Weekend Project: Hack a Talking Teddy Bear with a $9 Computer

Teddy Ruxpin was a toy from the 80's that would read stories on tape. In this weekend project, we use C.H.I.P. to allow Teddy to speak whatever you type, read tweets aloud, and more!
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[@MarvRoberts]

Should add a microphone and some speech recognition software. Make it full on interactive. Maybe even a webcam.

[@PhoenixSora9aOs3]

all you need now is installing a pair of glowing eyes, a way to speak through it and maybe a webcam and you can start to scare some friends

[@KHDecoder]

Child's Play (2019) predicted here

[@goosebumpskid1281]

Are you my BEST BUDDI?

[@alan_clarke]

It's a shame that C.H.I.P is so difficult to find, it would be nice to see this done with a Raspberry Pi Zero which are a bit easier to find.

[@SnyderTools]

Am I the only one who got sad to see Teddy Ruxpin's guts being torn out with Teddy in the background looking like he was murdered??

[@fleeg3064]

1:24 it looked like he was in pain and i was sad

[@mikeygetsluckyslots]

Yes but I want one

[@capnskustomworks]

AWESOME... Childhood is alive...

[@_who_cares_1123]

This bear is fkn creepy!

[@me3333]

+_who_cares_ It was creepy back in the 80's also

[@pikachu-fe7tx]

That bear costs more than the computer!

[@lokustic]

Now let's replace the teddy with a Good Guy doll.

[@WerewolfCas]

Hi, I'm Chucky. Do you want to play.

[@KHDecoder]

A Buddi doll

[@woutvdr]

the bear should present the next weekend project whit you! that would be awesome :)

[@ETAD-ne8wr]

This was so. easy to do. In 45 minutes I finished the hardware with 10 minutes for all software. I bought the bear for 2 bucks at a yard sale. Can't wait for the next project.

[@TravisWebb]

I want to connect him to Cortana on my office computer to creep everyone out.

[@Decahexic]

I actually did that. Its fun to yell Hey Cortana and teddy replies Yes?

[@Yukosan13]

I remember hating my teddy ruxbin.. he creeped me out. 😨😲😖 Sadly, my dad loved it and kept it for memories. (Note: could this project work with a old furby?)

[@pmsteamrailroading]

When these came out (oh so many years ago) I wanted to do the teddy ruxpin terror tapes. (Teddy reads H.P. Lovecraft, Steven King(you get the idea)) But they where so damn expensive at the time I never did anything with it.

[@HoneyGoatStudios]

Send this to the Nostalgia critic

[@TheWarrrenator]

That's cool, but can you reprogram Teddy Ruxpin to SEEK REVENGE ON MY ENEMIES?

[@mofkarim]

Man that teddy ruxpin saying those hacked words is scary

[@vorkev1]

wow the fun you could have with this. just think of the pranks like setting him up in a childs room and interviewing baby sitters showing them the room of the child and wear the toy box it then telling her that your child thinks the doll is evil and asking them to hold on you will be back in a sec yet they do not no you are going to make the doll talk then come back and play dumb.

[@SpacegerbilProductions]

I love this and hate it at the same time cause you're ripping teddy apart but you're making something really cool. Just know teddys are pricey.

[@AlexToThompson]

You can do some spooky ass stuff with this...

[@BenG9C9]

If I remember my childhood right, Teddy Ruxpin would read stories. Could the CHIP code be modified to play audio files, like Audible audio books?

[@1310up]

+BenG9C9 This should be fairly easy to do so.

[@MAKE]

+BenG9C9 The python script actually works by taking the output from eSpeak ( a linux test-to-speech engine) and dumps it out to a .wav file. From there (I believe) the sound file is played back, but also analyzed to generate the mouth and eye movements. So the hard work of animating the face has already been done for playback from a sound file - you would just need to modify the script so that it skips the first part of it.

[@charliepotatoes001]

+BenG9C9 If I recall the CHIP Modual has Bluetooth so it should be able to sync with a Phone or other Bluetooth enabled device. It's just in the code somewhere to add that function.

[@s0vrn]

you can do that with a click and drag and press of the delete key using audacity, i think

[@s0vrn]

glad to see i'm not the only one thinking about modernizing their ruxpin for future generations. it'd be pretty cool for him to read his classic stories, stored on a computer in .wav's, playable for your child at will - maybe you could even record your own stories.

