My sister and I were discussing our favorite childhood gifts recently and one that immediately came to my mind was PJ Sparkles. This doll had the tagline “Hug me and I light up with love” because its accessories would turn on when squeezed.
1988 was the debut. By the time the cartoon based on the character was developed in 1992, I was “too cool” to watch it, but wow, did I like that doll when I was a little lady.
My sister, who is 4 years younger than me, didn’t remember PJ Sparkles, but she was reminiscing over Teddy Ruxpin, which was a stuffed bear that played audio cassettes (Yes, this was before CDs were popular).
Teddy Ruxpin is still in production while PJ Sparkles has yet to be revived. Call me old fashioned, but I’d love to see the toys of my youth made popular again today.
Ghost of the Doll is a great resource from the UK, dedicated to cataloging tons of toys from the 80’s and 90’s. They naturally have a page dedicated to PJ Sparkles which offers more info than anyone could ever want to know. 🙂
So, my question is: Who else remembers PJ Sparkles? Surely, it’s not just me!
When I was a teen, I worked at Toys R Us when Teddy Ruxpin came out and that toy was the bane of my existence. 80% of them were defective. Did I mention I worked the return counter?
Teddy Ruxpin worked for less than a week at our house! The concept was good but the technology wasn’t quite there yet. Are you sad about Toys R Us closing? I hate that all the stores we grew up with are going away – Sears, Penny, etc.
I am a but older than the PJ Sparkles era 🙂 Cute doll though. I do remember Teddy Ruxpin and gosh that was an expensive one as I recall. I also know most of the kids that got one had problems with the silly thing.
In our area, Sears went last. Penny’s Yonkers, KMart are all gone.
KMart is gone here, Sears is closing, Target is dangerously empty. It seems like retail stores are going to be just a memory in the future, with online shopping taking over. It’s so sad! Where will all these folks work?
Yes I remember her because my oldest daughter had one. I on the other hand am so old that I had a Mrs. Beasley doll. I bet you don’t remember her. lol 🙂
Mrs. Beasley was before my time, yes. I actually have seen one in person at a yard sale. I think it was based on a TV show, right?