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TV Teddy interactive toy
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Title:
TV Teddy interactive toy
NFSA ID
1770470
Year
1993
Meet TV Teddy – the 1993 interactive toy that tried to bring your teddy bear to life. Inspired by the wildly popular talking Teddy Ruxpin from the mid-'80s, this fuzzy friend from YES! Entertainment (USA) used a wireless transmitter linked to your VCR. Pop in a VHS tape, and Teddy’s eyes and mouth would move in sync with your favourite cartoons – from Thomas the Tank Engine to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
It was clever tech for its time, reading hidden barcodes in the video to trigger Teddy’s responses. But there was a catch: Teddy didn’t interact with you – only with the pre-recorded content on screen. Despite plans for broadcast compatibility, only VHS tapes were released, so watching TV with Teddy was more passive than playful. Still, TV Teddy marked a fascinating moment in the evolution of interactive toys – a slightly creepy relic from the golden age of home video.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.