[@northernontariopartyzone]

Oh my god PROGRAM HIM WITH THE FNAF JUMPSCARE!!! PUT L.E.DS IN HIS EYES!!! I'mma bout to ruin christmas

[@1310up]

That moment where you thought C.H.I.P was available to order and you see it is still in preorder :-(

[@user-gp8nr8od2p]

It is one of the most scary thing I ever seen!

[@oldconspiracydude236]

great hack, It would be interesting if you had a user group maybe add a couple freedoms of motion like neck and ears with some 3d printer parts.

[@sithinstructor]

Have not even watched it yet.... I have my CHIP on my desk though, I was one of the early backers! I think I will enjoy this video!

[@sithinstructor]

+Josh V OK, there were a lot of words I didn't understand... LOL. I am confident I could do this project though, having worked on Avionics on War Planes.... Just have to learn how to code and what all the abbreviations mean.

[@normitalopez549]

am going to cry

[@telesniper2]

Make him an enpoint for a ChatGPT instance. Or better yet, an uncensored AI.

[@WildChildDos]

I 1st thought Stephen Hawking was transformed into a bear.

[@MarkWladika]

Any methods for improving the sound?

[@qhack]

Never mind the difficulty of getting an older model of Teddy Ruxpin... I am still waiting on my C.H.I.P. Ordered long before the first shipment and mine isn't scheduled to ship until May. So, ya It's neat to show off what can be done with the C.H.I.P. but this isn't a project that you can just go out and do today.

[@MickeyMishra]

I was at a Portland surplus store and I got a Teddy Ruxpin doll that is supposed to be a display unit I'm pretty sure that'll work with this

[@personalsunstreet571]

Try showing me a video of a Bearlieve being hacked by an Arudino.

[@jsheiko]

Any idea if C.H.I.P. can be used with a Big Mouth Billy Bass?

[@reelheel5919]

how did i go from looking for videos on replacing a timing belt on a vw to this??

[@jenniferpreston235]

Can the original tapes be digitized onto the new computer and played properly on Chippy?

[@Vambibuda]

Can you help me. I want to know the name of those simpler chips used inside teddy bears years ago. I know they were usually round and when hand was squeezed, teddy would say “I love you”. Do you know the name of that piece?

[@jeffdmeneff2319]

the guy who created the chip amazon echo thing should put it in dat bear

[@shonandrews1970]

wow u are incredible

[@liamthoralexanderspencer4684]

That’s the same voice from parrotz, an old DS digital pet game

[@starlingbaez6681]

thats teddy ruxpin

[@biggmann88zz8]

Is there a particular reason why the Playskool model doesn't work with the project?

[@Koniyoutube]

that is fucking terrifying.

[@AngelloMurillo]

still waiting on my chip. already waited a full year 3 months.

[@teddywalker97]

Who calls a lithium polymer battery a "lipo battery?" It is easier to say "lipo", but i thought he said "light bulb battery" and was really confused for a minute. Hard of hearing folks who don't use "lipo" as a battery term (no idea why anyone would) will not understand what you mean. You could also obtain caption files to explain that "lipo" refers to Lithium-Polymer batteries, or even have the word "lipo" in the video captioned as "Li-Po" to get your point across. Currently you have automatically generated captions which state " single cell lipo battery" and i'm fairly sure this battery doesn't suck adipose tissue out of you.

[@perc-sz7sw]

Max Hudson lol

[@Furby_Productions]

Can I program songs for it?

[@1310up]

1 - Make this to your child 2 - Show him Five night at freddy's ??? 4 - Profit

[@capnskustomworks]

Ye win. (Wait, my kids showed ME Five Nights at Freddy's... Win rescinded. My apologies...)

[@KellyNole]

next step make the eyes move better, every couple of seconds and plus for emphasis on certain emotional words, and put a small touchscreen in his belly that will show cartoons, and finally make a way for it to stand up and sit down and move its arms.

[@denzel387]

nice

[@johnpaulcastillo8403]

Coool!!!

[@ryanmartinson4531]

Will this work with talking ALF?

[@Theasworld1984]

Have you ever modified a cricket or baby talk dolls Or how about a mrs. Beasley doll from the 1960s that would be neat to see her modified like that even though she doesn't have the same technology as teddy and cricket

[@Prence]

So is there a way to make Teddy Ruxpin connect to a iphone and speak using Siri's voice.

[@DanielNotFake]

Teddy Ruxpin 1985 is Creepy to death.

[@Buy-n-large]

Even the battery has obey merch ima kms

[@dandrewrokc4215]

I'm getting the old teddy ruxpin

[@chuckoutman9568]

Can this be converted to arduino or PI?

