Toby Terrier was a toy
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
manufactured in the early 1990s by
Tiger Electronics
Tiger Electronics Ltd. (also known as Tiger and Tiger Toys) was an independent American toy manufacturer best known for its handheld LCD games, the Furby, the Talkboy, Giga Pets, the 2-XL robot, and audio games such as ''Brain Warp'' and the Br ...
. The toy was designed to make various comments and remarks when placed in front of a
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
playing one of the select PLUS videos from the ''Toby Terrier and His Video Pals'' video series. In order for this function to work a specific cartridge that matched up with the video being played would have to be inserted into the toy. His collar contained a sensor that tracked what was going on in the movie. It was activated by pressing a button located below the sensor. The Toby Terrier video series was a comical and educational video series for kids, whose characters consisted of dog
puppet
A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...
s. The video series itself was known as ''Toby Terrier and His Video Pals''.
How It Worked
Toby would wag his tail, bark, nod his head and say phrases such as, "Well, scratch my fleas!" as one watched the video when he was turned on. This was accomplished using
VEIL Technology. The video fields would send out a data stream that were received through Toby's neck collar. The video also never faded to a pitch black but rather a dark-gray to ensure that Toby would not turn off during a transition. There were also small cartridges that contained different phrases for Toby to say during certain videos (known as "PLUS" videos in the series).
Video series
Toby Terrier and His Video Pals was a video series produced by
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft (born July 30, 1929) and Marty Krofft (born April 9, 1937) are a Canadian sibling team of television creators and puppeteers. Through their production company, Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, they have made numerous children's television a ...
that went along with the electronic toy.
YouTube – Toby Terrier
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Types of Videos
* Normal
** These video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
s did not need a cartridge
Cartridge may refer to:
Objects
* Cartridge (firearms), a type of modern ammunition
* ROM cartridge, a removable component in an electronic device
* Cartridge (respirator), a type of filter used in respirators
Other uses
* Cartridge (surname) Ca ...
and the titles are as follows:
*** ''Singin' And Dancin' And Waggin' Our Tails!''
*** ''Safety First!''
*** ''Time For A Party!''
* Adventures PLUS
** These videos required the user to insert an included cartridge into Toby's underside. This allowed Toby to make various exclamations while watching the video.
*** ''Is There A Dog-Tor In The House?''
*** ''Let's Go To The Zoo!''
*** ''Walking On The Sunny Side!''
* Toby's Wonder Bone
** These videos required the Wonder Bone in order for Toby to function correctly.
*** ''And The Winner Is...''
*** ''Where In The World Is Charlie Chihuahua?''
*** ''School Daze''
Images
File:Toby_Terrier_and_His_Video_Pals_VHS_photos.JPG, A picture showing two of the ''Toby Terrier and His Video Pals'' videos.
References
Electronic toys
1990s toys
Puppet films
Sid and Marty Krofft
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