Grundo Gazette Forums

So, what I learned recently from the Answer Box Review from BlueOctopede was something called the "2-XL". The toy was released before Teddy Ruxpin released, but what I learned was that it used 8-Track tapes in its first release. It, like the answer box, would be able to interact with user input, but however I only like that toy because it sadly only played on one side of the tape.

Soon, 2-XL was released by Tiger Electronics, which reminded me of the 1998 Furbys, who were made by them also.

Honestly though, my brain thought 2-XL was better than Teddy Ruxpin at first, but then I realize how Teddy Ruxpin feels more like a friend and more realistic than some robot toy that just blinks its eyes and would be used at schools unlike Ruxpin.

The things I do for nostalgia.

Oh yeah and the pronouns for them are different.

2-XL: It/Its, sometimes mistaken as he/him but isn't, it is genderless unlike Teddy Ruxpin

Teddy Ruxpin: He/Him, rarely mistaken as it/its but he isn't genderlesss until 2-XL, as he is confirmed to be male.

A cousin of mine had 2-XL growing up. I remember thinking it was very cool, but I agree that it never felt like a "friend" the way Teddy does.

It's clear that a boom in toy technology was going to happen in the '80s. We're just lucky Teddy got there when he did!