The popular ’80s cartoon series The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin is slated for release on DVD for the first time. First National Pictures (FNP), the newly minted DVD distributor led by Ryan Kugler, president of DV&A, has acquired the North American home entertainment rights to the property from DLT Ent. The show was based on the hot-selling animatronic toy that celebrates its 20-year anniversary this month.
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin debuted in the fall of 1987, two years after the technologically advanced, talking doll became a worldwide sales phenomenon. The animated series follows the title bear and his best friends, Grubby and Newton Gimmick, through 65 episodes of musical adventures in which the trio seeks out the true purpose of six newly discovered ancient crystals.
FNP plans to release the entire Ruxpin series on DVD over the coming years. Details about specific content and release scheduling are to be announced at a later date. The company says it will also announce a second familiar animated franchise to join its children’s entertainment catalog, which includes the award-winning Canadian program Scoop and Doozie and Bix Pix’s clay-animated adaptation of Dorothea Warren Fox’s classic children’s book, Miss Twiggley’s Tree.
An updated version of the Teddy Ruxpin toy with state-of-the-art MP3 technology is scheduled to hit store shelves next year from BackPack Toys, and is available now via their website at www.teddyruxpin.com.
