Name Ken Forsse | ||
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Full Name Earl Kenneth Forsse Role Television Program Creator Died March 19, 2014, Southern California, California, United States Similar People Phil Baron, Will Ryan, John Stocker, Jean Chalopin, Andy Heyward | ||
Looking Back On Disney's (Somewhat Creepy) Animatronic Puppet TV Shows
Earl Kenneth "Ken" Forsse (September 25, 1936 – March 19, 2014) was an American inventor, author, and producer who created the hit toy Teddy Ruxpin and the subsequent animated series The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin.
After working for The Walt Disney Company, Sid & Marty Krofft Entertainment and other entertainment companies, he founded Alchemy II, Inc. One of Alchemy II's first projects was building the animatronic characters used on the television shows Welcome to Pooh Corner and Dumbo's Circus. Forsse and his team then brought Teddy Ruxpin to the marketplace. Teddy Ruxpin became the top selling toy of 1985 and 1986 and was made by Worlds of Wonder.
In 2005, Alchemy II made an agreement with toy manufacturer BackPack Toys to have Teddy Ruxpin back on the shelves yet again and the toy made a successful return in 2006 before eventually being discontinued again in 2010. In addition, the animated TV series was released for the first time on DVD in 2008.
Forsse died from congestive heart failure on March 19, 2014, aged 77.
Forsse was not only one of the co-creators of Disney's Haunted Mansion attraction, but was also contracted by the Sid & Marty Krofft organization to design a haunted house attraction for their (short-lived) theme park in Atlanta.