On this Day Factola September 17, 1936   The Birthday of Earl Kenneth Forsse, inventor of Teddy Ruxpin Born in Bellwood, NE September 17, 1936 - March 19, 2014     "Ken Forsse ... advanced the field in the 1980s by inventing a plush bear that made appropriate facial expressions as it told stories or sang. His creation, Teddy Ruxpin, was almost impossible for harried parents to find when it burst on the scene in 1985, and it remained wildly popular through the next year. In 2003 the Toy Industry Association named it one of the most memorable and creative toys of the 20th century."   See the New York Times obituary by Douglas Martin, April 8, 2014, for more details about his life and the "Tolkien-like story he created."       Ken Forsse with Teddy Ruxpin - Courtesy of Getty Images         September 17 - On this Day Factola .