa Items: the hottest toy of the season.

In fact, I couldn't name the most popular plaything of the last 20 years or so.

But I can remember what many a kid wanted for Christmas in 1985, the year my middle daughter was 4 years old: A talking bear called Teddy Ruxpin.

Ah yes, Teddy Ruxpin, "the original animated storytelling toy," as the label said on the box. The bear's mouth and eyes were supposed to move while "reading" stories which were played on an audio tape cassette deck that was built into its back.

This technology doesn't sound all that whiz-bang these days, but back in 1985, before kids had computers, cell phones, and 60-inch plasma televisions, Teddy Ruxpin was pretty exciting stuff. Especially to a 4-year-old. Also, while not exactly cuddly due to that plastic cassette back, Teddy Ruxpin was cute. His 20-inch body came dressed in a burnt orange jump suit with a beige vest on which was stitched his name. He had legs, feet, hands and a really big head made out of soft brown fur. My daughter talked a lot about getting Teddy Ruxpin for Christmas, but in 1985, I was a busy working mom. Somehow I didn't find my way to the department store in time to buy the little bugger. Nope, once I got serious about Christmas shopping that year, there was no Teddy Ruxpin to be found in Greenville, North Carolina, where I then lived.

Oh well, I remember thinking, the child's only 4. When she sees her other toys on Christmas, she'll forget all about Teddy Ruxpin. It's not like it's the only thing she wanted. But it was the number one thing she wanted. I can still picture that Christmas morning when she scanned a living room full of toys and asked, "Where's my Teddy Ruxpin?"

I don't remember what her dad and I told her, but I do know that the day after Christmas, her father hunted down a Teddy Ruxpin in Farmville, a small town not too far from Greenville, and bought it. This man who hardly ever did any type of shopping was quite proud of himself for having found the elusive Teddy Ruxpin without any help.

There was only one problem. Our Teddy Ruxpin never said very much. He was supposed to read a story once we put a cassette into his back. But all we ever heard was one sentence: "Hi, I'm Teddy Ruxpin." I'm betting my husband bought a defective, returned Teddy Ruxpin that day after Christmas. But the crazy part is that somehow it didn't seem to matter to my child that she had a non-talking Teddy. She played with him anyway until he finally joined the other old toys in the attic. A couple of years ago, I discovered Teddy Ruxpin under the eaves when I was getting the boxes of Christmas decorations. I decided he needed to be a part of the season too, as he was all those years ago. My daughter, all grown up and married, laughed when she saw him sitting under the tree. She remembered her Teddy Ruxpin.