Wuzzles – they always reminded me of the idea of the “Heffalumps” from Winnie the Pooh. Hybrids of different animals.
A whole range of Wuzzles toys were made in the mid-80's and had a rash of adverts announcing them to the child populace. They certainly made an impression on my young mind. Each Wuzzle was a hybrid of two different animals such as Bumblelion (half bumble bee and half lion), Rhinokey (half rhinocerous and half monkey) and Eleroo (half elephant and half kangeroo)!
Photo Larah Wylde
They were made by Hasbro (Softies division) to go up against the hugely popular Care Bears. The toys were better made than Care Bears and I think the idea was stronger – merging two animals is a fun concept - though Charles Darwin would have had a heart attack if he’d ever seen one! There was a cartoon that the toys came from “The Wuzzles” (Nothing to do with the Worzels, or Worzel Gummage!) and it was an animated Disney cartoon from 1985. Every single on of the Wuzzles in Wuzzleworld were animal creatures composed of half of one animal and half of another. Only 13 episodes of Wuzzles were produced, making it the shortest running animated series ever produced by Disney. It must surely have been the most popular series to get axed! I wonder why they stopped making it?
The toys were very cute and felty. Very soft and cuddly to hold. My brother had one that he kept and held all day and all night. It was his safety toy and he’d cry and cry if he couldn’t find it. It might have been a bit confusing for him though – it was a cross between a Lion and a Bee. It might explain why he wore a bee keepers uniform when he went to Africa on Safari last year…
Do You Remember Wuzzles?
Do You Remember Wuzzles?