[@kef103]

That was pretty hi tech for it's time I guess

[@causecaos]

Why would the older model not work for this project? What is the main reasons?

[@TimurTripp2]

Not older, newer. Playskool Teddy Ruxpin is actually very different from Worlds of Wonder Teddy Ruxpin.

[@crimsonsamuraiftw]

how can you change the voice?

[@aghostcat2]

I have a Mickey Mouse that Worlds of Wonder put out the year after Teddy Ruxpin came out. I think my son and I are going to have to make him into a Chip Micky Mouse!

[@132ikl]

Make it say "Hi! My name is Confessa-Bear! You can tell me all your secrets!"

[@manfredlanger9293]

How much do you charge to fix a Ruxpin?

[@joesmoe71]

Cool, now make it so its head can spin all the way around and install a pump so it can puke green liquid at people!

[@GlovedGame]

This is much more creepy than it all ready is 0:04

[@terrybennett7424]

How much would you charge if I provide the doll

[@Ryan-re1rs]

how much are these bears going for now? a lot of the toys I had grown up in the 80's are now worth some good money. I wish I had kept a lot of them. ugh..

[@MAKE]

+Ryan W In my experience, the new-in-box items still command prices around $2-300 US. Used ones that are tested good are under $100, but if you don't mind some heavy use they can be had for $30. That's what we paid for the one you see in this build.

[@Astronomikat]

I made a full sized humanoid android using a similar conversion method, arduino, and the 3doodler. I was originally just going to get a teddy ruxpin to prattle on, but I ended up only using his eyes.. they work well in my new and improved robot son. ;)

[@kayborndadon4009]

What sort of base education/knowledge do you need to complete a project like this?

[@MAKE]

+KayBorn Da Don Soldering and following the wiring diagram is the trickiest part. The code stuff sounds complicated, but you can really get it down to just copying and pasting commands. You should give it a go!

[@kayborndadon4009]

+Make: Thank you for responding, it looks like a fun project that I could get into with my son although my ability to solder is lacking lol

[@Deemon1]

Teddy or Steve Hocking parodies?

[@ViolentSid]

you should sell them fan would buy him

[@mikeygetsluckyslots]

How much to make me one

[@meneur07]

This is .... Creepy.... :O

[@vinceadriangalvez7043]

Teddy ruxpin

[@prestonferry]

This is a creepy robot!

[@Turcios-xm1gw]

Can it play Music like from other artist like Jay Z

[@RaDrumba]

can you hack The See-n-Say toy and reprogram it.

[@sonicase]

wikibear!

[@vitovekic1413]

Like your hair

[@sisvlittlebromasters446]

I wish I can do that

[@JGunlimited]

Five Nights at Freddy's halloween prop idea

[@nicknorth-east]

can't you just record a new message on an audio cassette. just a thought!

[@TimurTripp2]

The problem is the eye and lip movements. Those were actually pre-programed and recorded to the Teddy Ruxpin cassette tapes which the bear reads and decodes. Regular cassette tapes do not produce any movement, they only play.

[@GeekSpeakDesign]

That's awesome! Really screw w/someone by adding a PIR & trigger to say "I'm watching you"

[@rustynails7001]

Diy make your nightmares

[@ozzelot3349]

Eerie as fuck.

[@supernintendozack-snz7493]

Mama tattletale x)

[@SkyrimTheBoss]

what if he could say shower thoughts

[@Ssbmt633]

I had one my mom got me one from the swamp meat but now I have a my buddy

[@sarahlee5497]

that was kewl but why not make ted into a inter act rasp berry pi computer n make him talk n him have face move ments as itinter acts as a computer....

[@CplHound]

could you modify a furby in a future episode?

[@minopausa]

Nostromo / Mother :) Directly from Alien!

[@quiettornado1970]

I need someone to fix mine.

[@KineticWasEpicVideos]

I'm shocked! The first comment isn't FNAF! Oh, and there's some better voices out there for Festival. You should REALLY think about installing those instead.

[@tomcummings3471]

Thefuture is stew pid

[@VolpeInCalze]

asking mother for permission into nostromo? lmao

[@lpshayaller1985]

İ did it and give it to my 5 year old sis, she acutally laughed

[@SomeDork353]

The real question is "Why?"

[@maurice_mores]

Creepy

[@scruffymchaggis8828]

Why not have Teddy repeat songs ,like from Metallica or Ozzy? LOL

[@denzel387]

cool heheh

[@CrustyCowboy]

I need a step by step slower tutorial lol

[@ChiefDork]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Get it away Get it away Kill it now before he takes over again....